Ronald John Freeman III (born June 12, 1947 in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

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-de ...

. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport ev ...

, Freeman won a gold medal in the 4×400 m

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

and a bronze medal in the 400 meters. Freeman ran the second leg on the American 4×400 m relay team, which won the gold medal with 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 ...

of 2.56.16. His relay leg time (43.2s) was the fastest 4x400 meter relay leg ever run and his time stood for more than 25 years. Raised in Elizabeth, Freeman attended Thomas Jefferson High School.

Awards

In August 2017, Freeman received the Athletes in Excellence Award from

The Foundation for Global Sports Development The Foundation for Global Sports Development is a 501(c) organization which creates and supports programs promoting sportsmanship, education, fair play and ethics for children around the world. Attorney David Ulich is president of the foundation ...

in recognition of his community service efforts and work with youth.

Notes

References

1947 births Living people American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey Thomas Jefferson High School (New Jersey) alumni Track and field athletes from New Jersey Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub