Merv Richards

RelativeDeborah Hurst (daughter)SportCountryNew ZealandSportTrack and fieldEventPole vaultAchievements and titlesNational finalsPole vault champion (1952–1962)

Mervyn David Richards (16 November 1930 – 1 July 2018) was a New Zealand pole vaulter, who represented his country at three British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in 1958. He went on to become a successful coach in both pole vault and gymnastics.^[1]

Early life and family

Born in Oamaru on 16 November 1930, Richards was the youngest child of David Llewellyn Richards and Hephzibah Richards (née Mears).^[1] After leaving Oamaru, the family lived briefly in Waitati, before moving to Dunedin where Richards was educated at King Edward Technical College.^[1] When he was 16 years old, he began training as an optical technician, and worked in that occupation until he retired.^[1]

In 1958, Richards married Margaret Winifred Garrod—who won the national women's javelin title in 1957 and 1958—at Mosgiel Anglican church.^[1][2] The couple went on to have three children, including Deborah Hurst who won a bronze medal in gymnastics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.^[1]

Pole vault

Competitor

Richards won the New Zealand national pole vault title 11 years in succession, from 1952 to 1962.^[2] He also represented New Zealand in the pole vault at three consecutive British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1950 to 1958.^[3] At the 1950 Empire Games in Auckland, he finished eighth with a height of 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m).^[4] Four years later, at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, he cleared 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m) to finish in fifth place.^[4] Finally, at the 1958 games in Cardiff, he won the bronze medal after a countback, with a vault of 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m).^[1][4]

Coach

Richards was a successful pole vault coach in Dunedin, training a number of national champions, including 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games representative Kevin Gibbons.^[1] He also provided technical advice to Melina Hamilton while she was a student at the University of Otago in the late 1990s.^[1]

Gymnastics coach

Richards became a gymnastics coach at the Athlon club in Dunedin, and trained Rowena Davis and his daughter Deborah, who were a part of the New Zealand women's team that won the bronze medal in the all-around competition at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.^[1] He was subsequently appointed head coach of the New Zealand gymnastics team for the 1980 Summer Olympics, but the team did not complete because of the boycott that year.^[1]

Later life and death

Richards became an enthusiastic lapidarist, and won the New Zealand Lapidary Cup in 1986 and 2011.^[1] He died on 1 July 2018.^[1]

References