As part of our Summer of Sport we researched sporting legends that had a connection with Putney. What we discovered was fascinating. If you scan the floor vinyls around Putney you can find out about our Putney legends or if you prefer you can read on here:
Athletics
Daley Thompson is a British former decathlete. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times. He was unbeaten in competition for nine years. He lived in Putney from 2001 and owned a gym in Putney from 2015 to 2023.
Image of Daley Thompson.
Harry Hutchens was a professional British runner. Hutchens became a messenger at Putney railway station at 14 and soon discovered he was a fast runner. He became a professional in 1876. In 1920, American Olympic champion and writer Ellery Harding Clark declared that Harry Hutchens was “the greatest sprinter the world had ever seen.”
Boxing
Joe Joyce MBE is a British professional boxer, and studied at Elliott School (now Ark Putney Academy), in Putney. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title from 2022 to 2023. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the Commonwealth title twice between 2018 and 2021; the British title from 2020 to 2022; and the European title from 2020 to 2021. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2013 European Championships; gold at the 2014 Commonwealth and 2015 European Games; bronze at the 2015 World Championships; and silver at the 2016 Olympics.
Image taken from Joe Joyce’s website
Cycling
Ernest Johnson born in Putney in 1912 was a British track cyclist who competed in the 1932 Los Angeles and in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He won two bronze medals with the British pursuit team.
Charles King also born in Putney, was the second cyclist of the four with Ernest Johnson in the 4000m team pursuit in the 1936 Berlin Olympics where they won the bronze medal.
Image – Great Britain Pursuit team at the Rose Bowl, 1932
Football
Peter Philip Bonetti, born in Putney was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Chelsea and England. Bonetti played seven times for England, and was part of the winning England squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, but did not play.
Bobby Moore OBE was an English professional footballer, and spent his retirement living in Putney. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of football.
Image – Bonetti is holding the ball with Bobby Moore looking in
Sailing
Sir William Robert Patrick Knox-Johnston CBE RD born in Putney is a British sailor. In 1969 aged 30 years, he became the first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. On 14 June 1968, Knox-Johnston left Falmouth in his 32-foot (9.8-metre) boat Suhaili, one of the smallest boats to enter the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Despite losing his self-steering gear off Australia, he rounded Cape Horn on 17 January 1969, 20 days before his closest competitor. The other eight competitors dropped out at various stages, leaving Knox-Johnston to win the race, finishing in Falmouth on 22nd April 1969. In 2007, at the age of 67, he set a record as the oldest yachtsman to complete a round the world solo voyage in the Velux 5 Oceans Race.
Image is the route of the Golden Globe
Rowing
Geoffrey Carr was born in Putney in 1886 and grew up near the River Thames. He became passionate about rowing in his teens and joined the Thames Rowing Club. At the age of 26 he was selected with the club’s men’s four crew to represent Great Britain. Mr Carr was the boat’s coxswain and they won a silver medal in the coxed four in the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Image – Geoffrey Carr had a lifelong passion for rowing.
We could list many amazing rowers who have developed their craft on the waters of in Putney over the years.
If we have missed any Putney sporting legends out please do let us know as we are interested to learn more.