Allen Woodring was an American athlete, the 1920 Olympic

1920 Summer Olympics

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....

 champion in the 200 m.

Little is known of Woodring, who originally did not qualify for the 1920 Summer Olympics

1920 Summer Olympics

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....

, placing 5th in the American trials. However, he was given a chance to compete in favour of the 4th-placed runner. After arriving in Antwerp, his track shoes fell apart, and Woodring was unable to obtain new ones. He was finally able to borrow shoes from another runner, for the duration of the competition.

Woodring made good use of these shoes in the 200 m final, beating favourite Charlie Paddock

Charlie Paddock

Charles "Charlie" William Paddock was an American athlete and twofold Olympic champion.After serving in World War I as a lieutenant of field artillery in the U.S. Marines, Paddock - a native of Gainesville, Texas - studied at the University of Southern California...

, who had already won the 100 m, with a strong finish.

He was born in Hellertown, Pennsylvania

Hellertown, Pennsylvania

Hellertown is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Hellertown is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, and geographically in the Saucon Valley.The population of Hellertown was 5,606 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

 and died in Clearwater, Florida

Clearwater, Florida

Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...

.