- Reggie Walker
Reginald Edgar "Reggie" Walker (
March 16 ,1889 –November 5 ,1951 ) was aSouth Africa n athlete and the 1908 Olympic champion in the 100 metres.Biography
Born in Natal, Walker, the 1907 South African Champion, was not among the big favourites for the 100 metres at the
1908 Summer Olympics . He even had trouble getting toLondon , as he lacked the necessary finances until a Natal sportswriter collected funds to support Walker's travel. In England, he was coached bySam Mussabini , later also the coach ofHarold Abrahams .Several of the big names did not qualify for the final, but Walker did. His first round was a relatively easy victory run in 11.0 seconds. In the second round, Walker edged out
William W. May of theUnited States while tying the Olympic record of 10.8 seconds. This qualified him for the final. There he competed against three North Americans, including James Rector of the United States, who had equalled the Olympic Record in both of the qualifier rounds. Walker beat Rector in the final by about a foot and half.Walker is still the youngest winner of the Olympic 100 metres as of 2005 (at 19 years and 128 days).
References
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* Pl iconExternal links
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WALKEREG01 Reggie Walker on databaseOlympics.com]
Persondata
NAME=Walker, Reginald Edgar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=South African athlete, Olympic medalist
DATE OF BIRTH=March 16, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH=KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
DATE OF DEATH=November 5, 1951
PLACE OF DEATH=
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