George Rhoden

George Rhoden
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Vincent Rhoden
Born(1926-12-13)13 December 1926
Kingston, Jamaica
Died24 August 2024(2024-08-24) (aged 97)
United States[1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Jamaica Jamaica
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1952 Helsinki400 metres
Gold medal – first place1952 Helsinki4 × 400 metres relay
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place1946 Barranquilla4 × 400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place1946 Barranquilla400 m
Gold medal – first place1950 Guatemala City800 m
Silver medal – second place1950 Guatemala City400 m
Silver medal – second place1950 Guatemala City4 × 100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place1950 Guatemala City4 × 400 m relay
Gold medal – first place1954 Mexico City4 × 100 m relay
Gold medal – first place1954 Mexico City4 × 400 m relay
Silver medal – second place1954 Mexico City400 m
Silver medal – second place1954 Mexico City800 m

George Vincent Rhoden (13 December 1926 – 24 August 2024) was a Jamaican athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals in 1952.

Rhoden was born in Kingston on 13 December 1926.[2] He later moved to San Francisco, California, and was one of the successful long sprinters from Jamaica in the late 1940s and early 1950s, along with Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley. He competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, but did not win a medal, being eliminated in the heats of the 100 m and the semi-final of the 400 m. He was also a member of the heavily favoured Jamaican 4 × 400 m relay team, but when Wint pulled a muscle in the final, their chances at a medal were gone. On 22 August 1950 at Eskilstuna, Sweden, Rhoden set a new world record in 400 m of 45.8 s. He also won the AAU championships in 400 m from 1949 to 1951 and as a Morgan State University student, won the NCAA championships in 220 yd (200 m) in 1951 and in 440 yd (400 m) from 1950 to 1952. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Rhoden was more successful. As a world record holder he was one of the pre-race favourites in the 400 m which he won in a close battle with his compatriot McKenley, who had also been second in the 1948 Olympic 400 m.[3] As the anchor runner of the Jamaican relay team, Rhoden added a second Olympic gold, edging the United States where he lived by a tenth of a second, and setting a new world record (3:03.9).[4] He died on 24 August 2024, at the age of 97.[5]

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Jamaica Jamaica
1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Barranquilla, Colombia 3rd 400 m 49.3
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:18.0
1948 Olympic Gamess London, United Kingdom 5th (sf) 400 m 47.76
2nd (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:14.01
1950 Central American and Caribbean Games Guatemala City, Guatemala 2nd 400 m 48.3
1st 800 m 1:59.4
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 41.6
3rd 4 × 400 m relay 3:19.0
1952 Olympic Games Helsinki, Finland 1st 400 m 46.09
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:04.04
1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Mexico City, Mexico 2nd 400 m 48.19
2nd 800 m 1:55.00
1st 4 × 100 m relay 41.06
1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:12.25

1Did not finish in the final

References

  1. ↑ "JAAA mourns passing of double Olympian George Rhoden - Jamaica Observer". 27 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Biography and Statistics at Sports Reference Archived 29 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "RHODEN WINS 400 METER DASH IN 46s". Los Angeles Times. 16 August 1950.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Jamaica Gleaner - George Rhoden relives Helsinki Games glory - Sunday | June 29, 2003". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2010. Jamaica Gleaner
  5. ↑ "Jamaican Olympic legend George Rhoden passes away at 97". Sportsmax. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
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