Alvin Kraenzlein
| Alvin Kraenzlein | |
|---|---|
Alvin Kraenzlein, Ann Arbor, 1911
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| Born |
December 12, 1876 Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Died |
January 6, 1928 (aged 51) Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Athletics (sport) competitor |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing the  United States
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| Olympic Games | ||
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1900 Paris | 60 metres |
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1900 Paris | 110 metre hurdles |
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1900 Paris | 200 metres hurdles |
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1900 Paris | Long jump |
Alvin Christian "Al" Kraenzlein (December 12, 1876 – January 6, 1928), known as "the father of the modern hurdling technique", was an American track-and-field athlete, and the first sportsman in the history of Olympic games to win four individual gold medals in a single event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. Before, Carl Schuhmann, a German athlete, won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. As of 2016[update], Alvin Kraenzlein is the only track-and-field athlete who has won four individual titles at one Olympics. Kraenzlein is also known for developing a pioneering technique of straight-leg hurdling, which allowed him to set two world hurdle records. He is an Olympic Hall of Fame (1984) and USA Track & Field (1974) inductee.
Kraenzlein was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a son of Johann Georg Kränzlein, a brewer, and Maria Augusta Schmidt, both of a German origin. After his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he attended the Milwaukee’s East Side High School, where he became involved in sports. In 1895, during the Wisconsin Interscholastic Championships, he won first places in the 100-yard dash, 120-yard high hurdles, 220-yard low hurdles, high jump, and shot put.
He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he studied engineering. In 1896, he won the 220-yard low hurdles, the high jump and placed second in the 100-yard dash and shot put at the freshman-sophomore track-and-field meet. During the 1897 Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, Kraenzlein won the 220-yard low hurdles and the high jump. He led the Wisconsin team to the team title. He also won the 1897 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) title in the 220-yard low hurdles. In 1897 Alvin Kraenzlein set an indoor world record of 36.6 seconds in the 300-yard low hurdles.
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