Frank Wykoff

Frank Clifford Wykoff ( born October 29, 1909 in Des Moines, Iowa; † January 1, 1980 in Altadena, California ) was an American track and field athlete and Olympic champion. He is still the only athlete who won three Olympic gold in the relay race and each set a new world record.

Career

Wykoff had his international breakthrough in the sporting IX. Summer Olympic Games in 1928 in Amsterdam. He finished the 100 -meter run with a fourth place in the 4 x 100 -meter relay race he won, starting first runner, along with his teammates James Quinn, Charles Borah and Henry Russell, the team gold medal with a new world record time of 41.0 s, ahead of the teams from Germany and the UK.

After the Olympics, he went to the University of Southern California where he coached Dean Cromwell. 1928 and 1931, he won the AAU championships over 100 yards and the NCAA Championships in 1930 and 1931 over the same distance. In May 1930, he presented at 9.4 s over 100 yards set a new world record, which he confirmed a month later. In 1931 he set a new world record of 40.8 s over 4 times 100 meters with the team.

In the X. Olympic Summer Games 1932 in Los Angeles, he went in the 4 x 100 - meter relay as the last at the start and ended that with a total time of 40.0 s and a gold medal, along with Robert Kiesel, Emmett Toppino and Hector Dyer, ahead of the teams from Germany and Italy. Four years later, at the XI. 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin Wykoff could repeat his success of 1932. Along with Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe and Foy Draper he won the gold medal with a new world record of 39.8 seconds before the teams from Italy and Germany. After retiring from active competition Wykoff worked in the school board of Los Angeles.