George J. Saling (July 27, 1909 – April 15, 1933) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. Saling was born in

Memphis, Missouri Memphis is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, Missouri, Scotland County, on the northern border of Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 1,731. U.S. Route 136, U.S. Highway 13 ...

, but the family moved to

Corydon, Iowa Corydon is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,526 in the 2020 census, a decline from 1,591 in 2000. It is the county seat of Wayne County. The town was laid out and platted in 1851 and later that year designated a ...

when George was three months old. He graduated from Corydon High School in 1927 and was the captain of the basketball team. At the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, Saling established himself as a world class hurdler during his senior year, in 1932, winning the

NCAA 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 an ...

Championships in 110 m hurdles, equaling the

Percy Beard Percy Morris Beard (January 26, 1908 – March 27, 1990) was an American college and international track and field athlete who specialized in the high hurdles event, and won an Olympic silver medal. Beard later became a nationally prominent ...

's world record of 14.4. At the AAU Championships, Saling lost in 110 m hurdles final to Jack Keller by , but won the 200 m hurdles title, thus earning a place in the Olympic team. At the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Olympic Games 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 ...

, Saling beat his chief rival,

, in the semi-final by 0.2

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

s and then again in the final by 0.1 seconds. That would remain his last victory on the track, because George Saling was killed in a car accident in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

six months after the Olympic Games, aged only 23.

References

1909 births 1933 deaths People from Corydon, Iowa American male hurdlers Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes University of Iowa alumni Road incident deaths in Missouri Track and field athletes from Iowa Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field People from Memphis, Missouri {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub