Don Styron
Encyclopedia
Donald Augustus Styron is the world record holder in the 200 meter low hurdles
. He remains the current world record holder because the event has not been run frequently by elite athletes since the early 1960s.
Hurdler Don Styron was one of a pair of twins, his brother being David Styron (a sprinter), who followed their track coach, Lew Hartzog, from Wheat Ridge High School
in Colorado
to attend Northeast Louisiana State University
. Both brothers were inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
in 1977.
On April 2, 1960, in a dual meet against Louisiana State University
, the 20 year old hurdler ran a time of 21.9 for the straight 220 yard low hurdles—which is slightly longer (201.2 meters) than the metric distance recognized worldwide. That time has not been surpassed since. 1960 is the last year the IAAF recognized the world record in the 200 meter low hurdles. The 220 yard Low Hurdles is one of the four events Jesse Owens
set or tied World Records in during a 45 minute span on May 25, 1935—what many people have regarded as the greatest sports achievement. The previous mark of 22.5 was held by Karl Martin Lauer
, the German Olympic
hurdler, over the metric distance. As were all marks from that era, it was recorded by three hand stopwatches, as opposed to today's Fully Automatic Timing (FAT). The fastest FAT time recorded is now 22.30 (with a wind of -0.6 mps) set on May 16, 2010 by Andy Turner
set at the Manchester City Games in a specially arranged race, but using standard conversion, Styron's mark is still superior. Turner beat a time by Olympian Laurent Ottoz
of Italy
in 1995. Ottoz had bettered the automatic time of 22.63 by British
Olympic medalist and multi-time World Champion Colin Jackson
, who held the world record in the much more common 110 metre hurdles for almost 13 years.
The achievement merited Styron an appearance in the April 18, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated
as one of the "Faces in the Crowd." http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071144/index.htm That year he was also ranked in the top 5 hurdlers in both the 110 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles, one of the few individuals to achieve such ranking simultaneously. Styron finished 6th in the 400 meter hurdles at the 1960 Olympic Trialshttp://trackfield.brinkster.net/OlympicTrials.asp?TourCode=T&Year=1960&Gender=M&TF=T&P=F&By=Y&Count=. He remained a nationally ranked hurdler until 1962, tying the American record in the indoor 60 yard hurdles at 7.0.
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
. He remains the current world record holder because the event has not been run frequently by elite athletes since the early 1960s.
Hurdler Don Styron was one of a pair of twins, his brother being David Styron (a sprinter), who followed their track coach, Lew Hartzog, from Wheat Ridge High School
Wheat Ridge High School
Wheat Ridge High School is a public secondary school operated by the Jefferson County School District R-1 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, United States.-History:From the :...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
to attend Northeast Louisiana State University
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
. Both brothers were inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
-Inductees:Official Hall of Fame Portraits created by Chris Brown 2009–present-External links:* website...
in 1977.
On April 2, 1960, in a dual meet against Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, the 20 year old hurdler ran a time of 21.9 for the straight 220 yard low hurdles—which is slightly longer (201.2 meters) than the metric distance recognized worldwide. That time has not been surpassed since. 1960 is the last year the IAAF recognized the world record in the 200 meter low hurdles. The 220 yard Low Hurdles is one of the four events Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
set or tied World Records in during a 45 minute span on May 25, 1935—what many people have regarded as the greatest sports achievement. The previous mark of 22.5 was held by Karl Martin Lauer
Martin Lauer
Karl Martin Lauer is a former West German athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics.Born in Cologne, Lauer was a German champion in 110 m hurdles from 1956 to 1960 and in decathlon in 1956....
, the German Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
hurdler, over the metric distance. As were all marks from that era, it was recorded by three hand stopwatches, as opposed to today's Fully Automatic Timing (FAT). The fastest FAT time recorded is now 22.30 (with a wind of -0.6 mps) set on May 16, 2010 by Andy Turner
Andy Turner
Andrew Peter "Andy" Turner aka Andy Turnip is an Irish footballer who is currently a Player Coach with Chasetown who play in the Southern League Division One Midlands...
set at the Manchester City Games in a specially arranged race, but using standard conversion, Styron's mark is still superior. Turner beat a time by Olympian Laurent Ottoz
Laurent Ottoz
-Biography:His personal best time was 13.42 seconds, achieved in August 1994 in Berlin. This is a former Italian record, which in turn belonged to his father Eddy Ottoz with 13.46 seconds. The Italian record currently belongs to Andrea Giaconi with 13.35 seconds....
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1995. Ottoz had bettered the automatic time of 22.63 by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Olympic medalist and multi-time World Champion Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson
Colin Ray Jackson CBE is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Over his career representing Great Britain and Wales he won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion three times, went undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years and...
, who held the world record in the much more common 110 metre hurdles for almost 13 years.
The achievement merited Styron an appearance in the April 18, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
as one of the "Faces in the Crowd." http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071144/index.htm That year he was also ranked in the top 5 hurdlers in both the 110 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles, one of the few individuals to achieve such ranking simultaneously. Styron finished 6th in the 400 meter hurdles at the 1960 Olympic Trialshttp://trackfield.brinkster.net/OlympicTrials.asp?TourCode=T&Year=1960&Gender=M&TF=T&P=F&By=Y&Count=. He remained a nationally ranked hurdler until 1962, tying the American record in the indoor 60 yard hurdles at 7.0.