article by Nicholas Pucci
Archie Williams deserves no small credit: he is the only champion, at least in athletics, to have 100 percent success at the Olympics. Why in Berlin, in 1936, he ran the 400 meters four times between heats, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, he always won and went home with the gold medal. Without conceding, then, any reply to five circles.
Born in Oakland, California on May 1, 1915 Williams, who in the Olympic year runs for the prestigious Berkeley University, significantly improves his performance in the current seasonhe who in the 440 yards had never dropped below 49″, signing in June, during the NCAA Championships, the new world record of 400 meters in 46 “1.
Qualified to Trials of selection, at the Berlin Olympics Archie is already the best in his battery, running in 47″8as do the other Americans Jimmy LuValle and Harold Smallwood and the two Britons Bill Roberts and Godfrey Brown, potential medal contenders, then limiting himself to imposing himself in his series in the quarterfinals with a time of 48 ″with Roberts, 47″7, and LuValle, 47″6, setting a better time than his.
In the first semifinal, Williams beats Roberts, 47″2 against 48″, and the Canadian Johnny Loaringwith the blue Mario Lanzi, fourth, who remains excluded from the decisive act, but is precisely in the final that the American must give his best to repel the attack of his opponents, including LuValle, Brown and the second Canadian William Fritz, promoted from the second semifinal, who together with him swoop across the finish line in the 400m race fought in Olympic history.
Williams in fact commands the race, but the comeback of the Englishman Godfrey Brown starts right on the finish straight, who manages to catch Williams. The two athletes throw themselves onto the wire at the same time and the photo finish will award the victory to the American, 46″5 against 46″7, with the other American LuValle credited with the time of 46″8as well as Roberts who remains at the foot of the podium.
At the end of the year Williams will suffer a serious leg injury in a race in Sweden and will no longer be able to repeat the performances offered at the 1936 Berlin Games. Truly an unprecedented four out of four gold.
Ah, a curiosity about him and his participation in the Olympics “Nazi“. He was asked “How did those dirty Nazis treat you?”, and he answered, simply“I didn’t see any dirty Nazis, just a lot of nice Germans, and I didn’t have to get on the back of the bus over there“. Will be…