 Ted Meredith at the 1912 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | November 14, 1891 | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 2, 1957(1957-11-02) (aged 65) Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Sprint running | |||||||||||||||||
| Club | NYAC, New York | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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James Edwin "Ted"Meredith (November 14, 1891 – November 2, 1957) was an Americanathlete, winner of two gold medals at the1912 Summer Olympics.[1]
Meredith made the 1912Olympic team shortly after his graduation fromWilliamson Free School of Mechanical Trades in 1911 while he was a student atMercersburg Academy under Scots-American coachJimmy Curran. InStockholm, he won a gold medal in the 800 m run with aworld record 1:51.9. He ran on to the 880 yard mark and also set a world record for that distance with a 1:52.5. He won another gold medal on the 4 × 400 mrelay team, also taking fourth in the400 metres competition.[2]
Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades now has the largest repository of Olympic great Meredith memorabilia in existence thanks to Jack Lemon, author of the bookImmortal of the Cinder Path – The Saga of James 'Ted' Meredith who donated his entire collection of Meredith memorabilia recently.[2]
After Stockholm, Meredith entered theUniversity of Pennsylvania. He was theIC4A 440 yards champion from 1914 to 1916 and the 880 yard champion in 1914 and 1915. He also won theAAU 440 yard title in 1914 and 1915. In 1916, he set a world record in the 440 yards of 47.4, which wasn't broken until 1928. In the same year, he lowered his own world 880 yard record to 1:52.2. In April 1915, he ran the last lap for the University of Pennsylvania team that broke the world mile relay record. Requiring a time of 48 3/5 seconds, he proceeded to run 48 2/5. Also part of the quartet wasDonald Lippincott.[3]
Meredith retired from competition in 1917 and served in the army duringWorld War I. He made a comeback for the1920 Summer Olympics, where he was eliminated in the semifinal of the400 metres competition and ran on the relay team that finished fourth in the4 × 400 m relay event.[2]
After his second retirement from competition, he became a real estate broker but retained an active interest in athletics. In 1924, he attended theOlympic Games in Paris as a reporter, working for theChristy Walsh Syndicate. In 1928, he was hired as an assistant coach at theUniversity of Pennsylvania underLawson Robertson. In 1936, he attended theOlympic Games in Berlin as the coach of theCzechoslovakia team. During 1937 and 1938, he trained the Cuban team for theCentral American Games.[4]
Meredith's funeral service was held inHaddonfield, New Jersey. Attendees were a roll call of early 20th century American and Pennsylvanian sports, includingJimmy Curran,Earl Eby,Donald Lippincott,Sherman Landers,Wallace McCurdy, Larry Brown, Joe Lockwood, Robert Bolger,Joe Berry,Allie Miller, Ed Harter, andPaul Costello.[5]
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | Men's 800 metres World Record Holder July 8, 1912 – July 3, 1926 | Succeeded by |
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