James "Ted" Meredith made the 1912 Olympic team while still in high school and won the gold medal in the 800 meters, narrowly outkicking the defending champion, Mel Sheppard, in a world record time of 1:51.9. In that race, Meredith continued on to set a world record of 1:52.5 in the slightly longer 880 yards. At the 1912 Games, Meredith won another gold medal on the 4x400m relay team and was fourth in the 400m run. His success continued at the University of Pennsylvania, where he added to his world record collection. He lowered the world 880-yard record to 1:52.2 in 1916 during a dual meet between Penn and Cornell. That same year, he set a world 400m record of 47.4. A two-time AAU 440 champion, he also ran on three world record relay teams while at Penn and held several world indoor bests as well. After serving as a captain in the U.S. Aviation Corps during World War I, Meredith again made the Olympic team in 1920. On that occasion, he failed to qualify for the final of the 400m run and ran on the fourth-place 4x400m relay team. After retiring from competition, Meredith coached at his former university before going on to a career as a real estate broker.
World Record: 400 m - 47.40 (May 27, 1916 - ) World Record: 800 m - 1:51.80 (July 8, 1912 - )
1912 Olympics: 400 m (4th) 1912 Olympics: 800 m - 1:51.80 (1st) 1912 Olympics: 1,600 m relay (1st) 1920 Olympics: 1,600 m relay (4th)
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