Ronald Howard "Ron" Whitney (born October 5, 1942) is a retired American

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

and sprinter. Known for his fast finish, he was sixth in the 400 m hurdles at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

. He had entered the race as one of the favorites, having been ranked #1 in the world in 1967 and winning the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Olym ...

in the event for the second time earlier that year. At the Olympics, his first heat victory established a new Olympic record, only to be surpassed by

David Hemery David Peter Hemery, (born 18 July 1944) is a British former track and field athlete, best known as the winner of the 400 metres hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Early life Hemery was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but ...

two days later. Previously he had been the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

champion in the same event. While working on his master's degree at Colorado State University, he was the 1967 Gold Medalist at the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad". The Universiade is referred ...

. He also had won bronze two years earlier and while competing for

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

, where he was coached by Jim Bush, was runner up at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Championships in 1963. At

Thomas Downey High School Thomas Downey High School (TDHS) is a High School in Modesto, California. It is one of the seven high schools in Modesto. Thomas Downey High is the second oldest high school in the city of Modesto and its doors opened to students in the Fall of 1 ...

in Modesto, California, Whitney was the champion at the 1960

Golden West Invitational The Golden West Invitational (GWI) high school track & field all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition. The GWI made its debut in 1960 and is held ...

, the equivalent of a national champion, at 800 m, a week after finishing fourth in the

CIF California State Meet The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direc ...

in the same event. Whitney continued to compete into masters age groups as a pioneer of

masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair com ...

. Whitney continues to be involved in the sport as head track and field coach at

Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) is a public community college in Santa Rosa, California with an additional campus in Petaluma and centers in surrounding Sonoma County. Santa Rosa Junior College was modeled as a feeder school for the Unive ...

. He is a member of the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame and the Occidental College Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Ron 1942 births Living people American male hurdlers World record setters in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1967 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Sportspeople from Modesto, California Sportspeople from Santa Rosa, California Occidental College alumni Track and field athletes from California Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) American masters athletes Universiade gold medalists for the United States Universiade bronze medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1965 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1967 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games