Harold Vincent Connolly
Encyclopedia
Harold Vincent "Hal" Connolly (August 1, 1931 – August 18, 2010) was an American
athlete and hammer throw
er from Somerville, Massachusetts
. He won a gold medal
in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
. During the course of his career, Connolly became the first American to throw more than 200 feet. 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. In 1972, he finished fifth in the United States trials and failed to make the team.
Notably, 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. 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."
Connolly received his undergraduate degree from Boston College
in 1952 and attended graduate school at UCLA. Both during and after his athletic career, Connolly worked as a teacher in the Santa Monica
school system. In 1988, he then retired and accepted a position as an executive director of Special Olympics
, where he would serve for the next 11 years. Until his death, he coached youth athletes and served as the Junior Hammer Development Chairmen for US Track and Field Association. He was one of the leading promoters for the next generation of hammer throwers. He also published a website to help promote the hammer throw, Hammerthrow.org.
discus throw
er Olga Fikotova
. They married after the Olympics, the following year in Prague—in three ceremonies there, with a celebration before 40,000 well-wishers. They were divorced in 1974, and the following year, he married Pat Winslow
, a former coach of track star Evelyn Ashford
and herself a three-time Olympian in the 800 meters and pentathlon
.
A son from his first marriage, Jim Connolly, was the NCAA decathlon
champion for U.C.L.A. in 1987; Adam Connolly, a son from his second marriage, was America’s third-ranked hammer thrower in 1999.
.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete and hammer throw
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
er from Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
. He won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the hammer throw at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. During the course of his career, Connolly became the first American to throw more than 200 feet. 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. In 1972, he finished fifth in the United States trials and failed to make the team.
Notably, 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. 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."
Connolly received his undergraduate degree from Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
in 1952 and attended graduate school at UCLA. Both during and after his athletic career, Connolly worked as a teacher in the Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
school system. In 1988, he then retired and accepted a position as an executive director of Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
, where he would serve for the next 11 years. Until his death, he coached youth athletes and served as the Junior Hammer Development Chairmen for US Track and Field Association. He was one of the leading promoters for the next generation of hammer throwers. He also published a website to help promote the hammer throw, Hammerthrow.org.
Personal life
During the 1956 Games, Connolly began a relationship with CzechCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
er Olga Fikotova
Olga Fikotová
Olga Fikotová is a Czechoslovakian and later American athlete who is best known for winning gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in the discus and her romance across Cold War barriers with American hammer gold medalist Harold Connolly.A natural athlete, she represented Czechoslovakia at national...
. They married after the Olympics, the following year in Prague—in three ceremonies there, with a celebration before 40,000 well-wishers. They were divorced in 1974, and the following year, he married Pat Winslow
Pat Winslow
Pat Connolly is a retired female heptathlete and track and field coach from the United States, who was the U.S. track and field national champion in the women's 800m in 1960 and 1961 and in the women's pentathlon from 1961 to 1967 and in 1970...
, a former coach of track star Evelyn Ashford
Evelyn Ashford
Evelyn Ashford is a retired American athlete, the 1984 Olympic champion in the 100 m. She has run under the 11 second barrier over 30 times and was the first to run under 11 seconds in an Olympic Games.As a 19-year-old, Ashford finished 5th in the 100 m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
and herself a three-time Olympian in the 800 meters and pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
.
A son from his first marriage, Jim Connolly, was the NCAA decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
champion for U.C.L.A. in 1987; Adam Connolly, a son from his second marriage, was America’s third-ranked hammer thrower in 1999.
Awards
In 1984 Connolly was elected into the National Track and Field Hall of FameNational Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
.
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.
Records
Men's hammer world record progression- World Record: Hammer Throw - 68.54 m (November 2, 1956, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) - World Record: Hammer Throw - 68.68 m (June 20, 1958, Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
) - World Record: Hammer Throw - 70.33 m (August 12, 1960, Walnut, California)
- World Record: Hammer Throw - 70.67 m (July 21, 1962, Palo Alto, CaliforniaStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
) - World Record: Hammer Throw - 71.06 m (May 29, 1965, CeresCeres, Western CapeCeres is a town with 46,251 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre and largest town of the Witzenberg Local Municipality. Ceres serves as a regional centre for the surrounding towns of Wolseley, Tulbagh, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred Hamlet...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) - World Record: Hammer Throw - 71.26 m (June 20, 1965 - September 4, 1965, Walnut, California)
Championships
- 1956 Olympics: Hammer Throw (1st)
- 1960 Olympics: Hammer Throw (8th)
- 1964 Olympics: Hammer Throw (6th)
- 1968 Olympics: Hammer Throw
External links
- Harold Connolly at the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame
- Harold Connolly's Hammerthrow.com
- Masterstrack.com obit
- Obituary from IAAF