- Earl Thomson
"For the Olympic equestrian, see
Earl Foster Thomson ."Earl John Thomson (
February 15 ,1895 –April 19 ,1971 ) was Canadian athlete, a specialist in the high hurdles.Born in
Birch Hills, Saskatchewan , Thomson moved to southernCalifornia at age 8, because the warm weather would be better for his mother. Thomson attended theUniversity of Southern California . [http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/usc/genrel/auto_pdf/uscolympians.pdf USC OLYMPIANS: 1904-2004] , USC Trojans Athletic Department, AccessedAugust 13 ,2008 .] His family never applied for American citizenship, and when he applied to be on the Canadian team for the1920 Summer Olympics inAntwerp , he was gladly put on the Canadian team, because Thomson had become one of the top hurdlers in the US. In 1918, he had already won the AAU championships in the high hurdles, and in 1920, he set a newworld record in the 110 m hurdles, running 14.4. This record would remain unbeaten until 1931, although it was equalled a number of times.At the Olympics, Earl Thomson won a clear victory over his American rivals. The following year, Thomson equalled his own world record, and won the AAU,
IC4A and NCAA championships. He retired after his third AAU title, in 1922.Later, Thomson became a track and field coach, coaching the team of the
United States Naval Academy inAnnapolis, Maryland for 36 years. He died in Annapolis, aged 76.References
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