11 Facts About Robbie Brightwell

Robert Ian Brightwell MBE was a British track and field athlete and silver medallist.

Robbie Brightwell was born in Rawalpindi, British Raj, but moved to the UK with his family in 1946 and grew up in Donnington, Telford, Shropshire.

Robbie Brightwell was educated at Trench Secondary Modern School where he became head boy and set a number of school running records, and he played as goalkeeper in the local Donnington Swifts football team.

Robbie Brightwell gained his athletic training at Shrewsbury Technical College and went on to become a sportsmaster at Tiffin Boys' School in Surrey, England.

Robbie Brightwell came to prominence as a 400m runner, and broke the British record for both 440 yards and 400 metres as well as the European 400 metres record.

Robbie Brightwell narrowly failed to reach the final of the individual 400 metres at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, finishing 4th in his semi-final in a hand-timed 46.1.

Robbie Brightwell ran the anchor leg in the men's 4x400 Relay, where the Great Britain team finished 5th in the final.

Robbie Brightwell said she ran it for him and broke the world record in the process.

Robbie Brightwell went into teaching before moving to lecture at the then Loughborough College, before taking up successive directorships with sports companies Adidas UK and Le Coq Sportif UK.

Robbie Brightwell ran a fishing tackle business for thirty years.

Robbie Brightwell died in March 2022, at the age of 82.