Henry Corris "Corrie" Gardner (12 March 1879 – 6 August 1960) was an Australian track and field athlete who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics, and played Australian rules football for Essendon Football Club and Melbourne Football Club. Gardner was a member of the Melburnian Hare & Hounds Athletics Club and when aged 25 years old he travelled to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, to compete at the 1904 Summer Olympics, on arrival he was surprised no accommodation had been arranged and was sent to a park to the tent community. In the competition he first entered 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 ...

, with no qualification round it was straight in to the final, there are no official records of the distance he jumped but it is known he finished outside the first six out of nine athletes. A couple of days later he was on the track competing in the

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hu ...

, although his time isn't known he did finish last in his heat so didn't qualify for the final later that day. Gardner was the Australian national champion in the 1899–1900 season for the 120 yard hurdles, and also

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...

champion in the same event in 1903. He also played Australian rules football, where he used his pace and running skills on the wing for the Essendon Football Club in 1898 and the Melbourne Football Club between 1900 and 1905. He was a member of Melbourne's first premiership side in 1900. His brother

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

also played for Melbourne, but missed playing in the premiership side due to injury.

References

External links

List of Australian athletes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Corrie 1879 births 1960 deaths Australian male long jumpers Australian male hurdlers Olympic athletes for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Essendon Football Club players Melbourne Football Club players People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players Athletes from Melbourne Sportsmen from Victoria (state)