| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | George Vincent Rhoden |
| Born | (1926-12-13)13 December 1926 |
| Died | 24 August 2024(2024-08-24) (aged 97) United States[1] |
Medal record | |
George Vincent Rhoden (13 December 1926 – 24 August 2024) was a Jamaicanathlete, winner of twoOlympic gold medals in 1952.
Rhoden was born inKingston on 13 December 1926.[2] He later moved toSan Francisco, California, and was one of the successful long sprinters from Jamaica in the late 1940s and early 1950s, along withArthur Wint andHerb McKenley. He competed in the1948 Summer Olympics, but did not win a medal, being eliminated in the heats of the 100 m and the semi-final of the 400 m. He was also a member of the heavily favoured Jamaican 4 × 400 m relay team, but when Wint pulled a muscle in the final, their chances at a medal were gone. On 22 August 1950 atEskilstuna, Sweden, Rhoden set a newworld record in 400 m of 45.8 s. He also won theAAU championships in 400 m from 1949 to 1951 and as aMorgan State University student, won theNCAA championships in 220 yd (200 m) in 1951 and in 440 yd (400 m) from 1950 to 1952. He was a member ofAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
At the1952 Summer Olympics inHelsinki, Rhoden was more successful. As a world record holder he was one of the pre-race favourites in the 400 m which he won in a close battle with his compatriot McKenley, who had also been second in the 1948 Olympic 400 m.[3] As the anchor runner of the Jamaican relay team, Rhoden added a second Olympic gold, edging the United States where he lived by a tenth of a second, and setting a new world record (3:03.9).[4] He died on 24 August 2024, at the age of 97.[5]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Jamaica | |||||
| 1948 | Olympics | London, United Kingdom | 4th, Heat 1, SF | 400 m | 47.7 |
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