Joseph Scott (1860 – 9 February 1908) was a New Zealand race walker from Dunedin. He became New Zealand's first world champion athlete and world record holder in 1888.

Biography

Scott was born in Ireland in 1859, and came to Dunedin at a young age with his family and worked as a boot-maker.

He came under the influence of Alfred Austin, an athletics handicapper for the Caledonian Society, who trained him to become a professional race walker. In 1887, Scott travelled to England and won the 72 hour Champion Belt of the World at the Royal Agricultural Hall in London in May 1888, in which there were 29 walkers.

Scott received £100 and the R. Lewis Champion Belt for winning the eveny. Scott eventually won the race by covering 363 miles 1510 yards (582km) in 71hr 51min 23sec. Hibberd covered 337 miles (542 km).

Scott arrived back in New Zealand on the steamship Ruapehu and he and his trainer, Alfred Austin, were welcomed at the Caledonian Sports meeting in January 1889. Scott wore the pedestrian costume and the silver champion belt he had won in England and led a procession around the ground as a band played "See The Conquering Hero Comes."

In 1875, Scott beat Australian champion William Edwards twice. On Tuesday the 120 lb Scott walked 25 miles (40 km) around the Queens Theatre in Dunedin on a track comprising 31 laps to the mile in a time of 4 hrs 47 min

In 1879, Scott became the New Zealand champion after walking 106 miles (170 km) in 24 hours against eight other competitors on the 22-laps-to-the-mile course at the Garrison Hall in Dunedin. In 1885, Scott beat the visiting British champion Arthur Hancock by walking 114 miles (182 km) in a 24 hour match at the Garrison Hall. When the match race was delayed for a week Scott reduced his racing weight to 114 lb by training on the main road between Dunedin and Palmerston. A few weeks later, Scott, set a world record of 17 hrs 59 min for the 100-mile (160 km) race at the Garrison Hall, beating the old world record by 8min.

Scott often had a 30 minute break during his races when he took a warm bath to ease the pain in his legs. In one 100-mile (160 km) race he suffered from severe cramp in his legs after 92 miles (148 km), but still managed to complete the race.

In 1886, Scott competed in Australia and was declared the Australian national champion. Scott married Isabella Jarvis in 1881 and had five daughters and two sons. He still trained and at weekends would get up early and walk 15 km to Waititi from their home in North East Valley, Dunedin. He died of cancer in 1908, at age 48. There is a display on Scott at the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame at the Dunedin Railway Station.

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