Don Bowden

Donald Paul Bowden (born August 8, 1936) is an American middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500 m at the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in 1957 became the first American to run a mile within four minutes.[3]

Don Bowden
Bowden in 1957
Personal information
Born (1936-08-08) August 8, 1936
San Jose, California, U.S.[1]
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)400 m – mile
ClubCalifornia Golden Bears
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)400 m – 47.9 (1957)
880 yd – 1:47.2 (1957)
1500 m – 3:46.5 (1957)
Mile – 3:58.7 (1957)[1][2]

At the 1956 Olympics, he failed to reach the final, coming 11th in his qualifying heat.[4] Despite having previously run only a few full mile races, on June 1, 1957, he clocked a 3:58.7, setting a new American record.[5] He also ran on a world-record-setting 4×880 yd team for University of California.[5]

Bowden attended Abraham Lincoln High School in San Jose, California, where he was a star 880 yd runner, winning the state meet in 1953 and 1954. He then entered the University of California, Berkeley, where he again specialized in the 880 yd. After college he helped develop the Tartan track, the first artificial running surface. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2008.[5]

References
  1. Don Bowden. sports-reference.com
  2. Don Bowden. trackfield.brinkster.net
  3. CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF U.S. MILERS WHO HAVE BROKEN 4:00 IN THE MILE. trackandfieldnews.com
  4. Men 1500m Athletics Olympic Games Melbourne 1956 – Saturday 03.12 Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Sport Statistics – International Competitions Archive. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  5. Don Bowden Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, USA Track and Field – Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 28, 2013.


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