CYCLIST Harry Hill, 89, is to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace for a special celebration where he will be recognised as the country's oldest surviving Olympic medal winner writes Alison Barton

Harry, now aged 89, of Higher Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, earned a bronze medal at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 in the 4000m team pursuit, alongside teammates Ernest Mills, Charles King and Ernest Johnson.

All British Olympic medalists have been invited to Buckingham Palace to help celebrate the centenary of the British Olympic Association (BOA), formed on May 24,1905, during a meeting at the House of Commons.

The BOA has confirmed through its own records, that Harry is Britain's - and one of the world's - oldest living Olympic medal winner.

Initially, the association only invited those who won medals at the London 1948 Olympics and after as officials thought that all those who competed prior to that were likely to have passed away.

But when a cyclist friend mentioned the event to Harry, he got in touch with the organisers. In the meantime, an invitation arrived from Buckingham Palace requesting Harry's presence at the reception on March 23. Mr Hill, formerly of Sheffield, said: "I am looking forward to going to London, but I won't be cycling there! I think I'll be taking my son, Hedley, with me and we'll be going on the train."

It is hoped that the stars of more recent Olympics, such as Kelly Holmes, Linford Christie and Bury Boxing Club's Amir Khan, will also be at the Palace for the event.

Father-of-five Harry only gave up cycling last year when he injured his hip in a fall from his bike.

Harry estimates that since he took up the sport at the age of 17, he has covered around one million miles on two wheels.

Harry's still far from over the hill

AS a 20-year-old, Harry Hill was thrust into the limelight as an Olympic medalist - an experience boxer Amir Khan emulated last year with his silver medal exploits at the age of 17.

But the Games and, indeed, the world was a far different place when Harry rode to glory 69 years ago.

Harry said: "It was not like it is today - it was very basic. We stayed in an Olympic village a few miles away from Berlin and had our own training facilities to use.

"The swimmers had a lake to practice in, and we had cycle paths to use to help us keep fit.

"Our event took place in a velodrome near to the stadium, so we didn't compete at the same place as the runners.

"We received our medals from Olympic officials. But it was all very exciting. It's what I dreamt of doing when I first started racing."

The 1936 Berlin Olympics are best remembered for Adolf Hitler's failed attempt to use them to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority.

One of the most popular heroes of the Games was African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals.

After his success at the Olympics, Harry competed in Milan and broke the one hour record by completing 25 miles.

Harry has always had that vital competitive edge to succeed in sport and at the age of 80 took on the one-hour record at Manchester velodrome and was just a mile short of his initial record.

When Harry retired from his garage business in Ainsworth Road, Radcliffe, at the age of 60, he decided to take a trans-Atlantic trip to see relations in Vancouver, and went by pedal power wherever possible.

Harry cycled to London and flew to New York - with his bike, of course - and caused a minor incident trying to cycle across one of New York's many bridges.

After being stopped by the police as he pedalled illegally across the bridge, he had to climb aboard a truck with his bike, before riding the rest of the way to New York City. He then continued his journey down the East Coast and then up to Vancouver where he met up with family.

After ten days relaxing with relatives, he returned to the UK.

Harry says his good health at the ripe old age of 89 is down to cycling and his family say they are very proud of his achievements and success.

He is still immensely proud of his two medals - the bronze to commemorate third place and the other for taking part in the Games.

Mr Hill's son, Hedley, who also lives in Higher Ainsworth Road, said: "We are very proud of dad and it's nice that he has been invited down to Buckingham Palace with the other medal winners."