Bud Held
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
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| Men's Athletics | |||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Gold | Mexico City 1955 | Javelin | |
Franklin "Bud" Held (born October 25, 1927 in Los Angeles, California) is an American athlete who competed primarily in the javelin.
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[edit] College career
Bud Held started as a pole vaulter in high school, but switched to the javelin while a student at Stanford University, where he won the NCAA javelin championship in 1948, 1949, and 1950.[1] Held set six American records in the javelin, and in 1953 became the first American to hold the world javelin record with an effort of 263 feet 10 inches (80.42 m); in so doing, Held became the first athlete ever to throw the 800 gram javelin over 80 meters.[1] He set a second world record of 268 feet 2 inches (81.74 m) in 1955, and his career best throw was 270 feet 0 inches (82.30 m) in 1956.[1]
[edit] International competition
Held was a member of the United States' 1952 Olympic team where he placed ninth after a shoulder injury, and missed making the 1956 Olympic by an inch.[1] He won a gold medal in the 1955 Pan American Games in 1955 with a throw of 69.77 meters (229 ft).[2]
[edit] Master's competition
Held continues to compete in masters competitions. In 1970, Held set a United States national masters javelin record of 229 feet 3 inches (69.88 m).[1] As of 2007, Held continues to compete in masters track and field events, where in the U.S., he is ranked #1 in the pole vault and #6 in the discus for men aged 75–79.[3]
[edit] Outside of competition
After his retirement from standard competition, Held became a successful sporting equipment businessman.[1] He also invented a hollow javelin that was used into the 1960s, but his design was outlawed due to safety concerns.[1][4] He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1987,[1] and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Franklin (Bud) Held. USATF.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ GBRAthletics.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ USA Masters Track and Field Rankings: Bud Held. USATF.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ Get the point?. ScienceIQ.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
- ^ The Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. Stanford Athletics website. Retrieved on 2007-08-10.
