Angelic Duplicates

[Double R Bar]

Today (Monday) marks the 96th birthday of an Olympic champion who was born in Mississippi (he died in Texas). This champion went to a current Pac-Ten school. He probably would have done fairly well in the 1940 Olympics, however World War II got in the way. He set world records indoors and was considered one of the great ones in his event. Can you name this Olympic champion with a June 29th birthday?

[Double R Bar]

Hint: Bill Sefton and bamboo.

[Pego]

I was intrigued by my ignorance, so I looked it up. Now it's time to shut up .

[mikli]

Earle Meadows, perhaps.

[Double R Bar]

Mikli, you got it. It was Earle Meadows who was born 96 years ago yesterday (Monday). Earle was one of the best-ever bamboo pole vaulters and won the Berlin Olympics of 1936 with a vault of 14' 3 1/4". That height was sixth place last weekend in Eugene for the women.
Earle went to USC and I believe he would have placed very high in the 1940 Olympics had they not been cancelled.

[Per Andersen]

Sefton & Meadows - The Heavenly Twins

[dj]

. . . I believe he would have placed very high in the 1940 Olympics had they not been cancelled.

Possibly, but certainly open for debate.

My retro-rankings have Meadows #3 in the world for 1940, and he was =2nd on the world list that year at 4.47/14-8.

But in his most important meet of the year, he finished 4th in the AAU, at 4.11/13-6. Dutch Warmerdam won with a WR 4.60/15-1.125, with Ken Dills 2nd at 4.37/14-4, and Bud Deacon 3rd at 4.11/13-6.

[Double R Bar]

Meadows competed in the 1940 AAU championships with an injured calf. I don't think he would have won the 1940 Olympics, but I believe he would have medaled.

[dj]

The trick would have been making the Olympic team. Had he done that, he would have been a sure-fire medalists, as the only non-American of significance was Soviet Nikolay Ozolin at 4.25.

The Trials would almost certainly have been week following the AAU, so time was running short for Meadows's recovery.

[Double R Bar]

Meadows competed well in the big meets and his injury was not serious. He would have been ready.

[Per Andersen]

The trick would have been making the Olympic team. Had he done that, he would have been a sure-fire medalists, as the only non-American of significance was Soviet Nikolay Ozolin at 4.25.

It's likely that Norway's Erling Kaas could have been a contender in 1940. He was born in 1917 and vaulted 4.27 in 1939. In 1940 the Germans invaded Norway in early April which pretty much stopped Kaas and Norwegian sports.

Kaas finished 4th In London after Bob Richards but he lost his best years. There was a sports boycott in Norway during the 5 year German occupation.

[lovetorun]

Fascinating touch of history...thanks, Per.