At the 1932 Olympics, Percy Beard was in the lead until he hit the sixth hurdle and ended up losing by a very narrow margin to George Saling. Beard had won the first of three AAU high hurdles titles in 1931, posting a new world record of 14.2 for 120 yards. Over the 110 meter distance, he equalled the world record of 14.4 in the 1932 Olympic Trials and during a European tour in 1934 he lowered the record to 14.3 and then to 14.2 After graduating from Auburn as a civil engineer, he ran four outdoor and five indoor seasons for the New York AC, losing only one race in all. He won the AAU indoor hurdles in 1931, 1932, 1933 and again in 1935. Beard went on to earn a master’s degree from Auburn and taught engineering there from 1929 to 1935. He then moved to the University of Florida as track coach and became athletic director before his retirement in 1973. The University of Florida track is named for Percy Beard.
Personal Best: 110H – 14.2y (1931).
United States