Horace Ashenfelter
Horace Ashenfelter| Personal information |
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| Full name |
Horace Ashenfelter, III |
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| Born |
January 23, 1923 (1923-01-23) (age 93)
Collegeville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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Horace Ashenfelter, III (born January 23, 1923)[1] is a retired American athlete. He competed in international athletics from 1947 to 1956 after service in World War II and the completion of his degree at Penn State, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. Ashenfelter was born in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. During his career he won fifteen national AAU titles and three collegiate national titles.
Although he was considered a long shot, Ashenfelter was the surprise winner of the steeplechase at the 1952 Summer Olympics at Helsinki. He finished ahead of Vladimir Kazantsev of the USSR and John Disley of Great Britain, and broke Kazantsev's unofficial world record (the IAAF did not accept official records in the steeplechase until 1954) in the process. Since Ashenfelter worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it led to humorous comments about him being the first American spy who allowed himself to be chased by a Russian. In addition, Ashenfelter won the Sullivan Award as outstanding amateur athlete for the year 1952.
Ashenfelter won the Millrose Games two-mile run from 1952 to 1955 and again in 1957. His best winning time was in 1954 at 8:53.3. He was inducted into the Millrose Games Hall of Fame in 2001 as a five-time champion.
Personal
As of 2015, Ashenfelter lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where the Ashenfelter 8k Classic is held annually in his honor.[2] He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 1998. The indoor track facility at his alma mater, Penn State, is named in his honor.[3]
References
- Wallechinsky, David and Jamie Loucky (2008). "Track & Field (Men): 3000-Meter Steeplechase". In The Complete Book of the Olympics - 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 169–70.
External links
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| 1876-1878
New York Athletic Club | |
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| 1879-1888
NAAAA |
- 1880: James Gifford
- 1881: W.C. Davies
- 1882-83: Tom Delaney
- 1884: Geo. Stonebridge
- 1885: Peter Skillman
- 1886-87: Edward Carter
- 1888Note 1: Thomas Conneff
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| 1888-1979
Amateur Athletic Union | |
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| 1980-1992
The Athletics Congress | |
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| 1993-onwards
USA Track & Field | |
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| | Notes |
- Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
- OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996 & 2000 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
- Distance: Until 1924 the event was 5 miles; from 1925-27 and from 1929-31 it was over 6 miles.
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| 1889–1979
Amateur Athletic Union | |
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| 1980–1992
The Athletics Congress | |
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| 1993–present
USA Track & Field | |
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| | Notes |
- 2 mile steeplechase in 1889–1919, 1921–27, 1929–31, 1953–55 and 1957; 3000 m steeplechase otherwise.
- The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
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