Eddie Tolan

Eddie Tolan
Tolan in 1932
Personal information
BornSeptember 29, 1908
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 1967 (aged 58)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight143 lb (65 kg)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)100 m, 200 m
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m – 10.38 (1932)
200 m – 20.9y (1931)[1][2]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles 100 meters
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles 200 meters

Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan (September 29, 1908 – January 30, 1967),[3][4] nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who competed in sprints. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. He was the first non-Euro-American to receive the title of the "world's fastest human" after winning gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters events at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In March 1935, Tolan won the 75, 100 and 220-yard events at the World Professional Sprint Championships in Melbourne to become the first man to win both the amateur and professional world sprint championships. In his full career as a sprinter, Tolan won 300 races and lost only 7.

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Eddie Tolan". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "Eddie Tolan". trackfield.brinkster.net.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference USATF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Detnews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).