Robert BRIDGE

Initially a postman, Bobby Bridge later qualified as a dentist despite the handicap of his left arm being amputated at the elbow. On his début in the AAA championships in 1912, at the age of 29, he won both the 2 miles and 7 miles walk and he repeated the double in 1913 and 1914. At the 1919 Championships he won the 2 miles for the fourth consecutive time and was the only pre-War champion to retain his title. At the Northern Championships he took the 2 mile/7 mile double four times (1912-14, 1919), won the 2 miles twice more (1921-22), and had a fifth successive win the 7 miles in 1920. In one race at Stamford Bridge in 1914 he broke the world record for every distance from 11 miles to 16 miles (2-05:39.8) and also set a new 2-hour record.

Personal Bests: 2 mile Walk – 13:48.8 (1912); 7 mile Walk – 52:06.8 (1914); 2-hour Walk – 24.781 km. (15 m, 701y).