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Ralph Boston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1960 Rome | Long jump | |
| Silver | 1964 Tokyo | Long jump | |
| Bronze | 1968 Mexico City | Long jump | |
Ralph Harold Boston (b. May 9, 1939, Laurel, Mississippi) is an American athlete. He was an all around athletic star, but he is best remembered for his successes in the long jump during the 1960s. He divides his time between Atlanta, Georgia and Knoxville, Tennessee.
As a student at Tennessee State University, Boston won the 1960 National Collegiate Athletic Association title in the long jump. Boston broke the world record in the long jump, held by Jesse Owens for 24 years, during the summer of 1960. He also qualified for the Summer Olympics in Rome, where he took the gold medal in the long jump.
Between the Olympic Games, Boston won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship in the long jump in 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1964. He also had the longest triple jump for an American in 1963.
In 1964 at Tokyo, Boston won the silver medal in the long jump. He continued having success in the long jump after the 1964 Summer Olympics, winning two more national titles in the long jump and the 1965 AAU title in the high hurdles. He was ranked #1 in the world in the high jump between 1960 and 1967.
Although Boston lost both the national title and the #1 ranking in 1968, he continued to compete. At 29, he won a bronze, finishing behind Bob Beamon at the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City. Shortly after the Games, Boston retired.
| Olympic champions in men's long jump |
|---|
| 1896: Ellery Clark | 1900: Alvin Kraenzlein | 1904: Myer Prinstein | 1906: Myer Prinstein | 1908: Frank Irons | 1912: Albert Gutterson | 1920: William Pettersson | 1924: William DeHart Hubbard | 1928: Ed Hamm | 1932: Ed Gordon | 1936: Jesse Owens | 1948: Willie Steele | 1952: Jerome Biffle | 1956: Greg Bell | 1960: Ralph Boston | 1964: Lynn Davies | 1968: Bob Beamon | 1972: Randy Williams | 1976: Arnie Robinson | 1980: Lutz Dombrowski | 1984: Carl Lewis | 1988: Carl Lewis | 1992: Carl Lewis | 1996: Carl Lewis | 2000: Iván Pedroso | 2004: Dwight Phillips |
Categories: 1939 births | Living people | American track and field athletes | Long jumpers | People from Atlanta | People from Laurel, Mississippi | Olympic competitors for the United States | Athletes at the 1960 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1964 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1968 Summer Olympics | Olympic gold medalists for the United States | Olympic silver medalists for the United States | Olympic bronze medalists for the United States