Although Tom Curtis never won any major championship and was not even awarded his letter at Harvard, he is assured of a place in sporting history as the winner of the first Olympic hurdles title. In Athens, he narrowly defeated the Englishman, Grantley Goulding, and although Goulding was a superior hurdler, Curtis’ speed on the flat took him to the tape a yard ahead of the only other finalist. Curtis also won a heat in the 100m at the Olympics, but did not contest the final. In World War I, Curtis commanded the Massachusetts ambulance corps and he later became an executive with the Lord Electric Company of Massachusetts.
Personal Bests: 100 – 12.2 (1896); 110H – 17.6 (1896).
United States