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?
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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.
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Originally posted by Double R Bar. . . I believe he would have placed very high in the 1940 Olympics had they not been cancelled.
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.
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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.
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Originally posted by djThe 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.
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.
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