Stade de Colombes, Paris, September 8–9, 1928
Silvio Cator had jumped to silver at the Amsterdam Games. The medal was no fluke, as Cator demonstrated his talent in September by unleashing a new world record of 7.93 (26-0¼) in Paris. The record, achieved on his final attempt, also meant something to the English-speaking world, as the 26-foot mark (7.92m) was broken for the first time.
World records in this event tend to be long-lasting. National records are even more resilient. Cator's mark has stood as Haiti's national record for 97 years in 2025.
Cator was born in Cavaillon, southern Haiti, in 1900. His parents owned extensive estates where they cultivated coffee and raised cattle. At the age of 11, he was sent to Jamaica to study. He was also interested in football, although track and field also suited him: at 14, he was already clearing 1.60 (5-3) in the high jump. The Paris Olympics were ruined due to an injury. In 1925, Cator moved to Paris, settling in Montmartre. Alongside his athletics career, he studied at the Paris business school.
The Paris meet featured fast two-lap races, although Olympic champion Douglas Lowe and Otto Peltzer, who had disappointed in Amsterdam, were absent from the starting line. Hermann Engelhard of Germany and Paul Martin of Switzerland clocked the fifth-fastest time of the season at 1:51.8, outpacing, among others, star runner Jules Ladoumègue.
Engelhard, the 800-meter bronze medalist from Amsterdam, surprised by sprinting the 400 in a German national record of 47.6. His speed was the fifth-fastest effort over one lap or close to one lap in the world that season. Paul Martin finished second in 47.8, which moved him to eighth in the world rankings. The 400 in Colombes was perhaps the highest quality of the season, as Otto Neumann finished third with a strong European time of 47.9, and Marcel Moulines fourth (48.1).
World record holder Morgan Taylor undeniably showed his best form since the Olympics, where he had surprisingly finished only third. In Colombes, he secured another victory with the sixth-best time of the season, 52.6.
Helsingin Sanomat September 10, 1928 (in Finnish)
Helsingin Sanomat September 11, 1928 (in Finnish)
Hufvudstadsbladet September 11, 1928 (in Swedish)
Urheilija 11/1928 (profile of Silvio Cator, in Finnish)