James Morrison, Partick Police. Double World Record Holder
James Morrison, Partick Police. Double World Record Holder, and “a fit successor to . Donald Dinnie” On Saturday 15 June 1901, Jim Morrison earned himself the title of World Record Holder for the 16lb Hammer Throw when he defeated the old record by 1ft 6½ins in front of a crowd of 5,000 at the Vale of Leven Highland Games; he threw 120ft 7ins. Thirteen days later at the Drumblair Highland Games he set another World Record, this time for Throwing the 56lb Weight by Ring, 7ins further than the previous record, and in doing so defeated the holder (George Hardy Johnstone) into 2nd place; Morrison’s new World Record was 29ft 8ins. Prior to Morrison’s success Johnstone had also been the World Record holder in the Hammer. During the 1900-1901 seasons Jim Morrison was described as “undoubtedly, Heavy-Weight Champion of Scotland”, indeed he had been awarded the silver belt for the Championship of Scotland in 1901. By 1906 he had won over 200 prizes for Caber Tossing alone, and was also a highly successful Hammer thrower and wrestler. His athletic career spanned nineteen years, in fourteen of which he was one of the finest Heavy Athletes in Scotland, and, indeed, the world, and 1905 he was described as “a fit successor to . Donald Dinnie.” There can be no greater praise for any heavy athlete, nor indeed, for any athlete in any event, at any time. And yet, Jim Morrison’s athletic story is not well known, partly because William McCombie Smith’s The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland was written in 1891, before Jim Morrison came on the scene, and even in 1901, when Charles Donaldson, wrote Men of Muscle, Jim Morrison’s best years still lay ahead of him.
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