Myer Prinstein
Meyer Prinstein (1904 )
Meyer ( also Myer ) Prinstein ( born December 22, 1878 in Szczuczyn, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland Mejer Prinsztejn, † March 10, 1925 in New York City ) was an American track and field athlete and multiple Olympic champion in the long jump and triple jump.
Career
Prinstein was born in his time claimed and occupied by Russia north-eastern part of Poland. His Jewish parents emigrated in 1883 with their nine children, of which Meyer was the third child born in the United States and settled in Syracuse in upstate New York. Prinstein attended Syracuse University, where he completed his legal studies and developed his athletic talent.
Already in 1898 jumped Prinstein 7,235 m, which at the time was the world's best performance of a long jumper. In April 1900, he even improved to 7.50 m, which made him the favorite of the Olympic Games in the same year.
At the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 Prinstein was after the long jump qualifying with 7.18 m first. However, the final battle took place on a Sunday. Although it would not have bothered, as Jews, to start on a Christian holiday, he had to forgo the final, because the Methodist University of Syracuse threatened him in the event of a start with the de-registration. His compatriot Alvin Kraenzlein would have as a Christian had more reason not to start, but came on in the final, surpassing the qualifying length of Prinstein by 1 cm, which is the gold medal meant. The Vorkampfweite enough for Prinstein but at least to second place. Yet he was so upset that he had to be prevented from miss Kraenzlein after the competition once. A day later Prinstein won the gold medal in the triple jump and beat the Olympic champion in 1896 while James Connolly. Furthermore Prinstein signed up in the state high jump, but did not occur on the competition.
At the Olympic Games in 1904 in St. Louis, he won the long jump and the triple jump competition for themselves. He is the only athlete of these two competitions won at the same Olympics. Furthermore, he proved his versatility with a fifth place in the 60 - meter dash and the 400 -meter run. He also took part in the 100 -meter run and was there in his fourth lead.
At the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens he won again the long jump. In the triple jump, he reached only the tenth place. He also took part in the 100 -meter run, but no longer went to the semi-finals.
Prinstein the first Jewish medal winner was in athletics. In 1982, he was posthumously inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ) and 2000 in the Hall of Fame of the USA Track & Field ( National Track & Field Hall of Fame ) was added. After his athlete career Meyer Prinstein became a lawyer. He died early from a heart condition.
(Note: The mentioned here of birth and year of death is generally accepted as in some publications is given yet as the birth year as 1880 and death 1928.. )