Norman Taber
Norman Taber at the 1912 Olympics
|
|||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 3, 1891 Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
||||||||||||
| Died | July 15, 1952 (aged 50) Orange, New Jersey, United States |
||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 52 kg (115 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Middle-distance running | ||||||||||||
| Club | University of Oxford | ||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||
Norman Stephen Taber (September 3, 1891 – July 15, 1952) was an American middle distance runner. He was the first amateur runner to surpass Walter George's professional record in the mile, set nearly 30 years previously. He also won a bronze medal over 1500 m and a gold medal in the team 3000 m at the Olympic Games in Stockholm 1912.
Taber emerged as a top runner in 1910 when he finished third in the IC4A championship mile for Brown University. Missing the 1911 season, he re-emerged in 1912, finishing sixth in the IC4A cross country, then surprising many by tying mile record holder John Paul Jones over that distance at the IC4A championships.
He was selected for the Olympic 1500 m team and was one of the favorites for that event at the 1912 Olympics held at . When the final was held July 10, he led for part of the race and challenged leader Abel Kiviat on the final homestretch. However, Arnold Jackson of Britain passed them both, and a photo-finish between Kiviat and Taber awarded Kiviat the silver medal and Taber the bronze.
He nevertheless won an Olympic gold medal in the 3000 m team race.
On May 31, 1913, Taber ran again in the IC4A championships, and was up against world record-holder Jones in the mile. Taber led at the first three quarters, in 61.6, 2:09.3 and 3:16.1. But Jones launched into his drive as the bell for the final lap sounded and Taber couldn't respond. He crossed the finish line in 4:14 2⁄5, a new world amateur record, and the first mile record to be recognized by the new governing body of track and field, the IAAF, known then as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. Taber's 4:16 2⁄5 made him the fourth-best amateur over the distance.
...
Wikipedia