Ralph Mann
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Ralph Vernon•Mann |
| Used name | Ralph•Mann |
| Born | 16 June 1949 in Long Beach, California (USA) |
| Died | 2 January 2025 (aged 75 years 6 months 16 days) |
| Measurements | 193 cm / 86 kg |
| Affiliations | Southern California Striders, Anaheim (USA) |
| NOC |  United States |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 0 |
| Silver | 1 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 1 |
Biography
While at Brigham Young, Ralph Mann won both the NCAA and the AAU 440 y hurdles in 1969, 1970, and 1971. In 1971 he also won the Pan American Games and in 1972, after setting a U.S. record of 48.4 at the Final Trials, he was beaten by Uganda’s John Akii-Bua at the Olympics. Mann won his fourth AAU title in 1975 and won silver in the PanAm Games in that year. In winning the 1970 NCAA title, he set a world record of 48.8 for the 440 y hurdles and his best metric mark was 48.4 at the 1972 Final Trials.
Mann later earned a Ph.D. in biomechanics and was renowned for his work in sport biomechanics. He wrote a well-received book (with Amber Murphy) entitled The Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling.
Personal Bests: 440y – 46.6 (1970); 120yH – 13.9 (1968); 400H – 48.51 (1972).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 Summer Olympics | Athletics | USA |
Ralph Mann | |||
| 400 metres Hurdles, Men (Olympic) | 2 | Silver |
List mentions
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Pan American Games (1–1–0 1971 Cali ATH gold: 400 m hurdles; 1975 Ciudad de México ATH silver: 400 m hurdles)