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Bob Mathias

Track and Field Disciplines

Bob Mathias was an American decathlete who won Olympic gold in the decathlon at both the 1948 London and 1952 Helsinki Olympics, becoming the youngest male track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal when he triumphed at age seventeen. He later served as a United States congressman from California.

Facts
Birth Year
1930 1
Birth Date
1930-11-17 1
Death Year
2006 1
Death Date
2006-09-02 1
Nationality
American 1
Career Highlight
Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games. 1
Classification
Competition Category
Individual 1
Connections

Plays

Athletics, Sports
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Bob Mathias
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead sentence, birth-date parenthetical
    November 17, 1930
  • Lead sentence, death-date parenthetical
    September 2, 2006
  • Lead sentence, occupation clause
    was an American decathlete, politician, and actor
  • Lead paragraph, Olympic medal sentence
    Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games.
  • Wikipedia, article summary lead
    Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American decathlete, politician, and actor.
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Frequently Asked Questions

How old was Bob Mathias when he won his first Olympic gold medal?

Seventeen, at the 1948 London Olympics, the youngest male track and field gold medalist.

Mathias was seventeen years old when he won the decathlon at the 1948 London Olympics, making him the youngest male track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He went on to win the decathlon again at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and later served as a United States congressman from California.

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