Meyer Prinstein

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Meyer Prinstein

American track and field athlete

Also known as: Mejer Prinsztejn

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 18, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Original name:: Mejer Prinsztejn

Born:: Dec. 22, 1878, Szczuczyn, Pol.

Died:: March 10, 1925, New York, N.Y., U.S. (aged 46)

Awards And Honors:: Olympic Games

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Meyer Prinstein (born Dec. 22, 1878, Szczuczyn, Pol.—died March 10, 1925, New York, N.Y., U.S.) was an American jumper who won three gold medals in Olympic competition in the early 20th century. As a student at Syracuse University, Prinstein set a world record in the long jump, 7.24 metres (23 feet 8.875 inches), in 1898. He finished second in the long jump to his great rival, Alvin Kraenzlein, in an intercollegiate meet the next year, then beat Kraenzlein in 1900 with another world-record leap, this time of 7.51 metres (24 feet 7.25 inches). At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, ...(100 of 207 words)

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