Matt McGrath

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For the actor, see Matt McGrath (actor)
Olympic medalist
Center
McGrath in 1912
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Gold 1912 Stockholm Hammer throw
Silver 1908 London Hammer throw
Silver 1924 Paris Hammer throw

Matthew John “Matt” McGrath (December 18, 1878 – January 29, 1941) was an Irish-American police officer, thrower and Olympic gold medalist.

McGrath was born in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland, and later immigrated to the United States. During his competitive years he stood 5′ 11½″ (1.82 m) tall and weighed 247 lb (112 kg), and was one of a group of large and dominant throwers referred to as the “Irish Whales”.

He did not achieve success in the hammer throw until age 27, when he ranked seventh on the world list of best marks. He remained in the world’s top ten up to the age of 50, making his career one of the longest and most consistent in the history of the sport. He won seven AAU hammer throw championships, won seven more in the little-contested 56-pound weight throw, and set two hammer throw world records. His lifetime best throw was the second of those records, 187′ 4″ (57.10 m), made at New York’s Celtic Park on October 29, 1911.

Statue of McGrath and two other Olympic gold medalists (Bob Tisdall and Johnny Hayes) in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland
Statue of McGrath and two other Olympic gold medalists (Bob Tisdall and Johnny Hayes) in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland

McGrath made his Olympic debut in 1908. He entered the Olympics as the (unofficial) world record holder and took second behind John Flanagan's third consecutive victory. In 1912 McGrath won the Olympic title in dominating fashion (the shortest of his six throws was over 15 feet (4.5 m) longer than any other competitor's best throw) and set an Olympic record that stood for 24 years.

At the 1920 Olympics McGrath was a co-favorite along with Patrick Ryan but finished fifth after injuring his knee during the competition. In 1924 he again took the silver medal, setting (and still holding) the standard for the oldest American track and field medalist ever. An off day at the 1928 Final Olympic Try-Outs barely kept him off the 1928 Olympic team. There was a public outcry over McGrath's omission from the team and although he went to Amsterdam after a subscription fund had been raised to pay for his transportation, he was, not surprisingly, not allowed to compete.

[edit] References

  • IOC profile
  • dataOlympics profile
  • Buchanan, Ian and Mallon, Bill (1984). Quest For Gold: The Encyclopedia of American Olympians. Leisure Press
  • Hymans, Richard (1996) The United States Olympic Trials for Track and Field, 1908-1992. Indianapolis, IN: USA Track & Field.
  • Quercetani, Roberto L. (2000) Athletics: A History of Modern Track and Field Athletics. Milan, Italy: SEP Editrice srl. ISBN 88-87110-23-9
  • Wallechinsky, David (2000) The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, Sydney 2000 edition. Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press. ISBN 1-58567-033-2