Culver Hastedt

Culver Lucias Hastedt (October 16, 1884 – November 2, 1966) was an American sprinter and Olympic gold medalist in 1904. In total, he won five Olympic medals for track and field competition in the first American Olympics and the first Olympics held outside of Europe. Since he was an amateur athlete and as part of the newly founded , he received the label of amateur "handicap" at the time, which in no way referred to his physical ability, nor his achievement of competitive awards. However, for his five wins as an amateur, he was known as "The King of the Handicaps," winning gold medals in the 60-yard dash, the 100-yard dash and the running broad jump at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. Also, in the Olympic Open Meet, he won the 100-yard dash and won second place in the broad jump.

In the 1904 Olympic Games, "handicap" did not refer to any type of physical impairment at that time. Instead, these were events in which some athletes, mostly amateurs, were given a slight advantage in position or location. These matches were track and field events that allowed lesser athletes the opportunity to compete head-to-head with superior professional Olympic competitors. In this era, a "handicap" winner is similar to an amateur winner of a professional event. His victory in the 100-yard dash was the first won by a St. Louis athlete. The 1904 Olympics were also significant in that they were the first Olympics to be held in the United States.