Edgar Laurence "Dunc" Gray (17 July 190630 August 1996) was an Australian track cyclist and Olympian.

Gray was born in Goulburn, New South Wales. He was called 'Dunc', which dates back to school where he was called 'Dunc' and this was later extended to 'Duncan'. He started competitive cycling with Goulburn Amateur Cycling Club around 1925. From 1926 to 1941 he won 20 Australian titles, 36 New South Wales titles, and 36 club championships. On eight occasions he was the NSW 1000m time trial and/or the 1000m sprint winner.

Dunc Gray

He won a bronze medal for the 1000m time trial at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. This was Australia's first Olympic Games medal in cycling. At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he won Australia's first cycling gold in the same event, in world record time of 1m 13s. He represented Australia at the 1934 British Empire Games and won the 1000m time trial. At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, he won the 1000m sprint.

Dunc Gray

He was the flag-bearer for Australia at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and at the 1938 British Empire Games.

Dunc Gray

In his last years, Gray lived in Kiama and supported the Olympic movement, including Melbourne's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics and then Sydney's successful bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Dunc Gray Velodrome at Bass Hill, in Sydney's western suburbs, was built for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and named after him.

The Speedwell bike that Gray rode at the 1932 Summer Olympics is at the Dunc Gray velodrome. Speedwell bicycles were manufactured by Charles Bennett, a former Intercolonial Champion of Australia, who raced pennyfathings before Federation in 1901.

In 1985, Gray was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was an inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductee.

References

External links

1996 Interview with Dunc Gray

1906 births

1996 deaths

Sportspeople from Goulburn

Australian male cyclists

Olympic cyclists for Australia

Australian track cyclists

Olympic gold medalists for Australia

Olympic bronze medalists for Australia

Cyclists at the 1928 Summer Olympics

Cyclists at the 1932 Summer Olympics

Cyclists at the 1936 Summer Olympics

Cyclists at the 1934 British Empire Games

Cyclists at the 1938 British Empire Games

Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia

Cyclists from New South Wales

Olympic medalists in cycling

Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees

Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics

Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics

Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling

20th-century Australian people

Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games

Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games

Sportsmen from New South Wales