Walter Tewksbury
Walter Tewksbury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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National team | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1876-03-21)March 21, 1876 Ashley, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | April 24, 1968(1968-04-24) (aged 92) Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | University of Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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John Walter Beardsley Tewksbury (March 21, 1876 – April 24, 1968)[1] was an American track and field athlete. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, he won five medals, including two golds.[2][3]
Biography
Born in Ashley, Pennsylvania,[1] Tewksbury studied for a dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1899. Running for the university team, he won the IC4A titles in the 110 and 220 y in 1898 and 1899.
After graduating in 1899, he headed for Paris to compete in the Olympic Games. Tewksbury entered in 5 events, but had strong competition, among others from fellow Penn student Alvin Kraenzlein. In the 100 m, Tewksbury equalled the world record in the semi-finals, but placed second in the final to Frank Jarvis. The following day, he took another second place, behind Kraenzlein, in the 60 m, before entering the 400 m hurdles.
At the time, this event had probably never been contested in the United States, but Tewksbury easily beat the local favourite for the 400 m hurdles title. The event was quite different from present day, as the hurdles were actually telephone poles laid over the track, and the final hurdles was a water barrier (like in the steeplechase). In the final of the 200 m hurdles, he placed third (with Kraenzlein the winner). The final of the 200 m was held a week later; in that race Tewksbury won his second individual Olympic gold, finishing immediately ahead of Norman Pritchard of India.
Tewksbury retired from sports to open a dental practice in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, in 1913. He died there on April 24, 1968.[1]
References
External links
- Walter Tewksbury at the USATF Hall of Fame (archived)
- Walter Tewksbury at Olympedia
- v
- t
- e
- 1900: Walter Tewksbury (USA)
- 1904: Archie Hahn (USA)
- 1908: Robert Kerr (CAN)
- 1912: Ralph Craig (USA)
- 1920: Allen Woodring (USA)
- 1924: Jackson Scholz (USA)
- 1928: Percy Williams (CAN)
- 1932: Eddie Tolan (USA)
- 1936: Jesse Owens (USA)
- 1948: Mel Patton (USA)
- 1952: Andy Stanfield (USA)
- 1956: Bobby Morrow (USA)
- 1960: Livio Berruti (ITA)
- 1964: Henry Carr (USA)
- 1968: Tommie Smith (USA)
- 1972: Valeriy Borzov (URS)
- 1976: Don Quarrie (JAM)
- 1980: Pietro Mennea (ITA)
- 1984: Carl Lewis (USA)
- 1988: Joe DeLoach (USA)
- 1992: Michael Marsh (USA)
- 1996: Michael Johnson (USA)
- 2000: Konstantinos Kenteris (GRE)
- 2004: Shawn Crawford (USA)
- 2008: Usain Bolt (JAM)
- 2012: Usain Bolt (JAM)
- 2016: Usain Bolt (JAM)
- 2020: Andre De Grasse (CAN)
- 2024: Letsile Tebogo (BOT)