Olympic Blasts!: Ken McArthur and Christian Gitsham give SA their second one-two finish in Stockholm

Today in Olympic history: July 14

1912 — Ken McArthur and Christian Gitsham give South Africa their second one-two finish of the Stockholm Olympics, in the marathon. McArthur, after whom the athletics stadium in Potchefstroom is named, won in a 2 hr 36 min 54.8 sec Olympic record ahead of Gitsham (2:37:52) and American Gaston Strobino (2:38:42.4). It was the second time that South African had won an Olympic gold-silver finish — after tennis players Charles Winslow and Harry Kitson in the men’s singles competition nine days earlier — but it was the last occasion too. The marathon double pushed SA’s total tally to four golds and two silver, still the country’s best haul of gold medals from one Olympics, matched only once to date, at London 2012.

2007 — Long-jumper Karin Mey leaps 6.93m in Bad Langensalza, Germany, to break Karen Botha’s SA record from 1990. Mey, winner of the competition that day, equalled that mark a year later before switching allegiance to Turkey.