Glenn Foster "Slats" Hardin (July 1, 1910 – March 6, 1975) was an American

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, winner of 400 m hurdles 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 ...

. Born in Derma, Mississippi, Glenn Hardin was the world's dominant 400 m hurdler in the 1930s and was equally tough in the 400 m flat race. Hardin's rise began 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 ...

, where he finished second in the 400 m hurdles in 52.0 but was given credit for a

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 ...

when the winner,

Bob Tisdall Robert Morton Newburgh Tisdall (16 May 1907 in Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon ''now'' Sri Lanka – 27 July 2004 in Nambour, Queensland, Australia) was an Irish athlete who won a gold medal in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1932 Summer Olympics in L ...

from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, knocked down a hurdle, an error that in those days disqualified a performance for world record consideration. Hardin lowered the record to 51.8 in the 1934 AAU championships and then bettered it to 50.6 during a meet in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

later that year. That record would stand for the next nineteen years. Hardin was unbeatable between the 1932 and 1936 Olympics, winning the AAU title in 1933, 1934 and 1936 in 400 m hurdles and

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 title in 1933 and 1934 in hurdles. Hardin finished his career at the

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 ...

Olympics, beating

John Loaring John Wilfred Loaring (August 3, 1915 – November 21, 1969) was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and died in Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

by 0.3 seconds. Hardin was a member of the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

outdoor track and field team that won the school's first ever NCAA Championship in 1933. He won two NCAA individual titles during the meet.L.S.U. Tigers Win National Track Meet, 58-54
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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardin, Glenn 1910 births 1975 deaths American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics LSU Tigers track and field athletes Louisiana State University alumni World record setters in athletics (track and field) People from Calhoun County, Mississippi Track and field athletes from Mississippi Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field