Uri Gallin

Uri Gallin served in the Israeli Air Force and fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War prior to his career in sport. Although he dabbled in swimming and running, it was not until 1950 – when he was 22 – that he discovered his true specialty: the discus throw. Within two years, however, he was representing Israel at its inaugural foray into the Olympics in 1952, although he finished last in the qualifying round and was eliminated from the tournament. He had much better luck at the 1953 Maccabiah Games, where he took silver in the discus, but encountered a significant setback the following year. In 1954, a plane that he was flying during the celebration for the inauguration of a monument crashed, killing 17 people. He was charged with negligence leading to their deaths, but was ultimately acquitted.

Gallin returned to athletics in 1955 and set a national record of 44.90 in April, taking gold later that year at the national championships. The following year, he increased the record to 47.13 and defended his national discus title, in addition to taking bronze in the hammer throw. Despite this, the Israeli Olympic Committee elected not to send him to the 1956 Melbourne Games, and in October Gallin again increased the national record to 48.02. He retired after this to study medicine and anatomy and eventually earned a doctorate from UC Berkeley, where he became a professor of anatomy.

Personal Best: DT – 48.02 (1956).