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Thomas Edmund Burke (January 15, 1875 – February 14, 1929) was an American sprinter. He was the first Olympic champion in the 100 and 400 meter dash races. [2]
Of the six Americans to win Olympic track and field titles in 1896, Tom Burke was perhaps the only one who would still have been crowned a champion if all the world’s best athletes had been assembled in Athens.
Thomas Edmund Burke was the first American to become a two-time Olympic gold medalist, reeling in the double at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, in Athens, Greece. At age 21, he blew away fields in both the 100 and 400 meters to earn the gold medal with times of 12.0 and 54.2 respectively.
Of the six Americans to win Olympic track and field titles in 1896, Tom Burke was perhaps the only one who would still have been crowned a champion if all the world’s best athletes had been assembled in Athens.
Apr 11, 2011 · Thomas Edmund Burke (1875- 1929) became the first athlete in the Modern Olympic Games to win two races, the 100 yard dash and the 440 yard run. Burke, just 20 years old at the time, was one of six Boston athletes who made the trip to Athens, Greece in April 1896 to participate in the revival of the Olympics.
Burke clocked 11.8 seconds in his preliminary heat. With 40,000 spectators in stadium, and another 60,000 looking on from the surrounding hills, the young American then went on to win the final in a slightly slower time of 12.0 seconds, earning him the honorary title of “fastest man on earth”.
Thomas BURKE, United States
