The
2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are quickly approaching, and the racial
diversity of the Games has improved greatly over the years. Just over 90
years ago, DeHart Hubbard made a significant dent in history by becoming the first Black person to win individual Olympic gold at the Summer Games.
Born
William DeHart Hubbard on November 25, 1903, the Cincinnati, Ohio
native was a star track and field athlete and academic standout at
Walnut Hills High School. His athletic prowess gained the attention of
the University of Michigan and Hubbard entered the institution as one of
its few Black students.
Early
on, Hubbard didn't fare well athletically but made the best of his time
as a student, becoming a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. But in
his junior year, Hubbard began to blossom on the field and earned a
spot on the U.S. Track and Field squad for the 1924 Summer Olympics in
Paris.
After
struggling mightily in the long jump event at first, he pulled out the
gold in his final jump. Hubbard won with a jump of 24 feet, five and a
half inches. The following year, Hubbard set a world long jump record
and a world 100-yard dash record in Cincinnati.
Hubbard
graduated with honors from Michigan returned to Ohio for a quiet and
private life away from sports. Hubbard passed in Cleveland in 1976.
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