Grant Was President

[Double R Bar]

I was born 135 years ago today (Friday). President Ulysses Simpson Grant was in office when I was born. I won an Olympic gold medal in a field event and 17 Americans followed me with Olympic gold medals in this same event.

After graduating from Harvard College in Massachusetts, I went to medical school and became a doctor. I died the same year Roger Bannister first broke the four minute mile. President Dwight David Eisenhower was in office when I died.

Do you know who I am and what was my claim to fame in the Olympic Games?

[DecFan]

Re: Grant Was President

I was right on the event and the Games, but had to look up the name. so I'll have to defer to someone else . . .

[Double R Bar]

Re: Grant Was President

DecFan, you could give the Games and the event. The name is not easy without looking it up in Olympic history.

[DecFan]

Re: Grant Was President

DecFan, you could give the Games and the event. The name is not easy without looking it up in Olympic history.

OK - 1896, PV.

[LopenUupunut]

Re: Grant Was President

1896 PV? Somebody Hoyt. I don't remember the given name...

[Marlow]

Re: Grant Was President

1896 PV? Somebody Hoyt. I don't remember the given name...

I memorized all the OG PV champions when I was 14 and decided I was going to be the 1972 Champion. That didn't quite work out as planned, but the first OG champ was

Welles Hoyt

[Double R Bar]

Re: Grant Was President

Very good DecFan, LopenUupunut, and Marlow. It is the pole vault from Athens in 1896. Today is the birthday of Bill Hoyt, winner of the first Olympic pole vault. Hoyt never won a NCAA championship, he never won a national championship, and he didn't even win his conference championship (in 1898 he tied for first place in the IC4A meet), but he did win the first Olympic gold medal in the pole vault. Nice job.

[BisonHurdler]

Re: Grant Was President

but he did win the first Olympic gold medal in the pole vault.

Technically, weren't silver medals handed out in Athens for first place?

[tandfman]

Re: Grant Was President

1896 PV? Somebody Hoyt. I don't remember the given name...

I memorized all the OG PV champions when I was 14 and decided I was going to be the 1972 Champion. That didn't quite work out as planned, but the first OG champ was

Welles Hoyt

Well, the first part of it seemed to have worked out.