Jack Donaldson (athlete)

Jack Donaldson (real name John Donaldson , born March 16, 1886 in Raywood, Victoria , Australia , † September 1, 1933 in New York , USA ) was an Australian athlete.

Early years

Jack Donaldson, born as John Donaldson jr., Went to a state school and then worked for his father, John Donaldson sr. The family moved often, so the Donaldsons lived and worked. a. in Kerang , Inglewood and Tarnagulla. Even when he was at school, the young John Donaldson distinguished himself as a track and field athlete. In 1906 he had his first successes as a professional sprinter. At the traditional Stawell Gift over 130 yards (equivalent to 118.9 m) he came second, the next day he competed in two competitions in Bendigo , where he won the races over 130 and 220 yards (equivalent to 201 m). At 1.73 m, the Sprinter was relatively small but broadly built and was characterized by its enormous stride length of over 2.50 m.

Career as a professional

Donaldson traveled to South Africa in 1909 with his manager Mick Terry . In several competitions he met his compatriot Arthur Postle and the US sprinter Charles Holway. In 1910 he went to England, but Donaldson couldn't convince there. Back in South Africa, he competed in Johannesburg in 1911 on Reggie Walker , the 1908 Olympic champion over 100 m in a professional race. Donaldson won the race for £ 100. In 1911 Donaldson returned to Australia. In his home country Donaldson lived up to his reputation when he defeated his US rival Holway over 130 yards in Sydney . In 1912 he traveled to Europe again. In races in England, Wales and Scotland, he completed races for entry and victory bonuses.

Personal best

Jack Donaldson set several world records in his career. Since the World Athletics Association IAAF was only founded in 1912, the world records are unofficial.

• 100 yards: 9.375 s (Johannesburg, 1910) - holdings until 1948
• 130 yards: 12 s (Sydney, 1911) - Stock until 1951
• 220 yards: 21.3 s (Glasgow, 1911)

After the sports career

In 1916 Donaldson was drafted into the British Army. He was stationed in Arras with the 7th Manchester Pals . After the war he initially worked as a sports teacher, but returned to professional sport for a short time. In 1919 he moved to the USA. He turned down offers to work as a trainer. Instead, he got a job with the Wanamakers chain in New York.

Private life and death

Jack Donaldson was married. He had two daughters with his wife, Ethel. On September 1, 1933, Donaldson committed suicide by gas poisoning in his Bronx apartment . He was buried in a cemetery in Galilee Ward, Pennsylvania . A drinking fountain in Stawell was named after him.

Web links

• Australian Dictionary of Biography