Josh Culbreath

Josh Culbreath first took hurdling seriously when he was attending Morgan State and won the AAU in 1953, 1954, and 1955. In the 1956 Final Trials he brought his best time for the intermediate hurdles down to 50.6 behind Glenn Davis and Eddie Southern, and the Olympic final was a repeat of the U.S. Trials with these three sweeping the medals. Culbreath, who was the first great black intermediate hurdler, won at the Pan-Am Games in 1955 and 1959 and, at Oslo in 1957, he set a world record for the 440y hurdles of 50.5. At the 1959 Pan American Games he won also a silver medal in the 4×400 metres relay (with Jack Yerman, Eddie Southern, and the non-Olympian Dave Mills).

Personal Bests: 200 – 21.4 (1957); 400 – 47.2 (1957); 110H – 14.8y (1954); 400H – 50.2 (1957).