Charles Bacon

Charles Joseph Bacon, Jr. ( born January 9, 1885 in Brooklyn, New York, † November 15, 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) was an American track and field athlete and Olympic champion. At a height of 1.83 m his competition weight was 77 kg.

At the Olympic Games in 1904 in St. Louis, Charles Bacon ninth in the 1500 meter race. At the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens Bacon was fifth in the 400 -meter run and sixth in the 800 -meter run.

The highlight of his career experienced Bacon at the Olympic Games 1908 in London. Shortly before the games Bacon was run with 55.8 seconds unofficial world record in the 400 - meter hurdles. In London he won the final in 55.0 seconds ahead of his compatriot Harry Hillman in 55.3 seconds. Here Bacon left even briefly its course and jumped on the wrong hurdle. But he was not disqualified because the jury found that he had procured by his detour no advantage.

Harry Hillman had won the Olympic finals in 1904 in 53.0 seconds. However, in St. Louis the hurdles only 76 cm instead of 91 cm had been high. Thus Bacon's power was now considered a world record. As the International Amateur Athletics Federation ( IAAF) in 1912 for the first time recognized official world records, including the time of Charles Bacon was recognized by 1908. The time was for that reason alone not undercut at the Olympic Games in 1912, because the competition was not held in 1912. And so it lasted until 1920, to Frank Loomis improved the world record of Charles Bacon.