Two-time Olympian and long-time television commentator at events like the Summer and Winter Olympics, Superstars and World’s Strongest Man was 74
As an athlete, Paul Dickenson competed in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics with a hammer best of 73.20m. As a coach, he advised among others the current UK No.1 Jake Norris. As a television commentator he worked at the Olympics from 1992 to 2014.
“Dicko”, as he was known to many, was perhaps best known for his television work and will be sorely missed after dying on Tuesday just a few days before his 75th birthday.
He specialised in field events coverage for BBC but was versatile enough to commentate on other disciplines in addition to competitions such as World’s Strongest Man, Superstars and the Winter Olympics. Knowledgeable and with a strong and authoritative voice, he was a popular and familiar commentator in track and field especially for many years.
As a young athlete, Dickenson featured in Athletics Weekly in 1965 when he was featured in the ‘Spotlight on Youth’ column and was described as “the most exciting youth hammer thrower Britain has ever had”.
Paul Dickenson (Mark Shearman)
He was introduced to the hammer by his PE teacher at Tynemouth Grammar School, Carl Johnson, who later became his long-time coach.
After winning five consecutive English Schools titles in the mid-1960s, he went on to break the UK record in 1976 with a performance that still places him 21st on the UK all-time rankings nearly half a century later.
Paul Dickenson (Mark Shearman)
He went on to compete in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics and the Commonwealth Games of 1978 and 1982, finishing just outside the medals in the latter.
A lifelong athlete, he was still throwing competitively well into his 60s and hammer throwers he has coached include the 2018 world under-20 champion Norris, plus brothers Taylor and Bayley Campbell.
Paul Dickenson with Rob Walker at the England Athletics awards (Mark Shearman)
In broadcasting, his first job was a trackside interview with Carl Lewis at the 1987 World Championships and in 1990 he was promoted to the commentary box at the Commonwealth Games.
He was once asked for the secret of good commentating and said: “You’ve got to sound knowledgeable and you’ve got to make it sound easy. I might be commentating to an auntie or an uncle who might not know anything about athletics, so you’ve got to make it sound very simple. That requires a huge amount of background reading and preparation.”
Jake Norris (Mark Shearman)
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