Timothy Ralph Danielson is a former American middle-distance runner. He is one of only twelve U.S. high school athletes to ever run the mile in under four minutes. In 2014, he was convicted of the first-degree murder of his wife.

High school

While running for Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, California, Danielson became the second high school 4-minute miler when he ran a 3:59.4 mile at

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Balboa Stadium Balboa Stadium is an American football and soccer stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in San Diego, California. Just east of San Diego High School, the original stadium was built in 1914 as part of the 1915 Panama–Califo ...

on June 11, 1966. His mile time puts him sixth on the all-time high school miler list, behind

Alan Webb Alan Webb may refer to: * Alan Webb (actor) (1906–1982), English actor * Alan Webb (runner) (born 1983), American track athlete * Alan Webb (footballer) (born 1963), retired English association football player See also

* Allan Webb (disambigu ...

's 3:53.43 (2001),

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the ...

's 3:55.3 (1965), Drew Hunter's 3:58.25,

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's 3:59.3 (2017),

Matthew Maton Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

's 3:59.38 (2015), and

Grant Fisher Grant Fisher (born April 22, 1997) is a Canadian-born American professional middle- and long-distance runner. He placed fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Fisher holds No ...

's 3:59.38 (2015), and is the fastest time ever run by a California high school student. He won the mile race at the CIF California State Meet in 1965 with a time of 4:08.0 and again the next year with a time of 4:07.0. He won the Golden West Invitational High School meet two-mile race in 1966 in a time of 8:55.4. He was '' Track and Field News'' "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1966.

College

After high school Danielson attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, where he competed for the track team for a year but never managed to break four minutes for the mile again. He was in the race at the 1967

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, i ...

where Jim Ryun set the world record at 3:51.1. After running second for much of the race, he faded near the end, finishing 8th in just over 4 minutes. During that same race,

Marty Liquori Martin William Liquori (born September 11, 1949) is a retired American middle distance athlete. Liquori rose to fame when he became the third American high schooler to break the four-minute mile by running a 3:59.8 in 1967, three years after ...

became the third high school 4 minute miler, a step ahead of him. Danielson's career direction changed. Ryun said "I lost track of Tim after that." He married Carolyn Mooers in February 1968, their first son was born in June, all distractions at the same time he was attempting to qualify for the 1968 Olympics. Before professionalism was allowed "In those days, if anyone married they were finished." said Liquori.

Personal

Danielson began working as an engineer for GKN Aerospace Engine Products in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the ...

in 1971. He married his third wife, Ming Qi in 2006; they divorced in 2008. On June 16, 2011, Danielson was charged in the murder of Ming Qi. He pleaded not guilty. During the trial, Danielson claimed the murder was a suicide attempt, a result of his use of

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, a drug known a history of these side effects, included in disclaimers attached to its advertising. On May 12, 2014 Danielson was convicted of first-degree murder. On July 11, 2014, Danielson was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.

References

External links

California State Records before 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danielson, Tim American male middle-distance runners 1948 births BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes Living people Sportspeople from Chula Vista, California Track and field athletes from California American sportspeople convicted of crimes American people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by California Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California