George Orton
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| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | |||
| Gold | 1900 Paris | 2500m steeplechase | |
| Bronze | 1900 Paris | 400 metre hurdles | |
George Washington Orton (January 10, 1873-June 26, 1958) was a Canadian middle-distance runner. In 1900, he was the first Canadian to become Olympic champion.
Born in Strathroy, Ontario, Orton did his undergraduate studies in at the University of Toronto, before switching to the University of Pennsylvania in 1893. By then, he was already one of the top middle-distance runners in North America. He won national titles in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, in the 1 mile, 2 miles and steeplechase. His one-mile time of 4:21.8 stood as a Canadian record for 30 years. His total number of wins is reported to be 121.
Orton received his Ph.D. in 1896, but remained active in his sport. The crown on Orton's career might have been the 1900 Summer Olympics, held in Paris. Because he represented his American university team (national teams did not yet exist), it remained unknown for quite some time that he was actually Canadian. Orton competed in three events, two steeplechase competitions and the 400 m hurdles. He placed 5th in the 4000 m steeplechase, but he won the title in 2500 m event. In the hurdles event he became third.
Later, he was a track coach at Penn, and wrote a book about the track and field history of that University. He died aged 85 in Meredith, New Hampshire (United States).
| Olympic champions in men's 3000 m steeplechase |
|---|
| 1900 (2500 m): George Orton | 1900 (4000 m): John Rimmer | 1904 (2590 m): Jim Lightbody | 1908 (3200 m): Arthur Russell | 1920: Percy Hodge | 1924: Ville Ritola | 1928: Toivo Loukola | 1932: Volmari Iso-Hollo | 1936: Volmari Iso-Hollo | 1948: Tore Sjöstrand | 1952: Horace Ashenfelter | 1956: Chris Brasher | 1960: Zdzisław Krzyszowiak | 1964: Gaston Roelants | 1968: Amos Biwott | 1972: Kip Keino | 1976: Anders Gärderud | 1980: Bronisław Malinowski | 1984: Julius Korir | 1988: Julius Kariuki | 1992: Matthew Birir | 1996: Joseph Keter | 2000: Reuben Kosgei | 2004: Ezekiel Kemboi |
