Earle Meadows

Earle Elmer Meadows (June 29, 1913 – November 11, 1992) was an American pole vaulter who won a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics. His winning vault is featured in Leni Riefenstahl's film Olympia.

Earle Meadows

Earle Meadows at the 1936 Olympics
Personal information
Born	June 29, 1913 Corinth, Mississippi, United States
Died	November 11, 1992 (aged 79) Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Alma mater	University of Southern California.[1]
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
Sport	Pole vault
Club	USC Trojans, Los Angeles
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1936 Berlin Pole vault

Meadows had a long rivalry with Bill Sefton, his teammate from the University of Southern California. They shared the AAU title in 1935 and the NCAA title in 1935 and 1936. In May 1937 they both set a new world record at 4.48 m and then at 4.54 m. Meadows set two more world records (indoor) in 1941, winning three more times.. In 1948 he cleared 4.42 m, but later finished only sixth at the Olympic trials and thus was left out of the Olympic team. In retirement he ran a musical instrument business in Texas.[2] He was Inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame, Class of 2016.[3]

References

1. USC OLYMPIANS: 1904–2004, USC Trojans Athletic Department, Accessed August 13, 2008.
2. Earle Meadows. sports-reference.com
3. "TX TF Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-15.