Lance Larson
Encyclopedia
Lance Larson is an American
swimmer
and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
, where he received a gold medal in the 4 × 100 meter medley relay. He received a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle.
Lance Larson was the first man in the world to go under a minute for the 100m butterfly. He was also the first high school swimmer to break the 50 second barrier in the 100 yard freestyle. He won his Olympic gold medal on the butterfly leg of the 400m medley relay with a split time of 58.0 seconds (a world record) at the 1960 Rome Olympics. An all-around swimmer at the University of Southern California in the four-stroke individual medley, the butterfly, and the sprint crawl, Larson won AAU Nationals in all three.
Larson is featured as a participant in one of the most controversial Olympic swimming finishes ever. John Devitt
of Australia was listed as the winner of the men's 100 meter freestyle race. Results were decided by finish judges who relied on their eyes and did not use replays. Three judges were assigned to each finishing position. There were three official timers in 1960 for each lane and swimmer, all timing by hand. All three timers for Devitt, in lane three, timed him in 55.2 seconds. The three timers for lane four timed Lance Larson in 55.0, 55.1, and 55.1 seconds.
Former Olympic swimmer and FINA
co-founder Max Ritter
inspected the judge's score cards. Two of the three first place judges found that Devitt had finished first and the third found for Larson. Of the three second place judges, two found that Devitt finished second and one found that Larson was second. Ritter pointed out to chief judge Hans Runstrümer of Germany that the score cards indicated a tie. Runstrümer cast the deciding vote and declared Devitt the winner. However, the rules at that time did not provide for the chief judge to have a vote or give him the right to break ties. Ties were supposed to be broken by referring to the timing machine. The official results placed Devitt first and Larson second, both with the identical time of 55.2 seconds. The United States team appealed, bolstered by videotaped footage of the finish that appeared to show Larson the winner. The appeal jury, headed by Jan de Vries, also the President of FINA in 1960, rejected the appeal, keeping Devitt the winner.
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
in 1980.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and Olympic champion. He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he received a gold medal in the 4 × 100 meter medley relay. He received a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle.
Lance Larson was the first man in the world to go under a minute for the 100m butterfly. He was also the first high school swimmer to break the 50 second barrier in the 100 yard freestyle. He won his Olympic gold medal on the butterfly leg of the 400m medley relay with a split time of 58.0 seconds (a world record) at the 1960 Rome Olympics. An all-around swimmer at the University of Southern California in the four-stroke individual medley, the butterfly, and the sprint crawl, Larson won AAU Nationals in all three.
Larson is featured as a participant in one of the most controversial Olympic swimming finishes ever. John Devitt
John Devitt
John Thomas Devitt was an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1960s, who won a gold medal in the 100 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He won in controversial circumstances, being awarded the gold medal despite the timekeepers recording a slower time than the silver medallist...
of Australia was listed as the winner of the men's 100 meter freestyle race. Results were decided by finish judges who relied on their eyes and did not use replays. Three judges were assigned to each finishing position. There were three official timers in 1960 for each lane and swimmer, all timing by hand. All three timers for Devitt, in lane three, timed him in 55.2 seconds. The three timers for lane four timed Lance Larson in 55.0, 55.1, and 55.1 seconds.
Former Olympic swimmer and FINA
Fina
Fina may refer to:*Fina, a character in the Skies of Arcadia video game*FINA, the International Swimming Federation*FINA, the North American Forum on Integration...
co-founder Max Ritter
Max Ritter
Richard Max Ritter was a German freestyle and backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Magdeburg and died in Montgomery, Pennsylvania....
inspected the judge's score cards. Two of the three first place judges found that Devitt had finished first and the third found for Larson. Of the three second place judges, two found that Devitt finished second and one found that Larson was second. Ritter pointed out to chief judge Hans Runstrümer of Germany that the score cards indicated a tie. Runstrümer cast the deciding vote and declared Devitt the winner. However, the rules at that time did not provide for the chief judge to have a vote or give him the right to break ties. Ties were supposed to be broken by referring to the timing machine. The official results placed Devitt first and Larson second, both with the identical time of 55.2 seconds. The United States team appealed, bolstered by videotaped footage of the finish that appeared to show Larson the winner. The appeal jury, headed by Jan de Vries, also the President of FINA in 1960, rejected the appeal, keeping Devitt the winner.
Awards
Larson was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
in 1980.