Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 284 competitors, 210 men and 74 women, took part in 159 events in 18 sports. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games.
The Great Britain team included 69-year-old equestrian Lorna Johnstone - the oldest British athlete ever to appear in the Olympic Games.
Medallists
Gold
Mary Peters – Athletics, women's pentathlon
Richard Meade – Equestrian, three-day event individual competition
Mary Gordon-Watson, Richard Meade, Bridget Parker, and Mark Phillips – Equestrian, three-day event team competition
Chris Davies and Rodney Pattisson (Helmsman) – Sailing, Flying Dutchman
Silver
David Hemery, David Jenkins, Alan Pascoe, and Martin Reynolds – Athletics, men's 4x400 metres relay
Ann Moore – Equestrian, jumping individual competition
David Starbrook – Judo, men's half-heavyweight (93 kg)
David Wilkie – Swimming, men's 200m breaststroke
David Hunt and Alan Warren (helmsman) – sailing, Tempest
Bronze
Ian Stewart – Athletics, men's 5000 metres
David Hemery – Athletics, men's 400m hurdles
Ralph Evans – Boxing, men's light flyweight
George Turpin – Boxing, men's bantamweight
Alan Minter – Boxing, men's light middleweight
Michael Bennett, Ian Hallam, Ronald Keeble, and William Moore – Cycling, men's 4000m team pursuit
Brian Jacks – Judo, men's middleweight (80 kg)
Angelo Parisi – Judo, men's open category
John Kynoch – Shooting, men's running game target
Archery
In the first modern archery competition at the Olympics, Great Britain entered three men and three women. Their highest placing competitor was Lynne Evans, at 16th place in the women's competition.
Men's individual competition:
Roy Matthews – 2385 points (→ 17th place)
John Snelling – 2356 points (→ 26th place)
Ronald Bishop – 2244 points (→ 45th place)
Women's individual competition:
Lynne Evans – 2313 points (→ 16th place)
Carol Sykes – 2273 points (→ 21st place)
Pauline Edwards – 2249 points (→ 25th place)
Athletics
Men's 100 metres
Brian Green
Heat, round 1 – 10.41
Heat, round 2 – 10.58
Semifinals – 10.52 (→ did not advance)
Les Piggot
Heat, round 1 – 10.54
Heat, round 2 – 10.53 (→ did not advance)
Don Halliday
Heat, round 1 – 10.58
Heat, round 2 – 10.60 (→ did not advance)
Men's 200 metres
Brian Green
Heat, round 1 – 21.26
Heat, round 2 – 21.41 (→ did not advance)
Men's 400 metres
Martin Reynolds
Heat, round 1 – 46.46
Heat, round 2 – 46.11
Semifinals – 46.71 (→ did not advance)
David Jenkins
Heat, round 1 – 46.15
Heat, round 2 – 45.99
Semifinals – 45.91 (→ did not advance)
Gary Armstrong
Heat, round 1 – 46.48
Heat, round 2 – 47.10 (→ did not advance)
Men's 800 metres
Andy Carter
Heat – 1:47.6
Semifinals – 1:46.5
Final – 1:46.6 (→ 6th place)
Dave Cropper
Heat – 1:47.5
Semifinals – 1:48.4 (→ did not advance)
Colin Campbell
Heat – 1:54.8 (→ did not advance)
Men's 1500 metres
Brendan Foster
Heat – 3:40.8
Semifinals – 3:38.2
Final – 3:39.0 (→ 5th place)
Ray Smedley
Heat – 3:42.1
Semifinals – 3:45.8 (→ did not advance)
John Kirkbride
Heat – 3:45.3 (→ did not advance)
Men's 5000 metres
Ian Stewart
Heat – 13:33.0
Final – 13:27.6 (→ 3rd place)
Ian McCafferty
Heat – 13:38.2
Final – 13:43.2 (→ 11th place)
]
David Bedford
Heat – 13:49.8
Final – 13:43.2 (→ 12th place)
Men's 10000 metres
David Bedford
Heat – 27:53.6
Final – 28:05.4(→ 6th place)
Lachie Stewart
Heat – 28:31.4 (→ did not advance)
Dave Holt
Heat – 28:46.8(→ did not advance)
Men's marathon
Ron Hill 2:16:30.6 (→ 6th place)
Donald MacGregor 2:16:34.4 (→ 7th place)
Colin Kirkham 2:21:54.8 (→ 20th place)
Men's 110m hurdles
Alan Pascoe
Heat – 14.08
Semifinals – 14.24 (→ did not advance)
Berwyn Price
Heat – 13.94
Semifinals – 14.37 (→ did not advance)
David Wilson
Heat – 14.31 (→ did not advance)
Men's 400m hurdlles
David Hemery
Heat – 49.72
Semifinals – 49.66
Final – 48.52 (→ 3rd place)
Men's 3000m steeplechase
Andy Holden
Heat – 8:33.8 (→ did not advance)
Steve Hollings
Heat – 8:35.0 (→ did not advance)
John Bicourt
Heat – 8:38.8 (→ did not advance)
Men's 4 × 100 m relay
Berwyn Price, Don Halliday, Dave Dear, and Brian Green
Heat – 39.63
Les Piggot, Don Halliday, Dave Dear, and Brian Green
Semifinals – 39.47 (→ did not advance)
Men's 4 × 400 m relay
Martin Reynolds, Alan Pascoe, David Hemery and David Jenkins
Semifinals – 3:01.3
Final – 3:00.5 (→ 2nd place)
Men's long jump
Alan Lerwill
Qualification – 7.86
Final – 7.91 (→ 7th place)
Lynn Davies
Qualification – 7.64 (→ did not advance)
Men's pole vault
Mike Bull
Qualification – 4.80 (→ did not advance)
Men's shot put
Geoff Capes
Qualification – 18.94 (→ did not advance)
Men's discus
Bill Tancred
Qualification – 57.24 (→ did not advance)
John Watts
Qualification – 53.86 (→ did not advance)
Men's javelin
Dave Travis
Qualification – 74.68 (→ did not advance)
Men's hammer throw
Barry Williams
Qualification – 66.32
Final – 68.18 (→ 16th place)
Howard Payne
Qualification – 64.56 (→ did not advance)
Men's decathlon
Barry King 7468 points (→ 15th place)
Peter Gabbett DNF
Men's 20 km walk
Paul Nihill 1:28:44.4 (→ 6th place)
Phil Embleton 1:33:22.2 (→ 14th place)
Peter Marlow 1:35:38.8 (→ 17th place)
Men's 50 km walk
Paul Nihill 4:14:09.4 (→ 9th place)
John Warhurst 4:23:21.6 (→ 18th place)
Howard Timms 4:34:43.8 (→ 25th place)
Women's 100 metres
Andrea Lynch
Heat, round 1 – 11.52
Heat, round 2 – 11.57
Semifinals – 11.64(→ did not advance)
Anita Neil
Heat, round 1 – 11.55
Heat, round 2 – 11.58 (→ did not advance)
Sonia Lannaman
Heat, round 1 – 11.45
Heat, round 2 – 11.72 (→ did not advance)
Women's 200 metres
Donna Murray
Heat, round 1 – 23.76
Heat, round 2 – 23.69
Semifinals – 24.03 (→ did not advance)
Della Pascoe
Heat, round 1 – 23.97
Heat, round 2 – 23.72 (→ did not advance)
Margaret Critchley
Heat, round 1 – 24.04
Heat, round 2 – 24.05 (→ did not advance)
Women's 400 metres
Jannette Roscoe
Heat, round 1 – 53.67
Heat, round 2 – 53.01 (→ did not advance)
Verona Bernard
Heat, round 1 – 53.31
Heat, round 2 – 53.29 (→ did not advance)
Janet Simpson
Heat, round 1 – 54.13 (→ did not advance)
Women's 800 metres
Rosemary Stirling
Heat – 2:03.6
Semifinals – 2:02.4
Final – 2:00.2 (→ 7th place)
Margaret Coomber
Heat – 2:03.0 (→ did not advance)
Patricia Cropper
Heat – 2:03.6 (→ did not advance)
Women's 1500 metres
Sheila Carey
Heat – 4:13.0
Semifinals – 4:07.4
Final – 4:04.8 (→ 5th place)
Joyce Smith
Heat – 4:11.3
Semifinals – 4:09.4 (→ did not advance)
Joan Allison
Heat – 4:14.9 (→ did not advance)
Women's 100m hurdles
Judy Vernon
Heat – 13.37 (→ did not advance)
Ann Wilson
Heat – 13.53 (→ did not advance)
Boxing
Men's light flyweight (– 48 kg)
Ralph Evans → bronze medal
First round – Salvador García (MEX), 4:1
Second round – defeated Héctor Velasquez (CHL), 5:0