View source for Walter Tewksbury

{{short description|American track and field athlete}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| honorific_prefix = 
| name             = Walter Tewksbury
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = John Tewksbury.jpg
| image_size       = 200px
| alt              = Walter Tewksbury seated on a stool wearing his University of Pennsylvania athletic jersey
| caption          = Walter Tewksbury
| headercolor      = 
| textcolor        = 
<!-- Personal information -->
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| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name       = <!-- if different than name -->
| full_name        = <!-- if different than name/birth_name -->
| nickname         = 
| nationality      = <!-- will not display if national_team is defined -->
| national_team    = United States<!-- only for the country represented in international competition -->
| ethnicity        = 
| citizenship      = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1876|03|21}}
| birth_place      = [[Ashley, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1968|04|24|1876|03|21}}
| death_place      = [[Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| resting_place    = 
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| education        = [[University of Pennsylvania]]
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| height           = <!-- X cm, X m, or X ft Y in (automatic conversion) plus optional year and reference -->
| weight           = <!-- X kg, X lb, or X st Y lb (automatic conversion) plus optional year and reference -->
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<!-- Achievements and titles -->
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<!-- Medal record -->
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris]] | [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1900 Paris | [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres hurdles|400 metre hurdles]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1900 Paris | [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 60 metres|60 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1900 Paris | [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|1900 Paris | [[Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres hurdles|200 metre hurdles]]}}
}}

'''John Walter Beardsley Tewksbury''' (March 21, 1876 – April 24, 1968)<ref name="SR">{{cite web | url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/te/walter-tewksbury-1.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417052353/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/te/walter-tewksbury-1.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = April 17, 2020 | title = Walter Tewksbury biography and Olympic results | publisher = sports-reference.com | access-date = January 7, 2010}}</ref> was an American [[track and field]] athlete. At the [[1900 Summer Olympics]], he won five medals, including two golds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79119 |title=Walter Tewksbury |work=Olympedia |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Walter-Tewksbury|title=John Walter Tewksbury|website=britannica.com|access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>

==Biography==
Born in [[Ashley, Pennsylvania]],<ref name="SR"/> Tewksbury studied for a dental degree at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], graduating in 1899. Running for the university team, he won the [[IC4A]] titles in the 110 and 220 y in 1898 and 1899.

After graduating in 1899, he headed for Paris to compete in the Olympic Games. Tewksbury entered in 5 events, but had strong competition, among others from fellow Penn student [[Alvin Kraenzlein]]. In the 100 m, Tewksbury equalled the world record in the semi-finals, but placed second in the final to [[Frank Jarvis (athlete)|Frank Jarvis]]. The following day, he took another second place, behind Kraenzlein, in the 60 m, before entering the 400 m hurdles.

At the time, this event had probably never been contested in the United States, but Tewksbury easily beat the local favourite for the 400 m hurdles title. The event was quite different from present day, as the hurdles were actually telephone poles laid over the track, and the final hurdles was a water barrier (like in the [[steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechase]]). In the final of the 200 m hurdles, he placed third (with Kraenzlein the winner). The final of the 200 m was held a week later; in that race Tewksbury won his second individual Olympic gold, finishing immediately ahead of [[Norman Pritchard]] of India.

Tewksbury retired from sports to open a dental practice in [[Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania]], in 1913. He died there on April 24, 1968.<ref name="SR"/>

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==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{sports links}}

{{Footer_Olympic_Champions_200_m_Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m hurdles Men}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tewksbury, John}}
[[Category:1876 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Ashley, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:American men hurdlers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Penn Quakers men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:19th-century American sportsmen]]