Stamford Bridge, London, July 17–18, 1925
The British Open Championships were held, as per tradition, at Stamford Bridge in mid-July. On Saturday, the main events attracted a crowd of 20,000 spectators, who enjoyed favourable weather, though reports described the track conditions as poor.
The spotlight was on American stars Loren Murchison, Ivan Riley, and Harold Osborn. Riley and Osborn had competed in the U.S. Championships in early July, meaning they likely rushed directly from the American nationals to London by ship. Meanwhile, Murchison had been racing across continents alongside Charley Paddock since the spring.
Two-time Olympic finalist Murchison dominated the sprints, winning both the 100 and 220-yard dashes. In the longer race, his 21.6-second performance placed him second in the world rankings for the season. However, he received his medals only after a delay, as officials questioned his amateur status, suspecting he had accepted under-the-table prize money during his German tour. Tragically, later in 1925, Murchison became paralyzed from the waist down, marking the end of his career.
Ivan Riley secured victory in the 440-yard hurdles, though his 57.8-second result was modest. In the 110-yard hurdles, however, he was defeated by Britain’s Fred Gaby, who clocked 15.2, equaling the British record. The host nation excelled in the hurdles overall, as Frederick Blackett set a national record of 56.0 in the 440-yard hurdles semifinals.
In the high jump, two-time Olympic champion Harold Osborn cleared 1.93 (6-4), enough to defeat European standout Pierre Lewden of France.
One of the closest head-to-head battles took place in the mile, where Bertram Macdonald from Birmingham narrowly edged out fellow Brit Cyril Ellis by a few tenths of a second.
Cambridge medical student Henry Stallard extended his remarkable streak by medalling at the AAA Championships for the fifth consecutive year. In 1925, he claimed the 440-yard title with an unremarkable 50.0. Previously, he had medalled in both the half-mile (880 yards) and the mile, making him the only runner in history to win British championships in all three distances.
Medallists (NUTS)