Robert Grandison Leavitt (September 20, 1883 – February 2, 1954) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, winner of

110 m hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...

at 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 ...

. Robert Leavitt was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

and

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, and graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

in 1907.General Catalogue of Officers and Students, 1783–1903, The Phillips Exeter Academy, The News-Letter Press, Exeter, N.H., 1903
/ref> He never won any major tournament except the Olympic Games. At

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, American

Hugo Friend Hugo Morris Friend (July 21, 1882April 29, 1966) was an American jurist who, in his youth, competed as an athlete in the long jump and hurdles. He is best remembered as the judge who presided over the criminal trial of the Chicago Black ...

was favored to win the gold medal in high hurdles. But Friend stumbled against the first hurdle and was out. Leavitt and

Alfred Healey Alfred Hearn Healey (13 July 1875 – 9 September 1960) was a Great Britain, British Sport of athletics, athlete in the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 Summer Olympics. He competed for Great Britain in the 1906 Intercalated Games held in ...

from

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 ...

leaped over the hurdles in one rhythm and finished in the same time. After protracted discussion, Olympic officials decided that Leavitt had won by one foot.

References

External links

* * 1883 births 1954 deaths American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Mercersburg Academy alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Williams College alumni Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub