Greg Bell (athlete)

Greg Bell in 1956

Gregory Curtis "Greg" Bell (born November 7, 1930 in Terre Haute , Indiana ) is a retired American athlete . In 1956 he became an Olympic champion in the long jump .

Career

At the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 , he won with an Olympic record of 7.83 m. He was six inches ahead of fellow countryman John Bennett , who won silver. In 1959, Bell won silver at the Pan American Games in Chicago . From 1956 to 1959 he led the world best long jump list. With 8.09 m (1956) and 8.10 m (1957 and 1959) he almost came close to the age-old world record of Jesse Owens , who had jumped 8.13 m in 1935. In 1955 and 1959 he was national champion outdoors, 1958 indoors.

Greg Bell is 1.74 m tall and weighed 68 kg during his playing days. After his career he worked as a dentist. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame .

literature

• Bill Mallon & Ian Buchanan: Quest for Gold. New York City 1984, ISBN 0-88011-217-4
• Ekkehard zur Megede: The Modern Olympic Century 1896-1996 Track and Fields Athletics. Berlin 1999 (published by the German Society for Athletics Documentation eV )

Web links

• Greg Bell in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Entry into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame

Individual evidence

1. ↑ gbrathletics: United States Championships (Men 1943-)
2. ↑ gbrathletics: United States Indoor Championships (Men)