Ellery Clark

From WikiRun

Ellery Harding Clark (March 13, 1874 – February 17, 1949) was an American athlete. He was the first modern Olympic champion in high jump and long jump.

Born in East Roxbury, Massachusetts, Clark is the only person to have won both the Olympic high jump and long jump, which he did at the first modern Olympics in Athens. He took a leave of absence from Harvard University student to compete in the Olympics. Clark was one of the top all-around athletes from 1893 to 1912.

In the long jump, Clark had used his hat to mark his runway. Twice the judge (who was King Constantine of Greece) had removed the hat, saying this was a practice of professionals. Only at the third attempt (and without the hat), did Clark achieve a valid jump, good enough for gold. His final jump was of 6.35 metres. Clark later won the high jump as well, clearing 1.81 metres. The closest competitors were fellow Americans James Connolly and Robert Garrett at 1.65 metres. In the shot put, Clark was among the bottom three of the seven man field.

He never won a national championship in either jump, but he was the 1897 and 1903 AAU champion in the all-around, an event similar to the decathlon. He won the 1897 American all-around championship with performances that would have won him the 1896 Olympic high jump, long jump, and shot put, and probably the 100 m sprint and the 110 m hurdles as well.

Ellery also competed in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, in the all-around competition, which was also the American Championship for that event. Although he had to abandon the contest after five events due to bronchitis, he was still finished sixth. At age 32, he was still winning major meets. He competed as a walker until the age of 56.

Clark's professional life was equally varied. He was an author, lawyer, track coach, teacher and Boston city alderman. He wrote 19 books including one which was made into a 1952 film, Caribbean. He served as Assistant Treasurer of the Harvard Athletic Association^[1]

He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1991. He is the father of track coach Ellery Clark, Jr.

External links

• Ellery Clark in USA Track & Field Hall of Fame
• sports-reference.com profile
• The First Americans at the Olympic Games by Ellery Clark
• The First Americans at the Olympic Games by Ellery Clark - part 2