| At the 1932 Olympics, Cornelius Johnson, at the time an 18-year old high school student, placed fourth in the high jump under the existing tiebreaker rules. Had the current rules been in effect, "Conny" Johnson would have been a silver medalist.
Four years later, Johnson, brimming with confidence, took the gold in Berlin. He cleared every attempt through 6-8, keeping his sweats on until the bar went up to 6-6 3/4 Johnson's winning height was an Olympic record and he tried unsuccesfully for the world record. Ironically, it was Johnson --- and not Jesse Owens, as widely believed --- who was snubbed by Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Games. On the day of Johnson's triumph, Hitler had congratulated the winners of the day's first two events, a German and a Finn. But before Johnson and silver medalist Dave Albritton, both African Americans, went to the awards platform, Hitler left the stadium. Johnson was the co-holder of the world record for the high jump for a year (1936-37) and won eight career U.S. titles (five outdoor, three indoor). In early 1946, while working as a ship's baker on board the Grace Line's "Santa Cruz," Johnson was stricken with a sudden illness. Enroute from the ship to a California hospital, Corny Johnson died at the age of 32. |
USA