Hal Connolly

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Hal Connolly
Athletics
Event(s)Hammer throw, shot put
ClubSouthern California Striders, Anaheim
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)HT – 71.26 m (1965)
SP – 14.72 m (1951)
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Hammer throw

Harold Vincent "Hal" Connolly (August 1, 1931 – August 18, 2010) was an American

athlete and hammer thrower from Somerville, Massachusetts. He won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.[1] Connolly became the first American to throw hammer more than 200 feet.[2] He set his first of six world records
just prior to the 1956 Olympics, and held the world record for nearly 10 years.

After his gold medal, Connolly competed in three more Olympics, finishing eighth in 1960, sixth in 1964 and not qualifying for the final in 1968.[1] In 1972, he finished fifth in the United States trials and failed to make the team.[3]

Connolly sustained severe nerve damage to his left arm during birth, prohibiting the limb from ever developing properly. He fractured it 13 times as a child. His left arm grew to be four and a half inches shorter than his right and his left hand two-thirds the size of his right.[3] The New York Times noted, "When he won his Olympic gold medal, photographers yelled at him to raise his arms in triumph. He lifted only his right arm."[3]

Connolly received his undergraduate degree from

US Track and Field Association
. He was one of the leading promoters for the next generation of hammer throwers.

Personal life

Olga Fikotova and Hal Connolly at the 1960 Olympics

During the 1956 Games, Connolly began a relationship with

800 meters and pentathlon.[1]

A son from his first marriage, Jim Connolly, was the

UCLA in 1987;[5] Adam Connolly, a son from his second marriage, was America's third-ranked hammer thrower in 1999.[2][3]

Awards

This bronze statue of Connolly, located at the former Taft Middle School in Brighton, Massachusetts, was installed in December 2005.

In 1984 Connolly was elected into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[2]

A statue of Connolly is located at the former Taft Elementary School in

Brighton, Massachusetts, and depicts his gold medal-winning hammer throw at the 1956 Olympic Games.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Hal Connolly". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Harold Connolly Archived 2010-08-26 at the Wayback Machine. USA Track and Field Hall of Fame
  3. ^ a b c d e Litsky, Frank (August 19, 2010). "Harold Connolly, Who Beat Odds in Olympics and Romance, Dies at 79". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Sarah Duguid (June 9, 2012). "The Olympians: Olga Fikotová, Czechoslovakia". Financial Times Magazine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Outdoor Track and Field. ncaa.org (2006)
  6. ^ Globe, Boston (February 23, 2011). "Sports statues in Boston". The Boston Globe.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hal Connolly.


Records
Preceded by
Men's Hammer World Record Holder

November 2, 1956 – September 4, 1965 		Succeeded by
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