Bruno Brodd

Born in Finland, Bruno Brodd competed for the Irish-American Athletic Club. He first attracted attention winning the javelin throw at the 1910 AAU Championships, setting a new American record of 49.71 m. With his victory he also helped his club to win the championship that year. In the same year, Brodd won the AAU Metropolitan championships in the junior and senior divisions. His only documented victory in 1911 was at the senior AAU Metropolitan Championships. In the Olympic year 1912, Brodd did not compete in the javelin throw at the US trials but just in the pentathlon. Nevertheless, he was one of the eight athletes from the US that were entered in the javelin; but eventually none of them took part. A possible complication to his career in athletics was that Brodd was not a US national in 1912 and would not successfully apply for citizenship until 1943.

Two competitions brought Brodd some fame because he competed twice against the famous Jim Thorpe in 1912. One occasion was at the trials in pentathlon of the Eastern division, where Thorpe won three of five events but was defeated by Brodd in the javelin throw. The second came at the AAU All-Around Championship, held after the Stockholm Olympics. Of course, Thorpe claimed the title with Brodd coming third. In that same year, Brodd also set a national record in the javelin with both hands.

In 1913, Brodd regained the national record with a throw of 51.77 m, which was broken in 1914 by Harry Liversedge. He also won his second national title in the javelin throw and – like after his first title in 1910 – he was selected for the All-America Athletic Team. His last medal at the national championships was a silver in 1914 behind non-Olympian George Bronder.

Brodd was married to Hulda Kristina Kautto, also born in Finland. They had one daughter. His wife died at age 106 in 1995.