Mel Patton

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Mel Patton (actually Melvin Emery Patton ; born November 16, 1924 in Los Angeles , California - † May 9, 2014 in Fallbrook , California) was an American sprinter and Olympic champion .

Patton had his greatest athletic success while he was a student at the University of Southern California . After his time as an active athlete, he worked as a trainer in athletics for a few years before moving fully into the electronics industry.

In 1947, 1948 and 1949 he won the 100 yards at the NCAA championships, and in 1949 he also won over 220 yards. In 1947 he set a new world record with 9.4 s, which he improved to 9.3 s the following year. In 1949 he broke the world record held by Jesse Owens over 220 yards.

At the Olympic Games in London in 1948 he was fifth in the 100-meter run , but won the gold medal in the 200-meter run in front of the other Americans Barney Ewell (silver) and the Panamanian Lloyd La Beach (bronze), as well as the Team gold medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay , together with his teammates Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright and Harrison Dillard , ahead of the teams from Great Britain (silver) and Italy (bronze).

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personal data
SURNAME Patton, Mel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Patton, Melvin Emery (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sprinter
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH los Angeles
DATE OF DEATH May 9, 2014
Place of death Fallbrook