Meet the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal

John Baxter Taylor Jr etched his name in history as the first black Olympic gold medalist. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, Taylor dominated the track, clinching three IC4A 440-yard titles.

His winning times in 1904 (49.2 seconds) and 1907 (48.8 seconds) stood as the fastest in the world in those years. He also secured the AAU championship in 1907, according to the Olympics website.

Despite his favored status in the 400 meters at the 1908 Olympics, Taylor failed to perform. The race was overshadowed by controversy when Britain’s Wyndham Halswelle and America’s John Carpenter clashed.

Carpenter was accused of forcing Halswelle to run wide during the stretch run, leading to Carpenter’s disqualification and a decision to rerun the race. The Americans were outraged by the decision to disqualify Carpenter, believing no foul had been committed. In protest, they, including Taylor, refused to compete in the rerun of the race.

Taylor, who had earned a veterinary medicine degree from Penn and planned to open a practice that year, died of typhoid fever before the year ended.

Born on November 3, 1882, in Washington, D.C., to Sarah Thomas and John Baxter Taylor, his family later moved to Philadelphia, where Taylor attended Central High School and served as captain of the track team.

Continuing his education at Brown Preparatory School, Taylor was part of an undefeated team that clinched the one-mile intercollegiate relay championship at the Penn Relay Games, according to Penn Libraries.

His journey with the University of Pennsylvania began in September 1903 when he enrolled at the Wharton School. After two years, he shifted focus, enrolling in the School of Veterinary Medicine in October 1905. Taylor completed the rigorous three-year program, graduating in 1908.

During his time as a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he was pivotal in elevating the university’s athletic prestige. Competing on Penn’s track teams from 1903 to 1908, alongside Nathaniel John Cartmell and Guy Hastings, Taylor helped secure multiple championships. His impressive 8-foot-6-inch stride was the longest known for any runner of the time.

Taylor set the world interscholastic record for the 440-yard dash in 1903 with a time of 49.1 seconds, later breaking his own record in 1907 with a 48.6-second finish.

That same year, he also claimed the indoor championship title for the 600 yards.