He competed for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, in the 1500 metres where he won the Silver medal. His time was 3 minutes 52 seconds. He then competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, gaining sixth place in the 1500 metres event but running his personal best time of 3 minutes 51.4 seconds. The race was exceptional because the first two runners broke World Records and the first five, Olympic Records.