 Boston at the 1960 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ralph Harold Boston[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1939-05-09)May 9, 1939[1] Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 30, 2023(2023-04-30) (aged 83) Peachtree City, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft1+1⁄2 in (187 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 163 lb (74 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Sprint, hurdles, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Southern California Striders, Anaheim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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Ralph Harold Boston (May 9, 1939 – April 30, 2023) was an American track athlete who received three Olympic medals and became the first person to break the 27 feet (8.2 m) barrier in thelong jump.
Boston was born inLaurel, Mississippi. As a student atTennessee State University, he won the 1960National Collegiate Athletic Association title in thelong jump. In August of the same year, he broke the world record in the event, held byJesse Owens for 25 years, at theMt. SAC Relays. Already the world record holder, he improved the mark past 27 feet (8.2 m), jumping 27 feet 0.5 inches (8.242 m) at theModesto Relays on May 27, 1961.[2]
Boston qualified for theSummer Olympics in Rome, where he won thegold medal in the long jump, setting theOlympic record at 8.12 m (26 ft7+1⁄2 in), while narrowly defeating American teammateBo Roberson by a mere centimeter.[1]
Boston won theAmateur Athletic Union (AAU)national championship in the long jump six times in a row from 1961 to 1966. He also had the longest triple jump for an American in 1963. He returned to the Tokyo Olympics as the world record holder after losing the record toIgor Ter-Ovanesyan, then regaining the record a couple of months before the games, first in Kingston,Jamaica and improving it at the1964 Olympic Trials. In the Olympic final, Boston exchanged the lead with Ter-Ovanesyan. Going into the fifth round, Boston was leading but fouled while bothLynn Davies and Ter-Ovanesyan jumped past him. On his final jump, he was able to jump past Ter-Ovanesyan, but could not catch Davies and ended winning the silver medal.[1]
Boston's final record improvement to 8.35 m was again at the 1965 Modesto Relays. It was tied at altitude by Ter-Ovanesyan in 1967. In 1967, he lost the national title toJerry Proctor. When rivalBob Beamon was suspended from theUniversity of Texas at El Paso, for refusing to compete againstBrigham Young University, alleging it had racist policies, Boston began to coach him unofficially.[3] Beamon took the 1968 National Championships. At the1968 Olympics, Boston watched his pupil obliterate the tied world record by jumping 8.90 m (29 ft2+1⁄4 in). Boston was then 29 years old. He won a bronze medal behind Beamon andKlaus Beer and retired from competitions shortly thereafter.[1] He moved toKnoxville, Tennessee, and worked for theUniversity of Tennessee as Coordinator of Minority Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students from 1968 to 1975.[4] He was the field event reporter for theCBS Sports Spectacular coverage of domestic track and field events. He was inducted into theUSA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and into theU.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame in 1985.[5]
Boston participated in the raising of the Olympic flag for the1996 Summer Olympics inAtlanta, and by 1997, Boston had moved intoPeachtree City, Georgia.[6]
ALos Angeles Times article on Boston from August 2, 2010, coinciding roughly with the 50th anniversary of his initial world record, described him as a divorced great-grandfather who was writing an autobiography. He split his time between Atlanta, Georgia andKnoxville.[7]
Boston died of complications from a stroke at his home in Peachtree City on April 30, 2023, at the age of 83.[8][9]
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Men's Long Jump World Record Holder August 12, 1960 – June 10, 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Long Jump World Record Holder August 15, 1964 – October 19, 1967 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1961 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Unknown | Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance 1960, 1961 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance 1964, 1965 | Succeeded by |
| Men's track and road athletes |
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| Men's field athletes |
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| Men's track and road athletes |
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| Men's field athletes | ||
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| Women's field athletes | ||
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USTFCCCA Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame | ||
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| Class of 2022 |
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| Class of 2023 | ||
| Class of 2024 | ||
