David Young (discus thrower)

David Young

Personal information
Born	Shotts, Scotland
Died	1983 (aged 69)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Discus throw
Club	Shettleston Harriers Glasgow Police AC
Medal record Representing  Scotland British Empire Games 1938 Sydney Discus

David Young was a Scottish athlete who specialised in the discus throw and won a silver medal at the 1938 British Empire Games.

Biography

Young, a Glasgow police officer by profession, was a member of a Harriers club in Shettleston and the Glasgow Police Athletic Club.[1]

Self coached, Young won his first Scottish Championship for discus in 1937 and the following year claimed a silver medal at the British Empire Games in Sydney, which was Scotland's only medal of the athletics competition.[2]

After the Empire Games, Young finished second behind Adolfo Consolini in the discus throw event at the 1938 AAA Championships[3][4][5] and set a British record of 153.8 ft in winning the Scottish Championships in 1938.[1]

The war and personal tragedy limited Young's sporting career. He had to raise five children on his own after his first two wives both died young. After the war, he became an inspector in the traffic department of the police force.[1]

References

1. "Scottish discus legend and the tragedies that held him back". The Scotsman. 28 February 2019.
2. "Legends of Scottish athletics finally given a voice". HeraldScotland. 11 April 2014.
3. "Italian wins six-mile title". Western Mail. 16 July 1938. Retrieved 19 January 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "AAA Championships". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 18 July 1938. Retrieved 19 January 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 19 January 2025.