Bob Tisdall was an Irish athlete. At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles he won a gold medal in the 400m hurdles. He won the race in a world record time of 51.67 seconds. The record was not recognised at the time because Tisdall knocked the final hurdle. The rules were later changed and the record is now recognised. Irish Olympic history was made on the day Tisdall won his medal. An hour after his win, Pat O’Callaghan won a gold medal in the hammer throw.
Robert Morton Newburgh Tisdall was born in Numara Eliya, a city in central Sri Lanka in 1907, but grew up in Nenagh, Co Tipperary. The Tisdall family had a big interest in sporting activities. Bob Tisdall’s father was All-Ireland sprint champion and his mother played Hockey for Ireland. Bob Tisdall qualified for the Irish team by winning the 400m hurdles title at the Irish Championships in Croke Park in 1932. The cost of sending Irish Olympic Team to Los Angeles in 1932 was funded by a church gate collection.
Following his success at the Olympics, Bob Tisdall emigrated to South Africa. He worked in various African countries before returning to Ireland in the 1960’s. He later moved to Australia where he continued with his interest in athletics. At the age of 93 he ran in the torch relay for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He died on July 27th 2004 following an accident.
Bob Tisdall was born in the year 1907 On This Day.
Bob Tisdall
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