Hahn, Archie

▪ American athlete

byname of  Charles Archibald Hahn  

born September 13, 1880, Dodgeville, Wisconsin, U.S.

died January 21, 1955, Charlottesville, Virginia

      American runner who won gold medals in three sprint events at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri.

      Hahn studied law at the University of Michigan, where he excelled in track competition, winning the 1903 Amateur Athletic Union title. At the 1904 Olympics, Hahn won gold medals in the 60-metre dash (which was discontinued after 1904) as well as the 100-metre and 200-metre events. His Olympic record of 21.6 seconds in the 200 metres stood for 28 years. He also won the 100-metre dash at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens.

      Hahn was renowned for his quick starts. After the 1906 Games, he turned professional and continued racing until age 38. He later coached track and football at the University of Virginia and edited How to Sprint, a classic sprinting textbook that was published in 1923. Posthumously, he was elected to the (U.S.) National Track & Field Hall of Fame when it was established in 1983.

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