John Halstead

Who was John Halstead?

John Preston Halstead was an American athlete. At the Olympic trials held at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, on June 1908, He established the North American record for the 1500 meters of 4:01.2, besting the then Olympic record of 4:05.4. At the summer Olympics held in London in July 1908, owing to the English system of a blind draw for the preliminary heats, he was paired in the 2nd heat with America's other best miler, Mel Sheppard. Nauseated by an upset stomach just before the heat, Halstead was unable to produce his customary final sprint and lost the heat by a yard to Sheppard in a time of 4:05, thus disqualifying him for the finals. Sheppard went on to win the gold in a time of 4:03.4. Halstead upheld the American team's reputation for good sportsmanship by never uttering a word of complaint about the English system of a blind draw.

In the 800 metres, held a week later, Halstead won his first round heat with a time of 2:01.4. He then placed sixth in the final.

He graduated from Cornell University the same year with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.