Olympic medalist
Harold Abrahams
Medal record
Competitor for  United Kingdom
Men's athletics
Gold	1924 Paris	100 metres
Silver	1924 Paris	4x100 m relay

Harold Maurice Abrahams, CBE (December 15, 1899 – January 14, 1978) was a British athlete. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in At the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, 27 athletics events were contested all for men only The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in At the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, 27 athletics events were contested all for men only The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located He was an Olympic champion in 1924 in the 100 metre dash, a feat depicted in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire. The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in For the instrumental theme see Chariots of Fire (instrumental.

Biography

Born into a poor family in Bedford as the son of a Lithuanian Jew,^[1] he was the younger brother of another British athlete, the Olympic long jumper Sir Sidney Abrahams. Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The long jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which athletes combine speed strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far from the take-off point as possible Sir Sidney Solomon Abrahams ( February 11, 1885 &ndash May 14, 1957) nicknamed Solly, was a British Olympic athlete He was educated at Bedford School, Repton School and then at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, before training as a lawyer. Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Modern School or Bedford High School. Repton School, founded in 1557, is a British independent public school located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, England Gonville and Caius College Cambridge is a constituent College of Cambridge University, one of the world's most academically respected institutions The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the

A sprinter and long jumper since his youth, he continued to compete in sport while studying at Cambridge. The long jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which athletes combine speed strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far from the take-off point as possible The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England He earned a place in the 1920 Olympic team. The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1920 These games were no great success for Abrahams who was eliminated in the quarter-finals of both the 100m and 200m, and he finished twentieth in the long jump. As a part of the British relay team, he took fourth place in the 4 x 100 m. During a relay race, members of a team take turns Running, Orienteering, Swimming, Cross-country skiing, Biathlon, or Skating

After dominating the national long jump and sprint events, Abrahams was an outsider for the medals at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France. The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. However Eric Liddell^[2] introduced Abrahams to a professional coach, Sam Mussabini^[3], and Abrahams, with the encouragement of his brother, employed him. Eric Henry Liddell ( January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international Scipio Africanus 'Sam' Mussabini (1867-1927 was the athletics coach made famous as the coach of Harold Abrahams. For six months, Mussabini at Abrahams' direction emphasized the 100-metre, with the 200-metre as secondary. Scipio Africanus 'Sam' Mussabini (1867-1927 was the athletics coach made famous as the coach of Harold Abrahams. Through vigorous training, Abrahams perfected his start, stride, and form. One month before the 1924 Games, Abrahams set the English record in the long jump (24'2 1/2"), a record which stood for the next 32 years. The same day he ran the 100-yard in 9. 6 seconds, but the time was rightly not submitted as a record because the track was on a slight downhill^[4].

Abrahams won the 100m, beating all the American favourites (including the 1920 Gold medal winner Charlie Paddock). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Charles ("Charlie" William Paddock ( August 11, 1900 &ndash July 21, 1943) was an American athlete and twofold In third place was Arthur Porritt, later Governor-General of New Zealand. Arthur Espie Porritt Baron Porritt, Bt, GCMG, GCVO, CBE ( August 10, 1900 &ndash January 1, 1994 The Governor-General of New Zealand (Te Kawana Tianara o Aotearoa is the representative of the Sovereign in right of New Zealand (currently Queen The Paris Olympics 100m dash took place at 7pm on 7 July 1924 (Abrahams and Porritt dined together at 7pm on 7 July every year thereafter, until Abrahams' death). Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death In the 200 metre race, he reached the final, in which he placed sixth and last. (Eric Liddell also ran the 200m and finished in third place). Eric Henry Liddell ( January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international As an opening runner for the 4 x 100 m team, Abrahams won a second Olympic medal, a silver. Abrahams did not compete in the long jump.

In May 1925, Abrahams broke his leg and his athletic career ended. He returned to his legal career. Subsequently he worked as an athletics journalist for forty years, becoming a commentator on the sports for BBC radio. BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 In 1936, he reported from the Nazi Berlin Olympics for the BBC. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin Later in his life, he also become the president of the Jewish Athletic Association. And he latterly served as the chairman for the Amateur Athletic Association. The Amateur Athletic Association of England (formerly simply the Amateur Athletic Association) or AAA (pronounced 'three As' is the oldest athletics organization Abrahams converted to Roman Catholicism in 1934.

Harold Abrahams died in Enfield on 14 January 1978, aged 78 years. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) He was buried at Saint John the Baptist Churchyard in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire. Amwell ( Great and Little) is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, located 1½ miles (S Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of ^[5]

Harold Abrahams has been recognised with an English Heritage Blue Plaque at his former home in Golders Green, north west London which was unveiled by his daughter Sue Pottle and nephew Tony Abrahams. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of In the United Kingdom, a blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. He lived at Hodford Lodge, 2 Hodford Road, from 1923 to 1930, years in which he achieved great success including his famous 1924 Olympics win in Paris for the 100m sprint.

Sue Pottle unveiling the English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorating her father Harold Abrahams

Abrahams was immortalised in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. For the instrumental theme see Chariots of Fire (instrumental. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working His memorial service serves as the framing device for the movie, which tells his story and that of Eric Liddell. Eric Henry Liddell ( January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

Abrahams was highly respected. The late Guinness Book of World Records founder Norris McWhirter once commented that Abrahams "managed by sheer force of personality and with very few allies to raise athletics from a minor to a major national sport”. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Norris Dewar McWhirter, CBE ( August 12 1925 – April 19 2004) was a Writer, political activist, co-founder

Quotations

• "I have always believed that Harold Abrahams was the only European sprinter who could have run with Jesse Owens, Joe Candito, Ralph Metcalfe, and the other great sprinters from the U. James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens ( September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete Not to be confused with early 19th century New Hampshire politician Ralph Metcalf Ralph Harold Metcalfe ( May 30, 1910 &ndash S. He was in their class, not only because of natural gifts - his magnificent physique, his splendid racing temperament, his flair for the big occasion - but because he understood athletics and had given more brainpower and more will power to the subject than any other runner of his day. " - Philip Noel-Baker, Britain's 1912 Olympic captain and a Nobel Prize winner, reflecting in 1948 on Abrahams' athleticism^[6]

References

External links

• Bio at Jewish Sports