Jack Keller (athlete)

Jack Keller (actually: John Alton Claude Keller, born October 23, 1911 † June 3, 1978 in Columbus, Ohio) was an American hurdler.

The dominant U.S. athlete in the 110 meter hurdles had been in Los Angeles Percy Beard before the Olympic Games in 1932. He not only had the world record on the distance metric of 14.4 equalized, but also scaled back on the track of 120 yards hurdles in 14.2.

The U.S. Trials for the games were held at Stanford. Here Keller presented a metric world record with 14.4 and won the Trials before George Saling and Beard. In the semifinals of the games then put a spreader also the world record. In the final, now standing against these three American world record holder, two British and the German Willi Vlašský. Beard took the lead, but had at the sixth hurdle problems, and so Saling won in 14.6 before Beard at 14.7. Behind three runners and 14.8 in the rating: The Briton Don Finlay at No. 3, basement at # 4 and the Langhürdler Lord Burghley 5th place Vlašský was disqualified.

While Beard was still running some world records and Saling was killed, basement in 1933 had a year in which he ran for 120 yards and 220 yards hurdles world records that were not recognized. Then, his name no longer appears on the leaderboards.