Charles Bacon
{{Short description|American athlete (1885–1968)}}
{{for-multi|the American geologist|Charles R. Bacon|the British 19th century sculptor|Charles Bacon (sculptor)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Charles Bacon
| image = Charles Bacon 1909.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Charles Bacon Jr. at the 1908 Olympic Games
| full_name = Charles James Bacon Jr.
| height = 6 ft 0 in
| weight = 170 lb
| birth_date = {{birth date|1885|1|9}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1968|11|15|1885|1|9}}
| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York
| death_place = Fort Lauderdale, Florida
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's athletics}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}
{{MedalGold| 1908 London | 400 m hurdles}}
}}
File:Charles_Bacon_Mecca_card_front2.jpg
Charles James Bacon Jr. (January 9, 1885 – November 15, 1968) was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department. He won the 400 metres hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78064 |title=Charles Bacon |work=Olympedia |access-date=January 17, 2021}}
He was born in Brooklyn, New York and died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
At the 1904 Summer Olympics he finished ninth in the 1500 metres event.
Two years later at the 1906 Summer Olympics he finished fifth in the 400 metres competition and sixth in the 800 metres event.
Just a month and a half before the 1908 Olympic Games in London, Bacon ran in Philadelphia setting a new unofficial world record of 55.8 in the 400 metre hurdles.
At the Olympic Games in 1908, he and fellow American Harry Hillman went over the last hurdle simultaneously, after which Bacon pulled away on the straight to win in a new world record of 55.0 seconds. This record was recognized by IAAF, thus Bacon became the first world record holder in the 400 metres hurdles. The same year, Bacon set the world record for the 440 yards, 10 hurdles, 3 feet 6 inches at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, the home of the Irish American Athletic Club on October 11, 1908.[http://www.wingedfist.com/bacon.html 1910 Mecca Cigarettes Champion Athlete and Prize Fighter Series trading card.]
Notes
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References
- {{cite book |author=Cook, Theodore Andrea |title=The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report |publisher=British Olympic Association |location=London |date=May 1909 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1908/1908.pdf |accessdate=2008-12-29 |archive-date=2013-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116164837/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1908/1908.pdf |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite web | last = De Wael | first = Herman | year = 2001 | url = http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/ath1908.html | title = Athletics 1908 | work = Herman's Full Olympians | access-date = 2008-12-29 | archive-date = 2006-09-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060927093153/http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/ath1908.html | url-status = dead }}
- {{cite book | last = Greenberg | first = Stan | year = 1987 | title = Olympic Games: The Records | publisher = Guinness Books | location = London | isbn = 0-85112-896-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/olympicgamesreco00gree }}
- {{cite book | last = Kieran | first = John | year = 1977 | title = The Story of the Olympic Games; 776 B.C. to 1976 | publisher = J.B. Lippincott Company | location = Philadelphia and New York | isbn = 0-397-01168-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/storyofolympicga0000kier_j1r1 }}
External links
- {{sports links}}
- [http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/aia/primarydocs/iaac/iaac01.htm Irish America Archives - NYU]
- [http://www.wingedfist.org Winged Fist Organization]
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{{succession box|before=—|title=Men's 400 m hurdles World Record Holder|years=July 22, 1908 – June 26, 1920|after={{flagicon|USA}} John Norton}}
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{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m hurdles Men}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, Charles}}
Category:Track and field athletes from Brooklyn
Category:American male middle-distance runners
Category:American male hurdlers
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)
Category:New York City Police Department officers
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
Category:Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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