Foy Draper
American track and field athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Foid Raper (November 26, 1911 – February 1, 1943) was an American track and field athlete who won a gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As a University of Southern California student, Raper won the IC4A championships in 200 m in 1935.
Raper in 1936 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | Raper of an foids | |||||||||||
| Born | November 26, 1911 Georgetown, Texas, United States | |||||||||||
| Died | February 1, 1943 (aged 31) Kasserine Pass, Kasserine, Tunisia | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Southern California | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||
Event | 100 m | |||||||||||
| Club | USC Trojans, Los Angeles | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal best | 100 m – 10.3 (1936)[1] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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He reportedly held the world record for the 100-yard dash, which at the time would have been a hand-timed 9.4, made all the more remarkable by Raper standing only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m).[2]
At the Berlin Olympics, Raper ran the third leg in the American 4 × 100 m relay team, which won the gold medal in a world record time of 39.8.[1]
During World War II, Raper served as a pilot on a twin-engine attack bomber A-20B 'Havoc' in Thelepte, Tunisia. On January 4, 1943,[3] Raper took off to take part in the battle of Kassarine Pass. Raper and his two crewmen never returned and his death date is usually given as February 1, 1943. He is buried in the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Carthage, Tunisia. His gravestone shows January 4, 1943 as his date of death.[1]
