Ernest Harper
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| Born | 3 August 1902 Chesterfield, England |
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| Died | 9 October 1979 (aged 77) Tullamarine, Melbourne, Australia |
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| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 5,000 m – marathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Hallamshire Harriers, Sheffield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal best(s) | 5000 m – 15:35.0 (1926) 10,000 m – 31:58.0 (1924) Marathon – 2:31:23.2 (1936) |
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Medal record
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Ernest "Ernie" Harper (3 August 1902 – 9 October 1979) was an English athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1924, 1928 and 1936 Summer Olympics.
In 1924 he finished fifth in the 10000 metre and fourth in the individual cross country event. He was the only British finisher in this race; therefore, the British team was unplaced in the team cross country competition. Just fifteen of the thirty-eight starters finished the event due to the extreme heat,The Times reporting the scenes at the end of the race:
Some way behind Harper a figure in the scarlet drawers of Spain appeared in the entrance, turned the wrong way, was stopped, and then ran horribly round in little circles till he plunged on his face. Immediately another figure appeared, Sewell of the British team. He also tried to run the wrong way, was checked, and turned round, ran giddily a few yards, staggered, met another competitor, a Finn, also reeling, and the two fell together in a dreadful heap. Meanwhile a Frenchman had entered and ran three-quarters of the distance to the winning line, began to zig-zag, threw up his arms helplessly, and crashed full length on the ground. It was all heartbreaking to watch. Never, surely, in any race – not even in a Grand National – was there anything like the proportion of casualties; and the race ought never to have been run in the heat of such a day. It was altogether a terrible race. Harper’s performance was a fine one.
In 1928 Harper finished 22nd in the Olympic marathon; he improved to second place at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Harper earned praise for advising eventual winner Sohn Kee-chung not to chase after Juan Carlos Zabala, who had opened a big lead. Zabala eventually pulled out of the race. Sohn was later reported to have said: "Please say Mr Harper is a very fine man for telling me about Zabala."
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Wikipedia