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Jim Beatty

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Athlete

The Resume

    (October 28, 1934- )
    Born in New York City, New York
    First person to run a mile in less than four minutes on an indoor track (3:58.9 on February 10, 1962)
    Represented the 104th District in the North Carolina General Assembly (1967-73)
    Inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1990)

Why he might be annoying:

    He originally planned to be a boxer and ran only as part of his training.
    He qualified for the 5,000 meters for the 1960 Olympics, but on the way to Rome, he competed in an exhibition race against former world record holder Gordon Pirie and tore the ligaments in his left foot when he slipped on the cinder track.
    He missed the 1964 Olympics after he slipped while carrying out the garbage and stepped on a jagged piece of metal, cutting a gash in his left foot that required 27 stitches to close.
    He ran unsuccessfully for the US House of Representatives (1972).

Why he might not be annoying:

    Over the span of a month during his junior year of high school, he went from never having competed in a race to winning the North Carolina state championship in the mile.
    During a sixteen-day stretch, he set US records at five distances: 1500 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters, 1 mile, and 3 miles (1962).
    He was ABC's Wide World of Sports' first Athlete of the Year (1962).
    That same year, he also won the Sullivan Award as top American amateur athlete.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying