Lillian Copeland
Encyclopedia
Lillian Copeland (November 25, 1904 – July 7, 1964) was an American
athlete, who excelled in weight throw
ing. She has been called "the most successful female discus throw
er in U.S. history", despite the fact that she held multiple titles in shot put
and javelin throw
ing as well.
Until the Beijing Games
, she was the only American woman to win the discus throw
at a modern Olympiad.
She was also the first Olympian who was an alumna of the University of Southern California
and Los Angeles High School
.
to Polish
Jewish immigrants. Her father died when she was young, and her mother remarried and they moved to Los Angeles
.
. Consequently, her accomplishments are not fully described by the two medals she won in the discus throw. In truth, she excelled in all throwing events, but perhaps most notably in the shot put
. She won the AAU
championships in that event 5 times (1924–28, 1931). In addition, she won the AAU discus throw
title in 1926 and 1927, and the javelin throw
title in 1926 and 1931. In the latter event, she broke the world record
three times in 1926 and 1927. According to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
, she is said to have set the world record six times each in shot put, javelin and discus from 1925-1932. However, according to the USATF Hall of Fame, she only held one world record, in javelin throw. It is unclear why the two sources are so radically different in their accounts.
were the first Olympics to include women's track and field
events. In weight throw
ing Copeland could only compete in the discus throw, because the shot put and javelin throw were not yet on the program (they would follow in 1948 and 1932, respectively). Prior to the Olympiad, she ran the lead leg in the 440 yards (402.3 m) relay in the 1928 Olympic trials. In so doing, she helped the US Women's team set a new record in the event of 50.0 seconds, and actually qualified for the Olympics in that event. Sources disagree, however, whether it was a world or US national record.
Once in Amsterdam
, however, she only competed in the discus throw, where she finished second to Poland's Halina Konopacka
. Because it was the first time the event had been held, she was the sport's first silver medalist.
Returning to America, she enrolled in the University of Southern California
law school, and became less focused on sports. Nevertheless, she made the 1932 Olympic
team for the discus throw. Competing in her home town, she moved into gold medal position with her last throw. That throw of 133.16 feet (40.6 m) was also a new world record. This also meant that it was a new Olympic Record
, bettering Konopacka's mark in Amsterdam.
Although she had begun preparations to defend her Los Angeles gold at the Berlin Games
, she ultimately chose to boycott them. As a Jew, she was strongly opposed to Adolf Hitler
's ban against Jews on the German Olympic team
. Consequently, Copeland's appearance at the 1935 Maccabiah Games
— where she won the titles in her three events — proved her final major competition.
and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
.
. She worked at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department until 1960.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete, who excelled in weight throw
Weight throw
The weight throw is a track and field event that is held at Scottish Highland games and occasionally at indoor track meets.In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight ...
ing. She has been called "the most successful female 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 in U.S. history", despite the fact that she held multiple titles in shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
ing as well.
Until the Beijing Games
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from August 15 to August 24, 2008, at the Beijing National Stadium. The Olympic sport of athletics is split into four distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking...
, she was the only American woman to win the 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...
at a modern Olympiad.
She was also the first Olympian who was an alumna of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans....
.
Early life
Copeland was born in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Jewish immigrants. Her father died when she was young, and her mother remarried and they moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los 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...
.
Athletic career
Copeland competed during the formative decades of women's competition in track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. Consequently, her accomplishments are not fully described by the two medals she won in the discus throw. In truth, she excelled in all throwing events, but perhaps most notably in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
. She won the AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
championships in that event 5 times (1924–28, 1931). In addition, she won the AAU 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...
title in 1926 and 1927, and the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
title in 1926 and 1931. In the latter event, she broke the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
three times in 1926 and 1927. According to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
, she is said to have set the world record six times each in shot put, javelin and discus from 1925-1932. However, according to the USATF Hall of Fame, she only held one world record, in javelin throw. It is unclear why the two sources are so radically different in their accounts.
Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
were the first Olympics to include women's track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events. In weight throw
Weight throw
The weight throw is a track and field event that is held at Scottish Highland games and occasionally at indoor track meets.In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight ...
ing Copeland could only compete in the discus throw, because the shot put and javelin throw were not yet on the program (they would follow in 1948 and 1932, respectively). Prior to the Olympiad, she ran the lead leg in the 440 yards (402.3 m) relay in the 1928 Olympic trials. In so doing, she helped the US Women's team set a new record in the event of 50.0 seconds, and actually qualified for the Olympics in that event. Sources disagree, however, whether it was a world or US national record.
Once in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, however, she only competed in the discus throw, where she finished second to Poland's Halina Konopacka
Halina Konopacka
Halina Konopacka , famous athlete, first Polish Olympic Champion . She took part in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam, where she won a gold medal in discus throw breaking her own world record...
. Because it was the first time the event had been held, she was the sport's first silver medalist.
Returning to America, she enrolled in the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
law school, and became less focused on sports. Nevertheless, she made the 1932 Olympic
United States at the 1932 Summer Olympics
The United States was the host nation for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. 448 competitors, 378 men and 70 women, took part in 122 events in 17 sports.- Bronze:...
team for the discus throw. Competing in her home town, she moved into gold medal position with her last throw. That throw of 133.16 feet (40.6 m) was also a new world record. This also meant that it was a new Olympic Record
Olympic record
Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games...
, bettering Konopacka's mark in Amsterdam.
Although she had begun preparations to defend her Los Angeles gold at the Berlin Games
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, she ultimately chose to boycott them. As a Jew, she was strongly opposed to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's ban against Jews on the German Olympic team
Germany at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Nazi Germany was the host nation and top medal recipient for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. 431 competitors, 388 men and 43 women, took part in 143 events in 22 sports.- Gold:* Hans Woellke — Athletics, Men's Shot Put...
. Consequently, Copeland's appearance at the 1935 Maccabiah Games
1935 Maccabiah Games
The 1935 Maccabiah Games was the second Maccabiah held. These games were held despite official opposition by the British Mandatory government. A total of 28 countries were represented by 1,350 athletes. Delegations from Italy, Belgium, Holland, Turkey, France and South Africa arrived for the first...
— where she won the titles in her three events — proved her final major competition.
Honorary memberships
In view of her contributions to women's track and field, she was made a posthumous member of the USATF Hall of Fame, the Helms Athletic Hall of FameHelms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
.
Later career
Copeland's main career off the field was law enforcementLaw enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
. She worked at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department until 1960.
See also
- List of select Jewish track and field athletes
External links
- Photo of Lillian Copeland in 1926, PhillyHistory.org.