Bobby Morrow

Bobby Morrow
Bobby Morrow
Full name	Bobby Joe Morrow
nation	United States
birthday	October 15, 1935
place of birth	Harlingen
size	186 cm
Weight	75 kg
date of death	May 30, 2020
Place of death	San Benito
Career
discipline	sprint
society	ACU Wildcats
Medal table
Olympic games 3 × 0 × 0 ×
Olympic games gold Melbourne 1956 100 m gold Melbourne 1956 200 m gold Melbourne 1956 4 × 100 m

Bobby Joe Morrow (born October 15, 1935 in Harlingen , Texas , † May 30, 2020 in San Benito , Texas) was an American athlete . He won three Olympic gold medals in the sprint in Melbourne in 1956 .

Career

In the spring of 1956, at the age of 20, Bobby Joe Morrow set the 20-year-old world record in the 100-meter run of 10.2 seconds. He succeeded in doing this in the run-up to the AAU championships in Bakersfield . In 10.3 seconds he also won the final ahead of Leamon King and Thane Baker .

A week later at the US Olympic eliminations in Los Angeles in 1956, Ira Murchison and Baker ran 10.2 s in the lead , five minutes later Morrow also won his lead in 10.2 s. Morrow, Murchison and Baker then qualified for the Olympic Games in the finals. Leamon King as fourth should complete the trio for the 4 x 100 meter relay . A day later, Morrow also won the Olympic qualification for the 200-meter run in 20.6 s ahead of Walter Thane Baker and the 1952 Olympic champion Andy Stanfield . With 20.6 s Morrow also set the world record here; but this achievement was never recognized as a world record.

On August 3, 1956, Willie Williams beat Jesse Owens' world record in Berlin with 10.1 seconds . Ira Murchison and Leamon King set the record during the year.

The 1956 Olympic Games took place in Melbourne from late November to early December . Over 100 meters was actually Ira Murchison's favorite after the world records, but Morrow won each of his four runs and won gold in 10.5 s ahead of Baker and the Australian Hector Hogan , while Murchison was only fourth. Over 200 meters, Morrow won the prelim and intermediate run, but lost to Walter Thane Baker in the semifinals. In the final, Bobby Morrow set the world record with 20.6 s and won well ahead of Stanfield and Baker. On the final day, the season won with Murchison, King, Baker and Morrow in a new world record time of 39.5 s before the German season.

Immediately after the games, King, Stanfield, Baker and Morrow ran another world record of 4 times 220 yards in Sydney. In 1957, Morrow also set the world record over 100 yards for 9.3 seconds. Morrow won again in 1958 at the AAU championships. After he had not been able to qualify for the 1960 Olympic Games , he ended his career.

Appreciation

Bobby Morrow was named US Sportsman of the Year for his three Olympic victories in 1956 . He was the first sprinter after Jesse Owens in 1936 , who achieved a double victory over both sprint routes at the Olympic Games, after him this did not succeed until 1972 Valery Borsow . With a height of 1.86 m and a competition weight of 75 kg for a sprinter, Morrow did not set a new world record on individual routes, but won all the important competitions. In addition to his Olympic victories and the AAU title in 1956, he also won the AAU championships over 100 yards in 1955 and 1958 and the title over 220 yards in 1958.

The American sports historian Bill Mallon describes Bobby Morrow in 1984 as "the unquestionably greatest white sprinter of all time". Of course, it is difficult to compare Bobby Morrow's successes with the achievements of an Archie Hahn or Percy Williams before him or a Valery Borsow or Pietro Mennea after him. But if Mallon's statement is valid until 1984, it is still valid today, because since Mennea no white sprinter has been the world's best sprinter of his time.

Officially recognized world records

• 100 yards : 9.3 s Recorded in Austin on June 14, 1957
• 100 meters: 10.2 s set May 19, 1956 in Houston
• 100 meters: 10.2 s set at Bakersfield on June 22, 1956
• 100 meters: 10.2 s set in Los Angeles on June 29, 1956
• 200 meters: 20.6 s set in Melbourne on November 27, 1956
• 4 × 100 meters: 39.5 s on December 1, 1956 in Melbourne with Ira Murchison, Leamon King, Walter Thane Baker and Bobby Morrow (USA relay)
• 4 × 110 yards: 39.9 s on May 11, 1957 in Fresno with Waymond Griggs, William Woodhouse, James Segrest and Bobby Morrow (season of Abilene Christian College)
• 4 × 110 yards: 39.7 s on May 31, 1958 in Modesto with Waymond Griggs, William Woodhouse, James Segrest and Bobby Morrow (season of Abilene Christian College)
• 4 × 220 yards: 1: 24.0 min on May 26, 1956 in Modesto with Don Conder, William Woodhouse, James Segrest and Bobby Morrow (season of Abilene Christian College)
• 4 × 220 yards: 1: 23.8 min on December 5, 1956 with Leamon King, Andy Stanfield, Walter Thane Baker and Bobby Morrow (USA season)
• 4 × 220 yards: 1: 22.6 min on May 31, 1958 in Modesto with William Woodhouse, James Segrest, George Peterson and Bobby Morrow (season of Abilene Christian College)

literature

• Manfred Holzhausen: world records and world record holder. 100m run / 200m / 220y run . Grevenbroich 2000
• Bill Mallon / Ian Buchanan: Quest for Gold . New York City 1984 ISBN 0-88011-217-4

Web links

Commons : Bobby Morrow  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Bobby Morrow in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )