Charlie Booth
Charles "Charlie" Booth (born October 1, 1903 in Melbourne , Australia , † May 20, 2008 in Queensland , Australia) was an Australian athlete and inventor of the starting block .
Life
Booth started racing at the age of 14. At that time in Australia, athletes shared the few, uneven racetracks with racing dogs . Booth came up with the idea for the starting blocks when dog owners complained about the depressions left by the runners at the start (see 100-meter run ), which were used to push off at the time. In 1921 he built the first, still primitive, starting blocks out of wooden blocks with a metal base and continued to develop them.
When it was first used in an official race, the race management disqualified it for taking advantage . After protests, the decision was reversed a few weeks later and his invention caught on worldwide.
Booth died in a Queensland hospital at the age of 104.
Web links
- Charlie Booth in the database of World Athletics (English)
- A marathon man with plenty of punch left yet
- Report on the 104th birthday
Individual evidence
- ^ Charlie passed away in the early hours on Tuesday morning at the age of 104 ( Memento from November 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Booth, Charlie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Booth, Charles (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian athlete |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Melbourne |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 20, 2008 |
| Place of death | Queensland |