Raymond Boyd (born 28 June 1951) is a former athlete from Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, who competed in the Pole vault

Pole vault

Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...

.

Boyd won eleven Australian Championships

Australian Championships in Athletics

The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athletes wishing to compete at the Olympic Games,...

 in the Pole Vault, ending his career on a high note when winning the Gold medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games

1982 Commonwealth Games

The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...

 in Brisbane. He competed in two Olympics and three Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 from 1970 to 1982.

Boyd's best vault of 5.30 metres was achieved in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 on 15 March 1976.

His wife, Denise Boyd

Denise Boyd

Denise Boyd is a former Australian Olympic sprinter, who reached two Olympic finals in the 200 metres sprint...

 (née Robertson) was also a Commonwealth Games champion and double-Olympic finalist at 200 metres

200 metres

A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...

. The Boyds have three children, all of whom are successful athletes:

• Alana (born 10 May 1984) - 4.55 m Pole Vaulter

• Jacinta (born 10 February 1986) - 6.64 m Long Jumper

• Matthew (Matt) (born 29 April 1988) - 5.35 m Pole Vaulter

Ray is Alana, Jacinta and Matthew 's coach for training.