Leighton Dye

Leighton Dye
Personal information
Born(1901-10-30)October 30, 1901
St. Louis, US
Died25 October 1977(1977-10-25) (aged 75)
Naples, US
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight82 kg (181 lb; 12.9 st)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event110 metres hurdles
ClubLos Angeles Athletics Team
Achievements and titles
Personal best110 m hurdles: 14.6 (1928)

Leighton William Charles Dye (October 30, 1901 – October 25, 1977)[1] was an American hurdler. He placed fourth in the 110 m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics and was United States champion in 1926.

Biography

Dye was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 30, 1901.[1] Representing coach Dean Cromwell's USC Trojans, Dye won the IC4A 120 yd (109.7 m) hurdles title as a junior in 1925, running 14.8;[2][3] USC won that year's IC4A team title.[4] Later that year he placed third at the national championships, behind Olympic finalist George Guthrie and NCAA champion Hugo Leistner.[5] In 1926 Dye repeated as IC4A champion, this time in 14.7,[2][6] and placed second to Guthrie at the NCAA championships;[7] the Trojans again won the IC4A team title, and would have also won the NCAA title if one had been awarded that year.[6][8] Dye then won at the national championships in 14.6, equalling both his personal best and Guthrie's meeting record from the previous year.[5][9][10]

Dye again ran 14.6, this time for the metric 110 m hurdles, at the 1928 Southwestern Olympic Tryouts, qualifying for the final Olympic Trials;[11] the time broke Earl Thomson's world record for the metric distance of 14.8,[11] although it was still inferior to Thomson's 14.4 for the imperial hurdles and was never ratified as a world record.[1][12] At the final Trials in Cambridge Dye placed third behind Steve Anderson and John Collier, qualifying for the Olympics.[12]

At the Olympics in Amsterdam Dye won his heat in 15.0 and then his semi-final in 14.8, a time that equalled both the Olympic record and Thomson's still-official metric world record; however, South Africa's George Weightman-Smith ran 14.6 in a subsequent semi-final.[1] In the final Dye placed fourth behind Sid Atkinson, Anderson and Collier, but defeated Weightman-Smith.[1]

Dye later became a sales executive for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.[13] He died in Naples, Florida on October 25, 1977.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Leighton Dye Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "IC4A Championships (1876-1942)". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "Galaxy of Stars in A. A. U. Meet at S. F." Berkeley Daily Gazette. June 25, 1925. p. 9. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  4. ^ "Trojans Capture Athletic Events At Franklin Oval". Bakersfield Morning Echo. May 31, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2011". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Barber Fails to Qualify at I.C.4-A". Oakland Tribune. May 29, 1926. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  7. ^ Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  8. ^ "Eight Records Broken in College Track Meet". Salt Lake Tribune. June 13, 1926. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  9. ^ "Westerners In The Lead". Beatrice Daily Sun. July 6, 1926. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  10. ^ "Leighton Dye". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "School Youth Beats Paddock, Hurdle Mark Is Broken". Havre Daily News Promoter. June 17, 1928. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "Death Notices". Naples Daily News. October 26, 1977. Retrieved November 2, 2014.