Jack Davis (athlete)

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Jack Wells Davis (born September 11, 1930 in Amarillo , Texas , † July 20, 2012 in San Diego , California ) was an American athlete .

Career

Jack Davis attended Hoover High in Glendale , California before studying at the University of Southern California . For this he won three NCAA titles in the 120-yard hurdles between 1951 and 1953 and the title in the 220-yard hurdles in 1953.

He drew international attention at the 1952 Olympic Games when he won the Olympic silver medal behind his compatriot Harrison Dillard . A time of 13.7 seconds was recorded for both, but Dillard, as a clearly better sprinter, had a narrow lead in the run-out. Davis won all of the races in which he participated in 1953 and 1954 in the 120-yard and 110-meter hurdles . With a height of 1.90 m, he had a competition weight of 70 kg.

After completing his studies, he joined the United States Navy in 1954 , where he stayed until 1957. He traveled to South America and Africa for the United States Information Agency , where he also took part in competitions. His world record, which he set with 13.4 seconds on June 22, 1956 in Bakersfield, also falls during this time. Harrison Dillard was second in the run with 14.1 seconds.

In the final of the 1956 Olympic Games , the runners had to compete against a headwind. Nevertheless, the first two achieved an excellent time of 13.5 seconds. The winner was Lee Calhoun with three hundredths of a second ahead of Jack Davis.

After two narrowly missed Olympic victories, Jack Davis ended his career in 1957 and started working for a property developer . He was a founding member of the San Diego Olympic Training Center and was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004 . Davis died on July 20, 2012 at Mercy Hospital in San Diego.

Individual evidence

  1. Former Trojan Olympic Hurdler Davis Passes Away retrieved (English) July 24, 2012

Web links