Harold Vincent Connolly

Harold Vincent Connolly (born August 1, 1931 in Somerville, Massachusetts) is a retired American athlete and hammer thrower. He won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. During the course of his career, Connolly became the first American to throw more than 200 feet. He set his first or six world records just prior to the 1956 Olympics, and held the world record for nearly 10 years. Notably, Connolly sustained severe nerve damage to his left arm during birth prohibiting the limb from ever from properly developing.

Connolly received his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1952 and attended graduate school at UCLA. Both during and after his athletic career, Connolly worked as a teacher in the Santa Monica school system. In 1988, he then retired and accepted a position as executive director of Special Olympics where he would serve for the next 11 years. He currently coaches youth athletes and serves as the Junior Hammer Development Chairmen for US Track and Field Association. He also published a website to help promote the hammer throw, [http://www.hammerthrow.com hammerthrow.com] .

During the 1956 Games, Connolly started a famous love affair with the Czech discus thrower Olga Fikotova. They married after the Olympics and divorced in 1973. He is currently married to Pat Winslow, former coach of Evelyn Ashford and herself a three-time Olympian in the 800 meters and pentathlon.

Records

*World Record: Hammer Throw - 68.54 m (November 2, 1956)
*World Record: Hammer Throw - 68.68 m (November 2, 1958)
*World Record: Hammer Throw - 70.33 m (June 20, 1960)
*World Record: Hammer Throw - 70.67 m (August 12, 1962)
*World Record: Hammer Throw - 71.06 m (July 29, 1965)
*World Record: Hammer Throw - 71.26 m (May 29, 1965 - September 4, 1965)

Championships

*1956 Olympics: Hammer Throw (1st)
*1960 Olympics: Hammer Throw (8th)
*1964 Olympics: Hammer Throw (6th)
*1968 Olympics: Hammer Throw

External links

* [http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=33 Harold Connolly] at the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame
* [http://www.hammerthrow.com/ Harold Connolly's Hammerthrow.com]