Bob Phillips has been a journalist throughout his working life, starting with the monthly magazine, World Sports, in the 1960s, and has reported on athletics and rugby union in particular for numerous national and regional newspapers. He spent 17 years as a member of the BBC Radio 5 athletics commentary team and has attended six Olympic Games. His fondest Olympic memories include seeing David Hemery win the 400 metres hurdles in Mexico City in 1968 and Chris Boardman the pursuit cycling in Barcelona in 1992. He has written a series of well-received books in recent years about sports history, including a biography of the legendary distance-runner, Emil Zatopek; a history of the sub-four-minute mile; and a detailed account of the 1948 London Olympics. His own sporting achievements are exceedingly modest, including once finishing 777th in the London Marathon. He is also passionately interested in jazz and the cinema. He lives in south-west France with his wife, cat and 21 bicycles.