Full name James Andrew Carlton Sport Sprint National team Australia Name James Carlton | Spouse(s) Enid Symington Role Olympic athlete Country Australia Height 1.89 m | |
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Born 10 February 1909 ( 1909-02-10 ) Lismore, New South Wales, Australia National finals National champion in Men's 200m (1931–33) Died April 4, 1951, Waitara, Sydney, Australia | ||
James Andrew "Jim" Carlton (10 February 1909 – 4 April 1951) was an Australian Olympic athlete who competed in sprint events.
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Biography
A native of Lismore, New South Wales. Carlton first came to the sporting public's notice as a junior in 1927 running the 100 y in 10.0 s and the 220 y in 21.8 s.
Carlton won three successive national championship sprint doubles in 1928, 1930 and 1932 when the championships were only held every two years. He competed in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam but was run out in the quarter-finals, his form affected by illness (quinsy). Though selected for the 1930 British Empire Games, Carlton did not run.
In 1931 Carlton equalled Eddie Tolan's world record for 100 yards of 9.4 s but the record was disallowed as the time had only been taken on two stop watches. His 9.6 national record, set in 1930, stood for twenty-three years. He also ran a wind-assisted 21.0 s for the 220 y (turn) and beat the great American sprinter George Simpson.
His 20.6s run to win the 1932 220 yards national championship at the Sydney Cricket Ground created a sensation, smashing the world record (then 21.0 s), and was controversially judged as wind assisted. The judge reportedly used a piece of wood to ascertain the wind speed and his decision was disputed by observers present at the time. The time Carlton ran was not to be legitimately run until after the Second World War.
Carlton's subsequent announcement of his retirement from athletics and to enter a Catholic seminary in order to become a priest rather than competing at the 1932 Olympics also created controversy.
Carlton left the priesthood in 1945 to marry, becoming a teacher. He died of asthma in 1951, at only 42 years of age.
Personal life
Carlton's elder son Mike is a well-known Sydney radio broadcaster, while his younger son (Peter) is a human resource manager.
Statistics
Personal Bests