Murray Cheater
Murray Spencer Cheater (26 January 1947 – 4 August 2020) was a New Zealand hammer thrower who represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Murray Spencer Cheater |
| Born | 26 January 1947 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 August 2020 (aged 73) Rotorua, New Zealand |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Hammer throw |
| Club | Papatoetoe Athletic Club Rotorua Athletic Club Lake City Athletic Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | Hammer throw champion (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) |
| Personal best(s) | 71.20 m (233 ft 7 in) |
Biography
Born in Auckland on 26 January 1947, Cheater was the son of Robert Walter Cheater and Joycene Verona Cheater (née Clarke).[1][2] His father later served as president of Ahtletics Auckland between 1964 and 1966.[2]
Initially competing for the Papatoetoe Athletic Club, Cheater moved to Rotorua in the mid-1970s, becoming a member of the Rotorua Athletic Club, later the Lake City Athletic Club.[2] He won the New Zealand national men's hammer throw title on ten occasions: every year from 1974 to 1984, except in 1980.[3] He broke the New Zealand record for the event 16 times, recording his personal best of 71.20 m in January 1976.[2][4]
Cheater represented New Zealand in the hammer throw at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, where he finished fifth with a best throw of 65.82 m.[5] Two years later, he competed in the men's hammer throw at the 1976 Summer Olympics, recording a best throw of 67.38 m in the qualifying round, to finish in 16th place and not progress to the final.[1][6]
Cheater operated a contracting business in Rotorua.[2] He died in Rotorua on 4 August 2020.[4][7]
References
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Murray Cheater". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- "Obituary: Murray Cheater". Athletics New Zealand. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- Hollings, Stephen (December 2016). "National champions 1887–2016" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- Murray Cheater at Olympedia
- "Murray Cheater". Commonwealth Games Federation. 2018.
- Murray Cheater at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
- "Murray Cheater death notice". Rotorua Daily Post. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.