James Sarsfield Mitchel (born Mitchell; January 30, 1864 – July 3, 1921) was an Irish-born American field athlete who competed in the 1904 Olympics.[1] He was one of a group of Irish-American athletes known as the "Irish Whales."
![]() Mitchel throwing 16 pound hammer, 1906 | ||
Medal record | ||
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Men's athletics | ||
Representing the ![]() | ||
Olympic Games | ||
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1904 St Louis | 56 pound weight throw |
Biography
editMitchell was born in Emly, County Tipperary,[2] Ireland,[3]
Mitchell won the shot put and hammer throw titles at the 1887 AAA Championships.[4] The following year he successfully defended his hammer tile at the 1888 AAA Championships.[5]
He competed in events organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and was in the GAA's 1888 American Invasion Tour, where he won a gold and two silver medals at the national championships of the National Association of Amateur Athletes of America.[6] Like many of the GAA team, Mitchell remained in New York City rather than returning to Ireland at the end of the tour.
Mitchel represented New York Athletic Club at the 1904 Olympics in St Louis, Missouri. In the 56 lb weight throw he won the bronze medal. In the hammer throw competition he finished fifth and in the discus throw event he finished sixth.[7]
Spalding Athletic Library issued several "how to" books, one being "How to become a weight thrower" by Olympian James Mitchel.[8]
References
edit- ^ "James Mitchel". Olympedia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Irish Olympians, by Lindie Naughton and Johnnie Watterson, published by Blackwater Press, ISBN 0-86121-461-7
- ^ "Irish-born Medal Winners in the early Olympic Games" (PDF). LA84Foundation.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "The Amateur Athletic Championship". Empire News & The Umpire. 1 July 1888. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Crack Amateur Athletes; Spirited Contests at Yesterday's Championship Meeting". The Sun. New York City. 14 October 1888. p. 17 c. 5. Retrieved 25 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "James Mitchel". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
- ^ Library of Congress. [1] Retrieved Dec 16, 2020
External links
edit- Jim Mitchel at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- James Mitchel at Olympics.com