Tony Simmons sets World Half Marathon best
Maesteg-born Tony Simmons may have run for England at the Commonwealth Games and at the World Cross Country Championships, but he never forgot his Welsh roots. He won the Welsh cross-country title in 1969 and twice represented the land of his birth at the World Championships. He then return to Wales to win the silver medal at the World Championships in Chepstow in 1976 while running for England. He represented both nations at the Commonwealth Games and was fourth in the 10,000 at the 1976 Olympic Games. But he conquered the world on 24 June, 1978 when he stripped 10 seconds off the world best over the half-marathon in Welwyn Garden City. His winning time was 62 min, 47 sec and it stood as the official world best for a decade.
