Cy C. Young Jr. (July 23, 1928 – December 6, 2017) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...

. He is the only American male to earn Olympic gold in the event.

Early life

Young was born and raised in

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He suffered from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

as a boy.

College and athletics

Young dabbled in the javelin at

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

, where he attended for two years. He started throwing seriously after entering

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

in 1948; in 1950 he placed second behind Bud Held at the

NCAA championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. Young graduated from UCLA in 1951. In 1952 he set a new US record of in the javelin. Young competed at age 24 in the javelin throw for the US at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, where he won the gold medal on his birthday. Young continued to throw during his mid-20s, and four years later prepared to defend his Olympic title. In April 1956, Young had the best throw of his career with . Later in the season, he won his only AAU championship. Because the Olympics were being in held in the Southern hemisphere – where the seasons are "reversed" in comparison to America and Europe – the Summer Games were delayed until late November, which was months after the track & field outdoor season typically ended. A few months before the Melbourne Games, Poland's Janusz Sidło – the 1954 European Champion – pushed the javelin world record out to . Nonetheless, Young headed to Melbourne, Australia as one of the favorites. Three days before the competition he twisted an ankle which caused him pain as he "planted" his leg to release his throw. There were 21 throwers from 12 nations entered in the morning qualifying round on Monday November 26. The qualifying distance was set at 66 meters- anyone who threw or better automatically advanced to the Finals. Young advance to the finals, but was only able to throw 68.64m, well below his normal, good for 11th place.

Honors and awards

Young was "named Southern California's Athlete of the Year for 1952, a competition that included the region's professional athletes as well, and missed winning the Sullivan Award by a single vote." Young was inducted into the

UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPS ...

in 1998. He was also inducted into the Modesto Junior College Hall of Fame.

Personal life and demise

Young was a fourth generation farmer who grew walnuts and almonds. He and his wife, Elizabeth, resided in Modesto. A daughter, Jenifer, managed his business matters. Young died on December 6, 2017 at age 89 due to complications from

vascular dementia Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of minor strokes, leading to worsening cognitive abilities, the decline occurring piecemeal. The term refers to a syndrome consisti ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Cy 1928 births 2017 deaths Sportspeople from Modesto, California American male javelin throwers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from vascular dementia Track and field athletes from California