Frank Shorter
Track and Field

Frank

Shorter

Olympian 1972, 1976

  • 1

    GOLD

  • 1

    SILVER

  • 0

    BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Frank Shorter

Age

77

Hometown

Middletown, NY

Education

Northfield Mount Hermon School (Mount Hermon, Mass.) University of Florida; Yale University

Personal
Son of an American army doctor who was based in Germany after World War II...The second eldest of 11 children...Won his first marathon in 1970 in Sao Paulo, Brazil...Founded a sportswear company and worked as a television sports commentator upon his retirement from competitive racing...Helped establish the United States Anti-Doping Agency and served as its chairman from 2000-03...Wrote a memoir entitled, “My Marathon: Reflections on a Gold Medal Life”...Worked with a national organization that promoted physical fitness among children...Father to three children.
Olympic Experience
  • 2-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (1 gold, 1 silver)
    • Olympic Games Montreal 1976, silver (Marathon - Men)
    • Olympic Games Munich 1972, gold (Marathon - Men), 5th (10000m - Men)

Frank Shorter is an American former long-distance runner and the gold-medal winner in the marathon at the Olympic Games Munich 1972. He is also credited with igniting the 1970s running boom in the United States. Shorter was born in Munich, Germany, and first achieved athletic distinction by winning the 1969 NCAA six-mile title as a senior at Yale University. Following his marathon win at the Munich 1972 Games, Shorter was named the James E. Sullivan Award winner as the nation’s top amateur athlete. He won his second Olympic medal in the marathon at the Montreal 1976 Games, becoming the first American athlete to win two medals in the Olympic marathon. After his retirement from competitive long-distance racing, Shorter served as chairperson of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, an organization he helped established.

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