 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1904 St Louis | Pole vault |
LeRoy Perry Samse (September 13, 1883 – May 1, 1956) was an Americanathlete who competed mainly in thepole vault. Samse represented the United States in the1904 Summer Olympics held inSt Louis,United States in the pole vault where he won the silver medal.[1]
Samse attendedKokomo High School from 1899 to 1902, before enrolling atIndiana University where he was reportedly introduced to the pole vault by coachJames H. Horne.[2][3] Samse was acknowledged for having set aworld record in the pole vault at aWestern Intercollegiate Conference meet in Evanston, Illinois on June 2, 1906.[4] His vault of 12' 4 7/8" beat the mark of 12' 3" set three days earlier in New York byAlfred Carlton Gilbert ofYale University.[4]
After graduating Samse traveled with a triple bar horizontal act, followed by an aerial act that played county fairs. In 1920 he was hired as Physical Education director in theLos Angeles school system. He retired in 1946.[3]
In 2009, Indiana University put on the first ever LeRoy Samse Invitational, an informal meeting where vaulters are required to jump on non-bending poles similar to Samse's. The inaugural meet was won by Vera Neuenswander on the women's side (9 feet), and Jeff Coover on the men's side (12 feet). The meet record is still considered to be Samse's personal record of 12' 4 7/8".
