Donald Lippincott

Donald Fithian Lippincott (November 16, 1893 – January 9, 1962) was an American Olympic athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. He won a bronze medal in the 100 metres and a silver medal in the 200 metres.

Lippincott was the first record holder in 100 metres to be recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation. He set the world record in a heat of 100 metres at the 1912 Olympics.

Early life and education Lippincott was born November 16, 1893, in Philadelphia into a wealthy banking family. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Sphinx Senior Society. He graduated from the Wharton school at Penn with a degree in Economics in 1915. In 1915, he was a member of the Penn 4×440 yard relay team that set a new world record of 3:18.0.

Lippincott also had a time recorded for 440 yard dash of 48.0 seconds although the time is considered suspect.

He was a member of the varsity track team that was the dominant force in college track and field at the time, winning 3 Intercollegiate association of Amateur Athletics of America (IC4A) championships in 4 years in the period 1910–13. The team was coached by Mike Murphy who died in 1913. It is said Lippincott ran the 220 yard dash in world record time to guarantee Murphy his last championship. In 1915, Lippincott was named captain of the track team. She tried to persuade Lippincott's father to write his son a letter stating that the family business was struggling and no money for travel would be forthcoming. In the end he did raise the sponsorship money from Penn alumni and his parents relented.

100 metres Lippincott set the world record in heat 16 of the 100 metres. Richard Rau was considered to have the then unofficial world's best time of 10.5 s but this had not been properly ratified. Lippincott would remain world record holder for eight years without peers (in 1920 Jackson Scholz gained a share of the record, and in 1921 Charlie Paddock recorded a new record of 10.4 seconds. )

In the 100 metres final itself there were seven false starts, one of which led to both Lippincott and the eventual winner Ralph Craig sprinting the whole length of the track.

Later life After graduation in 1915, Lippincott served as a lieutenant in the US Navy during World War I. After the war, he went into banking in Philadelphia and worked as a broker with Bache & Co.

He died January 9, 1962, and was interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Personal life He was married and had 4 children.