Arthur Blake (middle-distance runner)
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s athletics | ||
Competitor for the  United States
| ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1896 Athens | 1500 metres |
Arthur Blake (Arthur Charles "Skipper" Blake; January 26, 1872 – October 22, 1944) was an American athlete who competed in the 1500 meters and the marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.[1]
Biography
Blake was born on January 26, 1872 in Boston, Massachusetts.
At the 1896 Olympics, the 1500 meters was run in a single heat, and Blake came in second to Edwin Flack of Australia. The race was a tight one, as Flack and Blake overtook the then-leader, Albin Lermusiaux, in the final straight and ran side-by-side nearly all the way to the finish. Flack proved the quicker, however, and finished in 4:33.2. This was less than a second faster than Blake's time of 4:33.6.
He also ran in the final event of the Games, the marathon. Blake, the only American entrant in the race, was in third place to Lermusiaux and Flack throughout the first half of the race. After 23 kilometres, however, Blake was unable to continue and quit the race.
In the 1984 NBC miniseries, The First Olympics: Athens 1896 he was portrayed by Alex Hyde-White.
References
- ↑ USA Track & Field (2004). "2004 USA Olympic Team Trials: Men’s Marathon Media Guide Supplement" (pdf). Santa Barbara, California: USA Track & Field. p. 11. Retrieved February 21, 2011.