Charles Jenkins Sr.

American athlete

Charles Jenkins Sr.
Jenkins in 1957
Personal information
Full nameCharles Lamont Jenkins
BornJanuary 7, 1934 (1934-01-07) (age 90)
New York City, U.S.[1]
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst[2]
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)200 m, 400 m
ClubVillanova Wildcats
Coached byJumbo Elliott
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)200 m – 21.3 (1955)
400 m – 45.8 (1958)[1]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne 400 m
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne 4×400 m relay

Charles Lamont "Charlie" Jenkins (born January 7, 1934) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[2]

Coached by Jumbo Elliott, Jenkins won in the 1955 National AAU title in 440 yd (402 m) but at the 1956 Olympics all eyes were on Jenkins' U.S. teammate, Lou Jones, who held the world record. Jones had won the U.S. Trials while Jenkins had placed a distant third. At Melbourne, Jenkins barely made it to the 400 m Olympic final, finishing third in both his first and second-round heats. In the final, however, a strong finish earned him the gold medal. A few days later he won a second gold medal when the U.S. took the 4 x 400 m relay.

Jenkins also competed indoors, winning the AAU 600 yd (549 m) title in 1955, 1957 and 1958. In 1956, he set a world indoor best for 500 yd (457 m). When Elliott died in 1981, Jenkins succeeded him as Villanova coach. One of his charges was his son, Chip, who placed third at the 1986 NCAA indoor championships. Like his father, Chip also became an Olympic gold medalist, running as a reserve on the U.S. 4×400 m relay team at the 1992 Summer Olympics[1] making it the first time in history that a father and a son won gold medals in the same event.

In December 1956 Jenkins married Phyllis Randolph. In the 1970s he worked for the U.S. Office of Education.

References

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Charlie Jenkins". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Charlie Jenkins". USATF. Retrieved January 21, 2010.

External links

Media related to Charles Jenkins Sr at Wikimedia Commons

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Medley
4 × 400 m
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1876-1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980-1992
The Athletics Congress
1992 onwards
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
  • OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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US National Championship winners in men's indoor 600-yard dash
1906–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1981–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
*Distances have varied as follows: 600 yards (1906–1986), 500 meters (1987–1993) except 600 meters (odd numbered years since 2015)
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Men's track
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  • Boo Morcom (women's field event coach)