Harry Webb Williamson (11 July 1913 – 8 April 2000) was an American middle-distance runner. Originally viewed more as a miler, he made the Olympic final at 800 meters in 1936. He was a native of

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...

Career

Williamson, representing the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

, was the 1934 Southern Conference champion at both 880 yards and the mile. At 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 he placed fourth in the mile; as an upcoming talent, he was viewed as one of America's brightest hopes for 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 1935 he placed second in the NCAA championship mile, losing by inches to

Emporia State Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

Archie San Romani Archie Joseph San Romani (17 September 1912 – 7 November 1994) was an American middle-distance runner. San Romani placed 4th in the 1500 meters at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and set a world record at 2000 meters the following year. Ear ...

as both were timed in 4:19.1. At the 1936 Olympic Trials, however, Williamson opted for the 800 meters. He was up against

world record holder In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

and world leader

Ben Eastman Benjamin Bangs Eastman (July 19, 1911 – October 6, 2002), alias "Blazin' Ben", was an American middle distance runner. He was born in Burlingame, California, and graduated from Stanford University in 1933. He competed for the United ...

, NCAA and

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

champion

Charles Beetham Charles Beetham (April 30, 1914 – January 28, 1997) was an American middle-distance runner. He was United States champion in the 800-meter run in 1936, 1939, 1940 and 1941 and NCAA champion in 1936; he entered the 1936 United States Olympic Tri ...

, returning Olympian

Chuck Hornbostel Charles Christian Hornbostel (September 26, 1911 – January 13, 1989) was an American middle-distance runner. He made two Olympic finals at 800 meters and once tied the world record at 880 yards. Career As a sophomore at Indiana University, Ho ...

and the eventual Olympic champion, John Woodruff. Woodruff ran a very fast 1:49.9 in the semi-finals and was followed home by Abraham Rosenkrantz and Eastman; Williamson qualified as third from the other, slower semi-final, won by Ross Bush. In the final, Williamson and Bush led the way for the first lap. Early in the second lap, Beetham collided with Marmaduke Hobbs, losing his chances; at almost exactly the same time, Rosenkrantz moved to the front. He was then passed by Woodruff and Hornbostel. Williamson closed with a fast sprint; while he failed to catch Woodruff or Hornbostel, he overtook Rosenkrantz at the very end, clinching the third and final Olympic spot in a time of 1:51.4. At the Olympics in Berlin Williamson won his heat. He also won in his semi-final, making his move in the backstretch to pass

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

bronze medalist Phil Edwards of Canada. In the final he finished sixth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Harry 1913 births 2000 deaths Sportspeople from High Point, North Carolina American male middle-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics North Carolina Tar Heels men's track and field athletes