Thane Baker

Walter Thane Baker (born October 4, 1931 in Elkhart , Kansas ) is a former American track and field athlete and Olympic champion .

During his time as a student at Kansas State University , he had his greatest athletic success. In 1953 he won the NCAA championships over 220 yards and in 1956 the AAU championships over 200 meters. Before the 1956 Olympics, he set Jesse Owens' long- standing record over 100 meters , as well as twice the world record over 200 meters.

At the XV. At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki he won the silver medal in the 200-meter run between his two compatriots Andy Stanfield (gold) and James Gathers (bronze). At the XVI. At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne , he surpassed his 1952 performance and won the silver medal in the 100-meter run behind the American Bobby Morrow (gold) and ahead of the Australian Hector Hogan (bronze), the bronze medal in the 200-meter run behind the two Americans Bobby Morrow (gold) and Andy Stanfield (silver) as well as the team gold medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay race together with his teammates Ira Murchison , Leamon King and Bobby Morrow, ahead of the teams from the Soviet Union (silver ) and Germany (bronze).

Web links

• Thane Baker in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )