Alvin Kraenzlein

Alvin Christian Kraenzlein, called Al, was an American track and field athlete who lived from December 12, 1876 to January 6, 1928 and is known as the father of the modern hurdling technique. At the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris he became the first sportsman in Olympic history to win four individual gold medals in a single discipline, and as of 2016 he remained the only track and field athlete to win four individual titles at one Olympics. He also developed the pioneering straight-leg hurdling technique, which helped him set two world hurdle records. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.