James Carlton (athlete)

Jim Carlton

Australian champions in 1932: Jim Carlton with Eileen Wearne
Personal information
Full name James Andrew Carlton
National team Australia
Born (1909-02-10)10 February 1909
Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
Died 4 April 1951(1951-04-04) (aged 42)
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse(s) Enid Symington
Sport
Country Australia
Sport Sprint
Achievements and titles
National finals National champion in Men's 200m (1931–33)
Updated on 22 January 2016.

James Andrew "Jim" Carlton (10 February 1909 – 4 April 1951) was an Australian Olympic athlete who competed in sprint events.

A native of Lismore, New South Wales. Carlton first came to the sporting public's notice as a junior in 1927 running the 100 y in 10.0 s and the 220 y in 21.8 s.[1]

Carlton won three successive national championship sprint doubles in 1928, 1930 and 1932 when the championships were only held every two years. He competed in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam but was run out in the quarter-finals, his form affected by illness (quinsy).[2] Though selected for the 1930 British Empire Games, Carlton did not run.[3]

In 1931 Carlton equalled Eddie Tolan's world record for 100 yards of 9.4 s but the record was disallowed as the time had only been taken on two stop watches.[4] His 9.6 national record, set in 1930, stood for twenty-three years. He also ran a wind-assisted 21.0 s for the 220 y (turn) and beat the great American sprinter George Simpson.[1]

His 20.6s run to win the 1932 220 yards national championship at the Sydney Cricket Ground created a sensation, smashing the world record (then 21.0 s), and was controversially judged as wind assisted. The judge reportedly used a piece of wood to ascertain the wind speed and his decision was disputed by observers present at the time. The time Carlton ran was not to be legitimately run until after the Second World War.[1][5]

Carlton's subsequent announcement of his retirement from athletics and to enter a Catholic seminary in order to become a priest rather than competing at the 1932 Olympics also created controversy.[6]

Carlton left the priesthood in 1945 to marry, becoming a teacher.[6] He died in 1951 at only 42 years of age of asthma.[1][6]

Carlton's elder son Mike is a well-known Sydney radio broadcaster, while his younger son (Peter) is a human resource manager.

Statistics

Personal Bests[7]

Event Performance Place Date
100y 9.6 Sydney, Australia 27 December 1930
100 m 10.5 Sydney, Australia January 1932
220y 20.6 Sydney, Australia 16 January 1932
440y 48.4 Sydney, Australia 12 December 1931

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 E L Quercetani & G Pallicca, A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005, p 57.
  2. ↑ Olympic Runner Ill, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 4 September 1928), p.9.
  3. ↑ Athletics Australia profile - Jim Carlton
  4. ↑ google books - What happened when
  5. ↑ Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 40 and 462.
  6. 1 2 3 Australian Dictionary of Biography online - Jimmy Carlton
  7. ↑ Athletics Gold - Jimmy Carlton biography at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009)
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