Harry Jerome facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Winston Jerome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Harry | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 30, 1940 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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| Died | December 7, 1982 (aged 42) North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Harry Winston Jerome (born September 30, 1940 – died December 7, 1982) was a famous Canadian track and field sprinter. He was also a physical education teacher. Harry Jerome won a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Throughout his amazing career, he set seven world records in running.
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Early Life of Harry Jerome
Harry Jerome was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia.
Harry came from a family of athletes. His grandfather, John Howard, was an American-born railway worker. He represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Harry's sister, Valerie Jerome, was also an Olympian. She competed for Canada at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Harry Jerome's Athletic Career
Harry Jerome competed for the University of Oregon. His coach there was Bill Bowerman. Harry was part of the Canadian track and field team in three Olympic Games: 1960, 1964, and 1968 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the 100-metre race at the 1964 Olympics. He also won a gold medal at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
During his career, Harry Jerome set seven world records. In 1960, he tied the world record for the 100-metre race with a time of 10.0 seconds. He also tied the world record for the 100-yard dash at 9.3 seconds in 1961. This made him one of the few athletes to hold both records at the same time.
In 1962, Harry was part of the University of Oregon's 4 × 100-metre relay team. They tied the world record with a time of 40.0 seconds. He also ran the 100-yard dash in 9.2 seconds twice that year. In 1966, he tied another world record with a 9.1-second time in the 100-yard dash. From 1963 to 1966, he held or tied four world records at the same time.
Harry Jerome is the only person to have held the 100-yard world record with three different times. He is also the oldest 100-yard world record holder at 25 years old. He continued to run successfully until the late 1960s. This was impressive because he had a serious injury in 1962. Doctors first thought he might never walk properly again.
Teaching and Post-Athletic Career
Harry Jerome earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1964. He then taught with the Richmond School Board and the Vancouver School Board. In 1968, he received his master's degree in physical education.
After he stopped competing in athletics in 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau asked him for help. Harry helped create Canada's new Ministry of Sport. He held important jobs in this ministry. However, he resigned when the government cancelled a big project he had planned. This project was with Kellogg's to encourage young people to join sports.
In the 1980s, Harry Jerome led the Premier's Sport Award program in British Columbia. He died on December 7, 1982, at the age of 42. He passed away in North Vancouver from a brain aneurysm.
Honours and Tributes to Harry Jerome
Harry Jerome received many honours for his achievements. In 1970, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. The next year, he was added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was added to Canada's Walk of Fame after his death. In 2010, he was named a Person of National Historical Significance.
Many places and events are named after him:
- The Labatts International Track Classic Pre-Olympic meet was renamed the Harry Jerome International Track Classic in 1984. This event happens every year in Burnaby, British Columbia.
- The Harry Jerome Sports Complex in North Vancouver is named after him. It is near North Vancouver High School, where he first started track in 1958.
- The Harry Jerome Sports Centre, home to the Burnaby Velodrome, also carries his name.
- The weight room at the University of Oregon and the track and field stadium in Prince Albert are named after him.
- A 9-foot bronze statue of Jerome stands on the Stanley Park seawall in Vancouver.
- The annual Harry Jerome Awards are named after him. These awards celebrate achievements in Canada's black community.
In 2011, another event called the Harry Jerome Indoor Games was created. It takes place at the Richmond Olympic Oval. This facility was used for speed skating events at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Now it is a multi-purpose sports centre. High school and university athletes often attend this meet.
On September 30, 2019, Google celebrated Harry Jerome's 79th birthday with a special Google Doodle.
Works About Harry Jerome
A feature-length documentary film called Mighty Jerome began production in 2009. It was directed by Charles Officer and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film was inspired by a book about Jerome called Running Uphill.
The film uses old film clips, interviews, and acted scenes to show Jerome's life. The director interviewed Harry's friends and family. The film first showed at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 8, 2010.
Harry Jerome's 100-metre bronze medal race at the 1964 Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics is shown in the documentary film Tokyo Olympiad (1965). This film was directed by Kon Ichikawa. You can see slow-motion close-ups of Jerome getting ready for the race. Then the race is shown at full speed.
Achievements
- 1960 world record 100 m: 10.0 (tied record of Armin Hary)
- 1960 Summer Olympics 100 m Canadian team member
- 1961 world record 100 yds: 9.3
- 1962 world record 100 yds: 9.2
- 1962 world record 440 yds: 40.0 University of Oregon team member
- 1963 world record 60 yds indoor: 6.0
- 1964 Summer Olympics 100 m: 3rd 10.2 / 200 m: 4th 20.7
- 1966 world record 100 yds: 9.1
- 1966 Canadian record 220 yds: 20.4
- 1966 Commonwealth Games 100 yds: 1st 9.4
- 1967 Pan American Games 100 m 1st 10.2
- 1968 Summer Olympics 100 m: 7th 10.2
See also
In Spanish: Harry Jerome para niños
