Louis Woodard "Lou" Jones (January 15, 1932 – February 3, 2006) 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 ...

. He won a gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

. Born in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, Jones graduated from

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

in 1954. He won the 400 m at the 1955 Pan-American Games, where he set a new world record of 45.4. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning American 4 × 400 m relay team. Just four months before the Melbourne

Olympics 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 ...

, Jones broke his own 400 m world record, clocking 45.2 at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

in the US Olympic Trials, thus becoming a main favorite at this event in Melbourne. But in the Olympic 400 m final, Jones was off form, and managed to finish only in a disappointing fifth place, 1.50 seconds behind teammate Charles Jenkins. A few days later, Jones partly compensated for his disappointment, running the second leg in the gold medal-winning American 4 × 400 m relay team.

References

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Lou Jones 1932-2006 Teacher, coach, Olympic athlete
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Louis 1932 births 2006 deaths American male sprinters Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Track and field athletes from New York (state) Athletes (track and field) at the 1955 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field World record setters in athletics (track and field) Manhattan College alumni Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games New Rochelle High School alumni