David Jacobs (Welsh athlete)
 David Jacobs in 1913 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 30 April 1888 Cardiff, Wales | |||||||||||
| Died | 6 June 1976 (aged 88) Llandudno, Conwy, Great Britain | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
| Event | 100–400 m | |||||||||||
| Club | Herne Hill Harriers, Mitcham | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 100 m – 10.8 (1912) 200 m – 21.9e (1912) 440 yd – 49.9e (1913)[1][2] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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David Henry Jacobs (30 April 1888 – 6 June 1976) was a Welsh-born track and field sprinter.[3] He was the first British Jew to win an Olympic gold medal.[4]
Biography
[edit]Jacobs was born in Cardiff to John Jacobs (previously Yaakov), who was a general dealer from London. His athletics career started in London with Herne Hill Harriers in 1908.[4] His interest in athletics was aroused by watching the 1908 Olympic Games.
At the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Jacobs won a gold medal as the first leg in the British 4 × 100 m relay team, despite finishing second behind the United States in the semifinals. The United States was later disqualified for a fault in passing the baton, the same mistake made in the finals by the world record holder and main favourite German team.
Jacobs competed in the 100m and 200m individual events but was eliminated in the semifinals.[1]
Although many times a Welsh champion, Jacobs never succeeded in winning an AAA title. He finished in the 440 yards event at the 1910 AAA Championships.[5][6]
Jacobs retired from active sport after World War I.[1] He died suddenly in Aberconwy, aged 88, while on holiday from his London home. His body was returned to London, where he was buried in a Jewish cemetery,[4] at East Ham. At the time of his death, he was Britain's oldest Olympic gold medalist.[1][7]
See also
[edit]- Harold Abrahams, British Jewish sprint champion in the 1924 Olympics
- Chariots of Fire, award-winning 1981 film depicting Abrahams' story
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c d David Jacobs. sports-reference.com
- ^ David Jacobs. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ "David Jacobs". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ a b c William D. Rubinstein; Michael Jolles; Hilary L. Rubinstein, eds. (2011). "Jacobs, David Henry". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 465. ISBN 9781403939104.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Athletics". Evening Star. 3 July 1910. Retrieved 1 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA Championships". The Scotsman. 4 July 1910. Retrieved 1 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "David Henry Jacobs, Gold Medallist at the Olympics". The US. 25 July 2012.
External links
[edit]
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- 1888 births
- 1976 deaths
- Sportspeople from Cardiff
- Welsh male sprinters
- British male sprinters
- Jewish track and field athletes
- Welsh Jews
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
- Welsh Olympic medallists
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Jewish British sportspeople
- British athletics Olympic medallist stubs
- British athletics biography stubs
- Welsh sportspeople stubs