Athens 1896, Games of the I Olympiad. James CONNOLLY of the United States who won gold in the triple jump, silver in the high jump and bronze in the long jump. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections/MEYER AlbertOther names: CONNOLLY, James Brendan
Born: 28 November 1865
Deceased: 20 January 1957
Birthplace: Not available
Nationality: United States
Sport: Athletics
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Athens 1896
Paris 1900
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 1
Silver: 2
Bronze: 1
The First Champion of the Modern Olympics
On 6 April 1896, James Connolly won the triple jump (then two hops and a jump), and thus became the first Olympic champion in 1527 years. He also placed second in the high jump and third in the long jump. A 27-year-old undergraduate student, Connolly dropped out of Harvard University and traveled to Athens by freighter and train, arriving the day before the Olympics began. Connolly later became a well-known journalist and novelist and was offered an honorary doctorate by Harvard, which he turned down.
