Harold Osborn is the only man to have won an individual Olympic event in addition to winning the decathlon. Osborn won his first AAU decathlon on 1923; although the world record he established on that occasion was never ratified, his subsequent record at the AAU championships endorses what a truly versatile athlete he was. During his long career he won 35 AAU medals (including 18 victories) in nine different events. Apart from his decathlon records, he set a world high jump record of 6-8¼ (2.04) in 1924 and in 1936, at the age of 37, he set a world record of 5-6 (1.67) for the standing high jump. This mark was set indoors but it remained the world best – indoors or out – for many years. Osborn was a graduate of the University of Illinois and later became a well-known osteopath.
Personal Bests: HJ – 2.038 (1924); Dec – 6476 (1924).
United States