Thomas Pelham Curtis (January 9, 1873 – May 23, 1944) was an American athlete and the winner of the 110 metres

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

at the 1896 Summer Olympics. Curtis, a

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

student of electrical engineering, travelled to Athens as a member of the

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

. Curtis was also a student at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. At the first day of the first modern Olympic Games, Curtis advanced to the 100 metres final by winning his heat with a time of 12.2 seconds. He later withdrew from that race to prepare for the 110 metres hurdles final, which was his main event at the Olympics. That competition turned into a personal race between Curtis and Grantley Goulding 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 i ...

after Frantz Reichel and

William Welles Hoyt William Welles Hoyt (born May 7, 1875 in Glastonbury, Connecticut; died December 1, 1954 in Cambridge, New York) was an American track and field athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut ...

withdrew. At the start Curtis gained a small lead, but Goulding reached him at the first hurdle. At the last hurdle, Goulding was leading, but Curtis managed to throw himself to the line first. The officials stated that Curtis had won by 5 centimetres. Both athletes had a time of 17.6 seconds. As an eager amateur photographer, Curtis made many valuable pictures in Athens. He served as captain in the Massachusetts National Guard and was a military aide to

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Governor Calvin Coolidge in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He also participated in the development of the

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and published several humorous memories about the first modern Olympic Games. The most famous of them is ''High Hurdles and White Gloves'' (1932).

References

External links

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Some of Curtis' memories about the first modern Olympic Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Thomas 1873 births 1944 deaths American male hurdlers American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 1896 Summer Olympics Massachusetts National Guard personnel Columbia College (New York) alumni