Sabin William Carr (September 4, 1904, in
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
– September 12, 1983, in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coa ...
) was an American
athlete
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-dev ...
who competed in the men's
pole vault
Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the My ...
. He competed in
Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being t ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
and won
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
.
In 1927, Sabin Carr set new indoor and outdoor world records. In early February, he took the indoor record up to 13-7⅛ (4.14), which he improved one week later to 13-9¼ (4.19). In May, at the IC4A outdoor, he became the first man to clear 14 feet (4.27), then in 1928, at the AAU indoor, he vaulted 14-1 (4.29) to become the first to clear 14 feet indoors. In 1928, Carr lost his world outdoor record to the 1924 Olympic champion, Lee Barnes, but at the Olympics, Carr got his revenge – he took the gold medal, with Barnes finishing fifth. Carr, a Yale graduate, had a fine record in major championships, winning the AAU indoor twice, the IC4A outdoor three times, and the IC4A indoor twice. Oddly he never placed better than third at the AAU outdoor meet. Carr eventually went into the lumber business in Oakland, California, and became president of the Sterling Lumber Co.
1904 births
1983 deaths
Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics
American male pole vaulters
Sportspeople from Dubuque, Iowa
Track and field athletes from Iowa
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
The Hill School alumni
Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Yale Bulldogs men's track and field athletes
Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery
{{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub