John McNiven MBE (12 June 1935 – 26 June 2024) was a Scottish weightlifter who competed at six Commonwealth Games, winning two bronze medals at the 1970 Commonwealth Games and the 1974 Commonwealth Games.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 12 June 1935 Glasgow, Scotland | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 June 2024 (aged 89) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Weightlifting | |||||||||||||||||
Event | Bantamweight | |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Glasgow Sports Centre | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editMcNiven won twenty five Scottish National championships.[1] He also competed in 18 World Masters events, winning 14 of them.[1] McNiven was the first weightlifter to receive the World Masters Hall of Fame Award in 1993.[1]
McNiven represented the Scotland team[2] at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, where he participated in 56kg bantamweight category.[3]
McNiven represented the 1970 Scottish team[4] at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland,[5] where he competed in the 52kg flyweight category[6] and won a bronze medal behind Australian George Vassiliadis.[7] Four years later he attended a third Commonwealth Games when he was selected the 1974 Scottish team at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand,[8] where he once again competed in the flyweight category[9] and won another bronze medal, this time behind Precious McKenzie of England.
He subsequently went to six consecutive games by featuring in the 1978 Commonwealth Games, 1982 Commonwealth Games and 1986 Commonwealth Games. McNiven was the flag bearer for Scotland at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane after he replaced Jack Hynd who was unable to carry the flag due to ill health.[10]
McNiven also worked as a fitter for Regional Railways; he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1994 New Year Honours for services to the sport of weightlifting.[11][12] He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[1] McNiven died on 26 June 2024, at the age of 89.[13]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 "John McNiven". Sport Scotland. 2003. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ↑ "McGregor to captain Scotland's Empire Games team". The Scotsman. 13 June 1966. p. 14. Retrieved 14 December 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Scotland Kingston 1966". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
- ↑ "Swimming for their country". Aberdeen Evening Express. 26 May 1970. p. 12. Retrieved 15 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "They'll carry Scotland's hopes". Aberdeen Evening Express. 16 June 1970. p. 11. Retrieved 15 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Scotland Edinburgh 1970". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Weightlifting". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Details of the 89 competitors". The Scotsman. 22 October 1973. p. 18. Retrieved 15 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ "Scotland Christchurch 1974". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Windy start to friendly Games". Edinburgh Evening News. 30 September 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 15 May 2026 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ United Kingdom list: "No. 53527". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 1993. p. 21.
- ↑ "McNiven lifts an MBE". The Herald. 31 December 1993. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ↑ Leadbetter, Russell (5 August 2024). "Obituary: 'I was pushing my abs back in with my thumbs'". The Herald. Retrieved 6 August 2024.