Stanley Benham

Stanley Delong ("Stan") Benham (born December 21, 1913 in Lake Placid , New York , † April 22, 1970 in Miami , Florida ) was an American bobsleigh pilot . He was twice world champion in the four-man bobsleigh and won two Olympic silver medals.

Benham was a firefighter by profession and rose to be in command of the Lake Placid Fire Department . At first he did ski jumping , which, according to his own statements, was “too lame” for him, which is why he changed the sport in 1945. At the national level, Benham is one of the most successful American bobsledders. At North American championships he won three times in the two-man bobsleigh (1951, 1954, 1956) and four times in the four-man bobsleigh (1948, 1951, 1953, 1956). At the AAU championships he was three times fastest in the two-man bobsleigh (1954, 1956, 1957) and six times in the four-man bobsleigh (1948, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957).

Internationally, Benham first appeared at the 1949 World Championships in Lake Placid when he won the gold medal in the four-man bobsleigh. He repeated this success at the 1950 World Cup in Cortina d'Ampezzo ; there was also a silver medal in the two-man bobsleigh. He finished the 1951 World Championship in L'Alpe d'Huez in second place in both disciplines. He also won two silver medals in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo . Another two-man bronze medal followed at the 1954 World Cup in Cortina. Finally, he was second again in the four-man bobsleigh at the 1961 World Championships in Lake Placid.

Web links

• Stanley Benham in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ^ The Secret of Shady Corner. Time , March 7, 1949, accessed December 11, 2009 .