Tom O'Hara
Encyclopedia
Tom O'Hara was the first native of the U.S. state
of Illinois
to break the four-minute barrier
for the mile run. He accomplished this feat in 1963 when he ran the mile in 3:59.4. He also held the world record for fastest mile in indoor track, which was set when he ran the mile in 3:56.6 on February 13, 1964. He later beat that record on March 6 of the same year with a time of 3:56.4, a world record that stood for fourteen years.
At St. Ignatius College Prep High School, in Chicago, Illinois, O'Hara was a star runner on the school's cross country and track and field teams, often running--and winning--the quarter mile, half mile, mile, and mile relay in a single meet. He was a member of the Loyola University Chicago
track, cross country, and indoor track teams. He was the individual champion of NCAA Division I men's cross country in 1962, and he participated in the 1500 m at the 1964 Summer Olympics
, where he qualified for the semi-finals.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to break the four-minute barrier
Four Minute Mile
Four Minute Mile is the first full-length album released by Kansas City, Missouri emo band The Get Up Kids.-Recording:The album was recorded in April 1997 on a budget of $4,000. It was produced by Shellac bassist Bob Weston in Chicago over the course of two and a half days. It was released by...
for the mile run. He accomplished this feat in 1963 when he ran the mile in 3:59.4. He also held the world record for fastest mile in indoor track, which was set when he ran the mile in 3:56.6 on February 13, 1964. He later beat that record on March 6 of the same year with a time of 3:56.4, a world record that stood for fourteen years.
At St. Ignatius College Prep High School, in Chicago, Illinois, O'Hara was a star runner on the school's cross country and track and field teams, often running--and winning--the quarter mile, half mile, mile, and mile relay in a single meet. He was a member of the Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
track, cross country, and indoor track teams. He was the individual champion of NCAA Division I men's cross country in 1962, and he participated in the 1500 m at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, where he qualified for the semi-finals.