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Olympic Gold medal won by Bobby Morrow at the 1956 Olympic Games

American History Museum

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    Object Details

    user

    Morrow, Bobby

    Description (Brief)

    Gold medal won by American sprinter Bobby Morrow (b. 1935) in the 1956 Olympic games held in Melbourne, Australia.
    That year the native Texan was named as Sports Illustrated Magazine's "Athlete of the Year." He won three gold medals at the Melbourne games, individually in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team. He was the first man to win two individual gold medals for the U.S. since Jesse Owens in 1936.
    The 1956 Summer Olympics Games, also known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad were held in Melbourne, Australia and included 72 countries, 2,939 men and 376 women athletes participating. Known as the ‘Friendly Games', these were the first to be contested in the Southern Hemisphere and were held in November due to Australia's seasonal differences. Many countries boycotted the Games due to various political situations throughout the globe although the East and West Germany teams competed as one. Australia dominated the swimming events while the US took the most gold in track and field with Bobby Morrow winning three golds. The Soviet Union won the medal count with 98 with the United States coming in second with 74.

    Location

    Currently not on view

    Credit Line

    Gift of Bobby Morrow

    date made

    1956

    ID Number

    1979.0619.01

    accession number

    1979.0619

    catalog number

    1979.0619.01

    Object Name

    medal
    medal, olympic
    medal, summer olympics
    medal, olympics

    Physical Description

    metal, gold (overall material)

    Measurements

    overall: 1/4 in x 2 in; .635 cm x 5.08 cm

    See more items in

    Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
    Highlights from the Culture and the Arts Collection
    Coins, Currency and Medals

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    level of sport

    Olympics

    web subject

    Sports

    name of sport

    Track and Field

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b0-e9da-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_748900

    Discover More

    USA pin with Olympic rings

    Going for the Gold: Summer Olympics

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