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09/05/2023 00:00, In Blog /

Welsh Athletics are saddened to hear of the passing of Ralph Boston. 

Clive Williams pays tribute to Ralph Boston 

With the death of former world record holder the world of track and field athletics has lost one of its titans.

He took the Olympic title in Rome in 1960 only to be beaten by Lynn Davies in the rain of Tokyo in 1964 in what was to become the start of a lifelong friendship. Said Lynn on hearing the news: “I am devastated to hear the news. We were very close and kept in touch on a regular basis. I especially remember him coming to Cardiff in 2014 to help me celebrate the 50^th anniversary of my Olympic win. He will be sorely missed.”

The year after Lynn won his Olympic title, Cardiff City Council brough Boston over to the UK in 1965 to compete against Lynn at the Welsh Games at Cardiff’s Maindy Stadium, where he soundly beat Lynn to gain friendly revenge. The Council built a new long jump pit in front of the stand, and both athletes were cheered on by a sell-out crowd of 10,000 – the biggest crowd the stadium had seen – with the late Ron Pickering stage-managing the event on the public address.