Lee Calhoun

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Lee Quincy Calhoun (born February 23, 1933 in Laurel , Mississippi , † June 21, 1989 in Erie , Pennsylvania ) was an American athlete .

Lee Calhoun appeared in the world elite in the 110-meter hurdles in 1956 when he beat world record holder Jack Davis in the finals of the AAU championships . At the Olympic Games in 1956 , he was able to prevail again in the final, but this time very close, against Jack Davis. Both were stopped in 13.5, without a headwind there would probably have been a new world record. Joel Shankle came in third, and Martin Lauer came fourth as the best non-American .

1957 Calhoun won again the AAU championship; the following year he was banned for accepting gifts from a television company at his wedding. In 1959 he was back, but lost to the current world record holder Martin Lauer at the end of the year.

In 1960 Calhoun qualified behind Hayes Jones for the Olympic Games. In a preparatory race in Bern on August 21, Calhoun set Lauer's world record with 13.2 seconds.

At the 1960 Olympic Games , the result reads like in 1956. Calhoun wins gold at the same time (13.8 s) ahead of Willie May , followed by Hayes Jones, the third US American, and Martin Lauer in fourth. However, Lauer's gap on gold in 1956 was one second; In 1960 it was only two tenths of a second behind gold.

After the 1960 season, Lee Calhoun resigned from the sports stage. After his career he worked as a trainer.

Lee Calhoun was the first in Olympic history to repeat his Olympic victory over the 110 meter hurdles. Only Roger Kingdom , the Olympic champion of 1984 and 1988, could repeat Calhoun's one-two.

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personal data
SURNAME Calhoun, Lee
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Calhoun, Lee Quincy (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American athlete
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Laurel , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH June 21, 1989
Place of death Erie , Pennsylvania