110 Metres Hurdles

Canadian Earl "Tommy" Thomson on lane 6 uses his groundbreaking technique (leaning into and over the hurdles with both arms forward) and wins the 110 metres hurdles in Antwerp 1920.

His results show that he was ahead of his time. In 1920, he set the world record for the 120-yard hurdles at 14.4 seconds. He equaled that time the following year. Other hurdlers did not reach the same results until the end of the 1920s.

Later in the 1930s, Thomson developed a forward-falling hurdle that reduced injuries and allowed athletes to "lick" the hurdles more aggressively.

Footage

• Film (IOC)

Results and Reports

• Olympedia

• Wikipedia

Newspaper and Online Stories

• New York Times, August 19, 1920

• Idrottsbladet, 1920 (in Swedish)

• Canada Olympic Committee

• 1000 Towns of Canada

• ISOH