Jim Ryun

Jim Ryun (actually James Ronald Ryun born April 29, 1947 in Wichita, Kansas ) is an American politician and former athlete. He is a member of the Republican Party and was from 1996 to 2007 Member of the House of Representatives of the United States. As a middle-distance runner he was in the 1960s and early 1970s, a world leader.

As a student of Wichita East High School Ryun was 1965 mile run (1609 m) under four minutes. He held the high school record for over 35 years. Until now come five of the six best high school results over a mile from Ryun. In 1964 Ryun at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and reached in the 1500 meter race the semi-finals. Two years later he held the world record for the mile and 1500 m; both were broken up by the Tanzanian Filbert Bayi until the mid- 1970s. For his achievements he was elected in 1966 by the magazine Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City Ryun won behind the Kenyan Kipchoge Keino silver medal in the 1500 m. At the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, he was jostled in the flow above 1500 m, rushed and so missed the next round.

After studying at the University of Kansas Ryun was a businessman and later joined politics. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the United States to occupy the vacant seat of newly Sam Brownback in 1996. Ryun now represented from 27 November 1996 to 3 January 2007 the State of Kansas in Congress. In 2006, he took up the attempt to re-election against Democrat Nancy Boyda, whom he had defeated in the previous election with a clear vote share of 56 percent. This time, however Boyda won with 51 percent of the vote and thus broke Ryun from as representative of the second electoral district of Kansas.

Personal Best

• 800 m: 1:44,3 min, June 10, 1966 Terre Haute
• 1500 m: 3:33,1 min, July 8, 1967, Los Angeles
• 1 miles: 3:51,1 min, June 23, 1967 Bakersfield Hall: 3:56,4 min, February 19, 1971, San Diego