Albert Corey
Albert Corey (actually: Albert Louis Coray; * 1881 in Paris, France, † unknown) was a native of France long-distance runner, who won two Olympic medals in 1904. He changed his name to Corey after he had emigrated to the United States.
Coray was the beginning of the 20th century's most famous long-distance runners, yet very little of his life has been handed down to the present time. An example of this is the view taken by some sports historians believe Coray would have participated in the marathon already at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in 1900. A proof for this assertion, however, does not exist. For the first time appeared the name of Coray 1902 in the lists of the long distance run 41.2 km from Achères to Paris, to which also Michel Théato, the Olympic champion in 1900 in Paris, participated. Coray finished in seventh place with 3:12:55 hours and was thus almost 6 minutes and two places ahead of Théato.
Coray disposal is also experienced in races, known in modern times as an ultra marathons. Newspapers from that time report on Coray as the winner of several 24 -hour races in France. These and other ultra long runs were very popular at that time. So also run over 155 km from Saint-Malo/Paramé to Rennes, the Coray 1902 won in 16 hours 32 minutes.
1903 Coray traveled to the United States, where he settled in Chicago. At that time, the strike of the butchers and butchers took place there and in other major cities of the country. It was customary to give a job as strikebreakers new immigrants. Also Coray so got a job as a professional strikebreakers. He changed his name to Corey which came close to the American Convention on his birth name.
His runs abilities enabled him to membership in the Chicago Athletic Association. This sent him to the Summer Olympics in 1904 in St. Louis. Corey's first competition was the marathon, which was marked by extraordinarily difficult circumstances. But the unqualified and sometimes even illegal assistance that was given to some runners, the course influenced significantly. Corey was one of the few runners who were not supported. He relied on his skills and experience, which eventually earned him second place.
Four days after the marathon took Corey as a member of the team of the Chicago Athletic Association part of the team running over four miles. In addition to the runners from Chicago to only runner from New York City who started Club for the local New York Athletic involved. Along with James Lightbody, Frank Verner, Lacey Hearn and Sidney Hatch took Albert Corey and his team to second place. It was held a run in which all ten runners participated ( five for each team ). The team classification was made according to place numbers (1st place = 1 point; 2nd place = 2 points, etc.). For Corey, the track was too short to exploit its strengths. He therefore launched only in order to complete the team, and he finished it in ninth place ahead of his teammate Hatch.
The special feature of the participation of Albert Corey at the Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis is its French origin. Few athletes were at the time sent as official representatives of their country. Almost all athletes started for their clubs, which saw the Olympics as prestigious competition among clubs. Corey was therefore a representative of the Chicago Athletic Association, and as such he was in the statistics than Americans. Corey had at that time not yet an American citizen and was the nationality a Frenchman. In many newspaper articles of the time there was talk of Corey as " Frenchman ".
For the aligned at the present time on the nationality statistics, such as medals and ratings Nations, French nationality Corey is not without influence during the Olympic Summer Games 1904. His participation justifies the finding that in addition to Switzerland, UK and Italy, France is one of the few countries that have participated in all of the Olympic Summer and Winter Games athletes that nationality. The International Olympic Committee (IOC ) has this knowledge, however, been insufficiently addressed in their published list of winners and in the medals table. While Corey is still out on his Marathon participation, as an American, the team's medal is counted as Mixed team.
Placements at the Olympic Games:
- III. Summer Olympic Games in 1904, St. Louis Marathon - silver with 3:34:52 h (Gold to Thomas Hicks from the USA with 3:28:53 hours; bronze to Arthur Newton from the USA with 3:47:33 h)
- Four miles team - silver with the team Chicago Athletic Association (Gold at New York Athletic Club, United States)
The success of Albert Corey in the marathon attracted in Chicago and around strong sensation. The Illinois Athletic Club organized in 1905 its own marathon race over 25 miles, which should be held annually and was intended as a competitor to the Boston Marathon. Albert Corey, who had been provided as a star of the event, participated in 1905-1908 in this event, however, was victorious only in 1908 and finished 1907 ranked second.
Corey but not limited to the time of his usual 25 miles of a marathon run, he also undertook ultra long distance runs. In 1905 he tried his hand at the record of Dan O'Leary over a distance of 90 miles between Milwaukee and Chicago, missed with his time of 23 hours 10 minutes but the record by more than 5 hours. However, in 1907 he completed between the two cities, a distance of 91.6 miles in 18 hours 37 minutes, a time that could be undercut in 1916 by Sidney Hatch, his team-mates in the Olympic team's run of 1904.
Corey's intention to participate in the Olympic Games in London in 1908, required a previous qualification. 1908 began in the U.S. with regular knockouts for participation in the Olympic Games. For these known as U.S. Trials in the current time matches had been provided in the marathon two events with distances over 25 miles, the Boston Marathon and the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis Marathon. Albert Corey participated in the latter and, despite a personal best of 2:38:47 h on this route length in fourth and missed so that his chance.
After this disappointment, Corey decided to go into the camp of professional runners. In January 1909, he played a match in the marathon against Dorando Pietri, the unhappy disqualified first day of the Olympic marathon in London in 1908. Pietri held in 1909 in the United States in order to rehabilitate a number of competitions revenge for his missed Olympic victory. The runs, as well as the opposite Corey, were held in a hall, where the length of the route exactly corresponded to the length of 42.195 km of the Olympic marathon in London. There were only duels of only two runners. Corey had no chance against Pietri and lost the competition with an almost incredible backlog of over eleven km. Despite this enormous backlog, however, he did not break from the race, but ran through the entire route.
The last customer of Corey is his participation in the six - day run at Madison Square Garden in New York City from 8 to March 14, 1909, a very acclaimed competition with strong international participation. It started with teams consisting of two runners and took turns at will. Corey's running partner was Peter Hegelman, an experienced runners over long distances. Together, they reached the sixth place with a mileage of 1045 km.
Then the trace of Corey, from the year of birth is itself not clear loses. The most common designation is indeed 1881, but in some publications, the year 1878 is mentioned.