Tom Courtney

Thomas William "Tom" Courtney (born August 17, 1933) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Tom Courtney came into national prominence while a student at Fordham University, winning the 1955 NCAA 880 yd (805 m) title.

An AAU champion in 400 m at 1956 and in 880 yd (805 m) at 1957 and 1958, Courtney had a memorable duel with Derek Johnson of Great Britain in the 1956 Olympic 800 m final. Johnson took a narrow lead with 40 metres to go, but finally Courtney won by 0.13 seconds, and collapsed with exhaustion. He later wrote:

"It was a new kind of agony for me. My head was exploding, my stomach ripping and even the tips of my fingers ached. The only thing I could think was, 'If I live, I will never run again.'"

The medal ceremony had to be delayed for an hour while he and Johnson recovered. But Courtney did run again. He was the anchorman on the gold medal 4 x 400 m relay team. He also set a world record of 1:46.8 in the 880 yd (805 m) on May 24, 1957.