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Walter Tewksbury

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Walter Tewksbury
Walter Tewksbury seated on a stool wearing his University of Pennsylvania athletic jersey
Walter Tewksbury
Personal information
National teamUnited States
Born(1876-03-21)March 21, 1876
Ashley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 1968(1968-04-24) (aged 92)
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1900 Paris 200 metres
Gold medal – first place 1900 Paris 400 metre hurdles
Silver medal – second place 1900 Paris 60 metres
Silver medal – second place 1900 Paris 100 metres
Bronze medal – third place 1900 Paris 200 metre hurdles

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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c "Walter Tewksbury biography and Olympic results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  2. ^ "Walter Tewksbury". Olympedia. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  3. ^ "John Walter Tewksbury". britannica.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
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