Peter O'Connor

In August 1900, Peter O'Connor set his first world long jump record, and in a phenomenal 1901 season he improved his record no less than four times. He also bettered the old record on five other occasions, although these marks were not recognized because of various irregularities. The highlight of the season was a jump of 24-11¾ (7.61) off a board runway at Ball's Bridge, Dublin, on 5 August, which was subsequently recognized as the first official IAAF record. It remained on the books for 20 years and was not beaten as an Irish All-Comers record until 1968. In the long jump at the 1906 Olympics O'Connor had trouble with his run-up, which resulted in a fierce dispute with the judges. They repeatedly called him for "no-jumping" and he finished in second place with a mark more than one foot below his best. Frustrated by this result, O'Connor turned to his secondary event, the triple jump, in search of a gold medal. On paper his fellow-Irishman Cornelius "Con" Leahy, the newly-crowned high jump champion and an excellent all-round jumper, was the favorite, but things went well for O'Connor and he finally won an Olympic gold medal. O'Connor retired at the end of the 1906 season and concentrated on his solicitor's practice, but he maintained a keen interest in the sport and was one of the judges at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He was also a spectator at the 1936 Games and press interviews at the time revealed that his style of jumping was remarkably similar to that of Jesse Owens, the winner at the Berlin Olympics.

Personal Bests: HJ – 1.88 (6-2) (1902); LJ – 7.61 (24-11¾) (1901); TJ – 14.63 (48-0) (1899).