Walter Tewksbury
American track and field athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Walter Beardsley Tewksbury (March 21, 1876 – April 24, 1968)[1] was an American track and field athlete. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, he won five medals, including two golds.[2][3]
Walter Tewksbury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National team | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 21, 1876 Ashley, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 24, 1968 (aged 92) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Pennsylvania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Born in Ashley, Pennsylvania,[1] Tewksbury studied for a dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1899. Running for the university team, he won the IC4A titles in the 110 and 220 y in 1898 and 1899.
After graduating in 1899, he headed for Paris to compete in the Olympic Games. Tewksbury entered in 5 events, but had strong competition, among others from fellow Penn student Alvin Kraenzlein. In the 100 m, Tewksbury equalled the world record in the semi-finals, but placed second in the final to Frank Jarvis. The following day, he took another second place, behind Kraenzlein, in the 60 m, before entering the 400 m hurdles.
At the time, this event had probably never been contested in the United States, but Tewksbury easily beat the local favourite for the 400 m hurdles title. The event was quite different from present day, as the hurdles were actually telephone poles laid over the track, and the final hurdles was a water barrier (like in the steeplechase). In the final of the 200 m hurdles, he placed third (with Kraenzlein the winner). The final of the 200 m was held a week later; in that race Tewksbury won his second individual Olympic gold, finishing immediately ahead of Norman Pritchard of India.
Tewksbury retired from sports to open a dental practice in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, in 1913. He died there on April 24, 1968.[1]
