Anne Marie Vrana O'Brien (August 22, 1911 – July 30, 2007) was an American sprinter. She represented the United States at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

and at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

in the 80-meter hurdles. In 1932 she equaled the 80-meter hurdles world record, but fell at the

Olympic Trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

and missed the Olympics.

Biography

Anne Vrana was born in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, to a Hungarian immigrant family. The family moved to California when she was young, and she took up running seriously as a student at Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where she was coached by 1924 Olympian Otto Anderson. She joined the Pasadena Athletic Club, which had a women's track and field team. At the 1927 AAU championships, her first significant meet, she placed second in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and ran on the winning 4 × 110 yard relay team; she false started in the 100 meters, which she had considered her best event. In her early years Vrana copied

Charley Paddock Charles William Paddock (August 11, 1900 – July 21, 1943) was an American athlete and two time Olympic champion. Biography Paddock was born in Gainesville, Texas to Charles H. and Lulu (Robinson) Paddock. His family moved to Pasadena, Cali ...

's jump finish in her races; she dropped the style later in her career. Vrana placed third in the

at the 1928 United States Olympic Trials, qualifying for the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Amsterdam. At the Olympics she placed third in her heat and was eliminated. Vrana married Howard O'Brien, a fellow Fremont High track athlete, in 1930; subsequently, she competed as Anne O'Brien. O'Brien took up the 80-meter hurdles before the next Olympics, prompted by losses to local rival

Evelyn Furtsch Evelyn Pearl Furtsch (later ''Ojeda'', April 17, 1914 – March 5, 2015) was an American sprint runner. Furtsch won the gold medal in the 4×100 m relay with teammates Mary Carew, Annette Rogers and Wilhelmina von Bremen at the 1932 Summer Olym ...

in flat races. In June 1932 she ran the hurdles in 11.8 at a regional tryout meet in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

; the time equaled

Marjorie Clark Marjorie Rees Clark (later ''Smith'', 6 November 1909 – 15 June 1993) was a South African former track and field athlete, who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and in the 1932 Summer Olympics. She was born in Bulwer, South Africa, Bulwe ...

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

from the previous year. O'Brien entered the 1932 Olympic Trials as the national leader in the 80-meter hurdles, ahead of the eventual Olympic top two

Babe Didrikson Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer O ...

and

Evelyne Hall Evelyne Ruth Hall (née ''Davidson'', later ''Adams'', later ''Butler''; September 10, 1909 – April 20, 1993) was an American hurdler. She won the AAU title outdoors (80 m) in 1930 and indoors (50 m) in 1931, 1933, 1935. At the 1932 Olymp ...

. In the Trials heats O'Brien fell at the fourth hurdle, failed to finish and was eliminated. Due to the cuts and abrasions she received in her fall she was given a

tetanus shot Tetanus vaccine, also known as tetanus toxoid (TT), is a toxoid vaccine used to prevent tetanus. During childhood, five doses are recommended, with a sixth given during adolescence. After three doses, almost everyone is initially immune, but a ...

, which made her ill; she was forced to withdraw from the semi-finals of her other event, the flat 100 meters. She was named to the American Olympic team as an alternate in the hurdles, but did not get the opportunity to compete. O'Brien gave birth to a daughter in 1934, but continued competing; she won the 80-meter hurdles at the 1936 Trials, qualifying for her second Olympic Games. At the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

she placed second in her heat and fourth in her semi-final; she narrowly missed qualifying for the final. O'Brien's athletic career tapered off after 1936, though she continued competing in minor meets into her forties. She died in

Tustin, California Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...

in July 2007, aged 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Anne 1911 births 2007 deaths Sportspeople from Schenectady, New York American female sprinters American female hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States American people of Hungarian descent 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women