Fred Hansen
Frederick "Fred" Hansen ( born December 29, 1940 in Cuero, Texas) is an American track and field athlete of Danish descent who was successful as a pole vaulter in the first half of the 1960s. He jumped a world record and won Olympic Gold.
Career
In 1963 he attained his personal best of 4.90 m and was thus clearly behind his two compatriots John Pennel and Brian Sternberg. However, at the beginning of the Olympic year 1964, he experienced an increase in performance. After he had set with a jump over 5.20 meters, held by John Pennel World Record, he could beat this record in the next few weeks two more times. The staged in Los Angeles in July 1964 US-Soviet country comparison he finished as world record holder with 5.28 meters and won on 12 September, the Olympia excretion. However, the gold medal in Tokyo, he won only after a nine-hour battle which dramatically worsened in the evening hours of October 17, when the German Wolfgang Reinhardt mastered the only Springer 5.05 m, Hansen left out this height and then about 5.10 m had two failed attempts before it finally has succeeded on the third attempt to win the Olympic gold medal in the pole vault for the 16th time since 1896 in the USA - a series that was broken only in 1972 by the GDR athletes Wolfgang Nordwig.
After the Olympic victory Fred Hansen ended his athletic career to devote himself to his studies in dentistry. He now lives in Houston, Texas.
World Records
- 5.20 m on June 5, 1964 in Houston (setting the world record of John Pennel )
- 5.23 m on June 13, 1964 in San Diego
- 5.28 m on July 25, 1964 in Los Angeles (1966 Bob Seagren at 5.32 m improved)