Ira Davis (athlete)
Ira Sylvester Davis (born September 25, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American triple jumper. He represented the United States at three Olympics; 1956, 1960 and 1964. He made the finals each time, his best showing was fourth place in 1960, missing a bronze medal by 2 cm.[1] He was the winner of the Olympic Trials each time, setting the Trials record in 1956 and twice in 1960. 1956 was also the American record, set as a 19-year-old college freshman. He was a four time National Champion, winning in 1958-60 and again in 1964.[2]
Davis competed for Overbrook High School where he was a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain on both the basketball and track teams; and La Salle University. Davis was also a credible sprinter, winning the 100-yard dash at the IC4A Championships and the Penn Relays in 1958.[3]
Davis was a 1956 initiate of the Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
References[]
- ^ Ira Davis at Sports Reference
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2016-12-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Olympian Ira Davis headed to London".
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- Living people
- 1936 births
- American male triple jumpers
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games
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