Aug. 6, 1948
After two days and 10 events, 17-year-old Bob Mathias took home gold for the United States in the decathlon at the 1948 London Olympics, becoming the youngest athlete to win gold in a track and field event.
His combined score of 7,139 bested the other 23 in the field, with second-place Ignance Heinrich of France (6,974) finishing 165 points behind.
Mathias went on to repeat in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, with a then-world-record performance before retiring from athletics.
Later on in life, Mathias began a career in politics and served California in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years (1967-1975).
Comments