Harry Edward and Mo Farah Lead England Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Harry Edward, Britain’s first Black Olympic medallist, will be inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame alongside Mo Farah and five other figures from the sport. The Guardian reported that the 2026 inductees will be honoured at a ceremony in Birmingham in November.

Edward won bronze medals in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. He also became a leading performer in Britain’s domestic championships, winning the AAA 100-yard and 220-yard titles three times. In 1922, he won the 100, 220 and 440-yard AAA championships within a single hour.

His journey to the British Olympic team began in Berlin, where he was born and raised. Edward was interned during the First World War because his father came from Dominica, then a British colony. After the war, he moved to London, joined Polytechnic Harriers and represented Britain at the Olympics. He emigrated to the United States in 1923 and later worked on civil rights as well as international programmes supporting refugees and foster children.

Edward’s story returned to wider attention after his unpublished autobiography was found in a New Orleans archive with his medals, letters, photographs and scrapbooks. The book, When I Passed the Statue of Liberty I Became Black, was published in 2024 and shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. The Guardian also reported that English Heritage plans to place a blue plaque at his former London home near Euston in 2027.

Farah, Britain’s most successful athlete, is also part of the class. The other inductees include sprinter Sonia Lannaman, who won Commonwealth 100m gold in 1978 and Olympic 4x100m relay bronze in 1980, and hurdler Shirley Strong, the 1984 Olympic silver medallist and 1982 Commonwealth champion.

The Hall of Fame will additionally recognise triple Paralympic champion Stephen Miller, coach Mike Holmes and athletics photographer Mark Shearman. Miller co-founded SMILE Through Sport to encourage disabled people to take part in sport, Holmes guided Katarina Johnson-Thompson early in her career, and Shearman has photographed major athletics competitions for more than six decades. The induction dinner and awards presentation is scheduled for November 21 at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole Hotel.