A silver prize medal won by Great Britain`s Bert MacDonald in the 3,000 metres team event at the

A silver prize medal won by Great Britain`s Bert MacDonald in the 3,000 metres team event at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, signed Andre Rivaud, the rim stamped 2. ARGENT, the obverse with a winning athlete helping a fallen athlete to his feet, with Olympic Rings, and inscribed B.H. MACDONALD, the reverse with a design of sports equipment and classical motifs surrounding the legend VIIIeme. OLYMPIADE, PARIS, 1924, and inscribed 3000 METRES TEAM, THIRD, diameter 55mm., weight 78gr.; sold together with Bert MacDonalds 1924 & 1948 Olympic Games participation medals, the 1924 example signed Raoul Bernard, the rim stamped BRONZE, the obverse with a City view of Paris over a legend reading VIIIe. OLYMPIADE, PARIS, 1924, the reverse with Victory crowing athletes with laurel wreath; the 1948 medal in bronze by B.Mackennal/J.Pinches, the obverse with a City view of London and Olympic legend, the reverse with a winning Quadriga at the Ancient Games, the three medals loosely laid down on a blue velvet lined backboard (3). Bertram "Bert" Hector MacDonald (1902-1965) was a British long-distance runner born in Kings Norton, Birmingham. MacDonald, who was a Birchfield Harrier, competed for Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 in the 3,000 metres team event. Each competing nation had six runners, with the finishing positions of their top three athletes counting in the final reckoning. MacDonald finished 3rd ahead of team-mate Harry Johnston in 4th and George Webber in 7th. This was good enough to win the silver medal. Nobody, however, could compete with the outstanding Finnish team that included the peerless Paavo Nurmi, known as the `Flying Finn`, who was the sensation of the Games winning five gold medals. Nurmi`s team-mate Ville Ritola would surely have been the star of any other Olympic Games with his four gold medals, but his performances were overshadowed by Nurmi. In the 3,000 team event, Nurmi and Ritola finished 1st and 2nd respectively, whist Elias Katz came home 5th. Katz also won a silver at Paris in the steeplechase. See also lot 1205 for further material relating to MacDonald.