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Norman Gilbert Pritchard (23 June 1875 – 30 October 1929), also known by his stage name Norman Trevor, was a British-Indian
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-develo ...
and
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in athletics at the 1900 Paris Olympics representing
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He won India's first medal at the Olympics in the
200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
and the 200 metres hurdles.


Biography

Norman Pritchard was born in
Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerc ...
to George Petersen Pritchard and Helen Maynard Pritchard. Norman Pritchard was the first Indian athlete to participate in the Olympic Games and was also the first to win an Olympic medal and also represent an Asian nation. He won two silver medals at the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, coming second in the 200 metres behind
Walter Tewksbury Walter Beardsley Tewksbury (March 21, 1876 – April 24, 1968) was an American track and field athlete. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, he won five medals, including two golds. Biography Born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, Tewksbury studied for a dental ...
of the United States and second in the 200 metres hurdles behind the legendary
Alvin Kraenzlein Alvin Christian "Al" Kraenzlein (December 12, 1876 – January 6, 1928) was an American track-and-field athlete known as "the father of the modern hurdling technique". He was the first sportsman in the history of the Olympic games to win four ...
, also of the United States. He reached the final of the 110 metres hurdles, but did not finish, and also participated in the 60 metres and 100 metres sprints, in which he failed to qualify for the finals. In 2005 the
IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...
published the official track and field statistics for the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. In the historical records section Pritchard was listed as having competed for
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
in 1900. Research by Olympic historians has shown that Pritchard was indeed chosen to represent Great Britain after competing in the British AAA championship in June 1900. However, the
IOC 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 ...
still regard Pritchard as having competed for India, and his two medals are credited to India. Pritchard won the
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predo ...
province 100 yards sprint title for seven consecutive years, from 1894 to 1900 and set a meet record in 1898–99. He also won the 440 yards (¼ mile) run and the 120 yards hurdles. He studied at
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education college under Calcutta University run by the Calcutta Province of the Society of Jesus in Kolkata, India. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1860 and named after St. Fran ...
, and is credited with the first hat-trick in an open football tournament in India, for Saint Xavier's against Sovabazar in July 1897. He served as Secretary of the
Indian Football Association The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Among the founders was form ...
from 1900 to 1902. He moved permanently to Britain in 1905. He then moved to the United States to pursue a career in acting and became the first Olympian to act in silent Hollywood movies under the screen name, Norman Trevor.


Death

He died in
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' ...
of a brain malady on 30 October 1929.


Selected filmography

* '' The Ivory Snuff Box'' (1915) * '' The Daughter Pays'' (1920) * ''
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
'' (1920) * ''
The Black Panther's Cub ''The Black Panther's Cub'' is a 1921 American silent melodrama film produced by William K. Ziegfeld, Florenz Ziegfeld's younger brother. It stars stage actress Florence Reed in her last silent screen portrayal where she plays multiple roles. It ...
'' (1921) * ''
Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...
'' (1921) * ''
The Side Show of Life ''The Side Show of Life'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by Herbert Brenon and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on the 1920 novel ''The Mountebank'' by William J. Locke, whic ...
'' (1924) * ''
Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
'' (1924) * '' Wages of Virtue'' (1924) * ''
The Man Who Found Himself ''The Man Who Found Himself'', also known as ''Wings of Mercy'', is a 1937 American aviation film based on the unpublished story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice F. Curtis. The film marked the first starring role for 19-year-old Joan Fontaine, who was b ...
'' (1925) * '' Dancing Mothers'' (1926) * '' The Ace of Cads'' (1926) * ''
The Song and Dance Man ''The Song and Dance Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by George M. Cohan and was directed by Herbert Brenon. A copy of the film is ...
'' (1926) * ''
Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a re ...
'' (1926) * '' The Warning'' (1927) * ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
'' (1927) * ''
Afraid to Love ''Afraid to Love'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith and written by Doris Anderson, Francis de Croisset, Fred de Gresac, Alfred Hustwick and Joseph Jackson. The film stars Florence Vidor, Clive Brook, Norma ...
'' (1927) * ''
The Wizard Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book supe ...
'' (1927) * '' The Music Master'' (1927) * '' Children of Divorce'' (1927) * '' Sorrell and Son'' (1927) * '' The Siren'' (1927) * '' Mad Hour'' (1928) * '' Restless Youth'' (1928) * '' The Love Trap'' (1929)


See also

* India at the Summer Olympics


References


External links

* * * * With
Florence Reed Florence Reed (January 10, 1883 – November 21, 1967) was an American stage and film actress. She is remembered for several outstanding stage productions, including ''The Shanghai Gesture'', ''The Lullaby'', ''The Yellow Ticket'' and ''The ...
and
Earle Foxe Earle Foxe (born Earl Aldrich Fox; December 25, 1891 – December 10, 1973) was an American actor. Early years Foxe was born in Oxford, Ohio, to Charles Aldrich Fox, originally of Flint, Michigan, and Eva May Herron. He was educated at Ohio Sta ...
in
The Black Panther's Cub
' (1921)
Norman Trevor, 1927 portrait
(archived)
The search for India's first Olympic medallist
Sports journalist Gulu Ezekiel's article on BBC News website. 1875 births 1929 deaths People of British India Athletes from Kolkata English male sprinters Indian male sprinters English male hurdlers Indian male hurdlers Olympic athletes of India Olympic silver medalists for India Athletes (track and field) at the 1900 Summer Olympics English male stage actors English male film actors English male silent film actors 20th-century English male actors University of Calcutta alumni Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) {{Olympic medalists for India