Robert Howard (triple jumper)
Robert Howard | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 26, 1975 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | August 14, 2004 (aged 28) |
| Occupation | Athlete |
Robert Howard was an American
Collegiate career
In choosing a college, Howard elected to follow in the lengthy horizontal jumping tradition at the
.Putting his own stamp on the track program, Howard won nine individual collegiate championships while jumping for Arkansas:[1]
| Event | Years won |
|---|---|
| NCAA Indoor Triple Jump | 1996, 1997, 1999 |
| NCAA Indoor Long Jump | 1997 |
| NCAA Outdoor Triple Jump | 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| NCAA Outdoor Long Jump | 1997, 1998 |
During this time, the Razorback team, under the guidance of legendary coach John McDonnell, itself won seven of the eight available NCAA team titles, indoors and out.
Howard competed at the
All of Howard's personal records were set while he was a collegian:[2]
| Event | Outdoors best | Year | Indoors best | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triple Jump | 17.11m | 1998 | 17.04m | 1997 |
| Long Jump | 8.40m | 1997 | 8.16m | 1997 |
Professional career
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2023) |
In 1999, Howard missed the majority of the season with an injury.
Howard qualified for the US Olympic team in the triple jump twice, making the finals in both Atlanta and Sydney. He finished seventh in 1996 and eighth in 2000. He won the triple jump competition at the 2000 Olympic Trials with a leap of 55-9 (16.99). His best finish in USATF competitions was a second in the triple jump in 2001.
Admitted to
Rankings
During his career, Howard was ranked among the top jumpers in the US by Track and Field News.[3]
| Year | Event | World rank | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Triple Jump | 10th | 3rd |
| 1997 | Triple Jump | - | 2nd |
| Long Jump | - | 7th | |
| 1998 | Triple Jump | - | 2nd |
| Long Jump | - | 9th | |
| 1998 | Triple Jump | - | 2nd |
| Long Jump | - | 9th | |
| 2000 | Triple Jump | - | 1st |
| Long Jump | - | 5th | |
| 2001 | Triple Jump | - | 3rd |
| Long Jump | - | 9th | |
| 2002 | Triple Jump | - | 9th |
Death
On August 14, 2004, shortly after his failure to make the Olympic team and in the opening hours of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Howard violently murdered his wife, Robin Mitchell, the chief neurosurgery resident at UAMS who was named a "soaring medical star" by the Times Herald Record,[4] and later leapt to his death from the 10th story of a medical school dormitory. Police found Mitchell dead in the couple's bed with dozens of stab wounds to the head and torso.[5][6][7][8]
References
- ^ "Razorback Track & Field Media Guide" (PDF). HogWired.com.
- ^ Robert Howard at World Athletics
- ^ "Track and Field News: Archive". Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ Ben Montgomery (August 17, 2004). "Soaring medical star found slain in Ark". Times Herald-Record.
- ^ Associated Press: Ex-Olympian believed to have killed wife, jumped to death. August 16, 2004
- ^ "Olympian haunted by failures, suicide note says – Olympics – NBCSports.com". Archived from the original on 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ "McDonnell 'saddened' on news of Howard tragedy". WholeHogSports.com.
- ^ "Triple jumper competed in '96, '00 Games". EPSN. Associated Press. Aug 16, 2004.
External links
- Robert Howard at USATF
- Robert Howard at World Athletics
- Robert Howard at Olympics.com
- Robert Howard at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- 2004 Olympic Trial results
- Razorback Track & Field Media Guide
