James Davies Lightbody (March 16, 1882 – March 2, 1953) was an American middle distance runner, winner of six Olympic medals (two of which are no longer recognized by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

following its downgrading of the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

) in the early 20th century. Lightbody, born in

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and graduating from high school in

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, had great success at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

, held in St. Louis. He wasn't favoured in any of the three individual events in which he competed, but nevertheless won all three of them. First, he won the 2590 metre

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, sprinting to the 800 metres title days later. Finally, he won the 1500 metres in a new

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 ...

. Later that day, he added a second place to his tally, when he competed with the

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Athletic Association in the 4 mile team event. In 1905, Lightbody won AAU titles in both the 800 and 1500 metres, and the following year he competed in his second Olympics, the 1906 Intercalated Games of in Athens. He successfully defended his 1500 metres title, and placed second in the 800 metres. Lightbody competed again in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

. In the 800 metres, he placed only fourth in his first round heat. Lightbody lost a close race to fellow American James Sullivan in the first round of the 1500 metres, eliminating him from further competition. He was defeated by a mere ten yards by

Harry Sewell Henry Sewell (October 8, 1882 – September 15, 1953) was a British athlete. He competed in the 3,200 metres steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. In the first round of the race, Sewell ran a tight race with James Lightbody of ...

in the first round of the 3200 metre steeplechase and did not qualify for the final. Lightbody died in 1953, two weeks short of his 71st birthday in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lightbody, James 1882 births 1953 deaths American male middle-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games