View source for Alan Helffrich

{{Short description|Athletics competitor}}
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{{MedalSport|Men's [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
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{{MedalGold|[[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 metres relay]]}}
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'''Alan Boone Helffrich''' (August 7, 1900 – February 3, 1994) was an American [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]], winner of gold medal in 4 × 400 m [[Relay race|relay]] at the [[1924 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78545 |title=Alan Helffrich |work=Olympedia |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref>

Born in [[Yonkers, New York]], Alan Helffrich was one of America's greatest middle-distance runners in the 1920s. Helffrich won the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] titles in 880 [[Yard|yd]] in 1921, 1922 and 1925. As a [[Pennsylvania State University]] student, he won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] championships in 880 yd in 1922 and 1923 and [[IC4A]] championships in 880 yd in 1923 and in 440 yd in 1924.

At the [[Paris]] [[Olympic Games|Olympics]], Helffrich ran the final leg in the American 4 × 400 m relay team, which won the gold medal with a new [[world record]] of 3.16.0. Helffrich was the only runner to defeat [[Paavo Nurmi]] when the Finn toured the United States in 1925, scoring a victory in the half-mile run at the [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=[[Record-Journal|The Meriden Daily Journal]] | title=Alan Helffrich Hands Paavo Nurmi His First Defeat in Five Years | date=27 May 1925 | page=8 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bbhIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eQENAAAAIBAJ&pg=1640,217515&dq=paavo-nurmi&hl=en | access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref> He ended Nurmi's 121-race win streak that had started in 1921.<ref>{{cite book | last=Raevuori | first=Antero | year=1997 | title=Paavo Nurmi, juoksijoiden kuningas | publisher=[[Bonnier Group|WSOY]] | edition=2nd | pages=433–439 | language=fi | isbn=978-9510218501}}</ref>

After his running career, Helffrich officiated at athletics meets in [[New York City]] from 1930 to 1955 and served, until his death at age 93, as president of the New York Chapter of the United States Olympians.

==See also==
*[[List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians]]

==References==
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{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1924}}
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[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Penn State Nittany Lions men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Yonkers, New York]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from New York (state)]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

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