Guinn Smith 454285 206729321 2008-04-19T18:03:31Z Broadbot 3410049 robot Adding: [[no:Guinn Smith]] {{unreferenced|date=January 2008}} {{MedalTableTop}} {{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (track and field)|athletics]]}} {{MedalGold|[[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 London]]|[[Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics|Pole vault]]}} {{MedalBottom}} '''Owen Guinn Smith''' (born [[May 2]], [[1920]] – died [[January 20]], [[2004]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[Athletics (track and field)|athlete]], the [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Olympic]] champion in the [[pole vault]]. Born in [[McKinney, Texas]], Smith moved to [[California]] when he was a kid. He was originally a [[high jump]]er, but [[UC Berkeley]], the university he wanted to attend, already had a strong high jumping team, so he took up pole vaulting. He won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] championships in 1941, the year before he graduated as a history major. During the remainder of [[World War II]], Guinn Smith served as an air force pilot in Asia. Smith, the 1947 national pole vault champion, was sent to the 1948 Olympics in [[London]]. During a rainy competition, Smith took the gold in his last attempt for 4.30 m (14 ft 1 1/4 in). He died at age 83 in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] of [[emphysema]]. {{Footer Olympic Champions Pole Vault Men}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Guinn}} [[Category:1920 births]] [[Category:2004 deaths]] [[Category:Athletes at the 1948 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Deaths from emphysema]] [[Category:Pole vaulters]] [[de:Guinn Smith]] [[no:Guinn Smith]] [[pl:Owen Guinn Smith]] [[fi:Guinn Smith]]