Bill Sefton

William " Bill" Sefton ( born January 21, 1915 in Los Angeles, † May 2, 1982 in Richardson, Texas) was an American athlete who was successful before the Second World War in the pole vault. He jumped several times world record and took part in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

World Records

Between 1932 and 1934 Sefton improved three world records in the juniors:

• 4.12 m (13 ' ½ " ) on April 30, 1932 in Los Angeles
• 4.26m (14 ' 10 ") on 10 and 17 March 1934 in Los Angeles
• 4.27m ( 14 '0 ½ " ) on April 28, 1934 in Santa Barbara

Bill Sefton won three times (1935-1937), the NCAA Championship, where he two titles (1935 and 1936 ) and the AAU title in 1935, had to share with his teammates Earle Meadows himself.

His two world records he achieved together with Meadows:

• 4.48 m (14 ' 8 ½ " ) on May 8, 1937 in Stanford
• 4.54 m (14 ' 11 ") on May 29, 1937 in Los Angeles

For this reason, Bill Sefton and Earle Meadows, the " heavenly twins " ( " The Heavenly Twins" ) were called. At the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 Sefton went with skipped 4.25 m but empty, while Meadows won gold.