Hugo Leistner

Hugo "Swede" Leistner (July 31, 1902 – May 11, 2002) was an American hurdler. Leistner won the NCAA championship in the 120 yd hurdles in 1925 and placed in the top four at the United States championships several times in both that event and the 220 yd hurdles.

Hugo Leistner
Personal information
BornJuly 31, 1902
Nuremberg, Germany
DiedMay 11, 2002 (aged 99)
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S.
Alma materStanford University
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)110 mH – 14.6 (1925)
400 mH – 55.0 (1928)[1]

Biography

Leistner was born in Nuremberg, Germany, but immigrated to the United States with his family as a child.[2] He became a good hurdler at Palo Alto High School;[3] after graduating from high school in 1921 he started studying civil engineering at Stanford University[2][4] and joined coach Dink Templeton's track and field squad there.[5] He won both the 120 yd (109.7 m) high hurdles and the 220 yd low hurdles in a freshmen's dual meet against the California Golden Bears in 1922.[5][6] As a sophomore in 1923 he placed second in the 120 yd hurdles at the NCAA championships, losing only to Kansas State's Ivan Riley;[7] he also scored in the low hurdles, placing fourth.[8]

In 1924 no NCAA championship meet was held, but Leistner placed second in the 120 yd hurdles at the IC4A championships, the other major collegiate meet of the time.[9] He also competed in the 1924 Olympic Trials, qualifying from the heats but going out in the semi-finals and failing to make the team.[10] Leistner's times improved the following year,[1] and he was a leading candidate to be Stanford's team captain, though that honor eventually went to thrower Glenn "Tiny" Hartranft.[11] Leistner won the 1925 NCAA 120 yard hurdles in 14.6, defeating Ohio State's George Guthrie, an Olympic finalist from the previous year;[7][12] in addition, he placed second to Morgan Taylor in the low hurdles.[8] Stanford would have won the NCAA team title, but one wasn't awarded that year.[13] At the national championships Leistner placed a close second to Guthrie in the high hurdles, losing by inches as Guthrie in turn was clocked in a meeting record 14.6;[14] he also took second, behind Charles Brookins but ahead of Guthrie, in the low hurdles.[15]

Although Leistner continued to study at Stanford, he had exhausted his college-level eligibility as a track and field athlete.[16] Stanford attempted to turn him into a footballer, but he was ruled ineligible for that sport as well due to a rugby game he'd played in Canada.[17] In 1926 he finished third in the 120 yd hurdles at the national championships, while in 1927 he placed second in both the high and the low hurdles.[14][18]

May 14, 1927 ran 23.8 for 220 yard hurdles for the Olympic Club. Leistner remained in good form for the Olympic year of 1928, defeating another Stanford hurdler, Ross Nichols, at the Pacific Tryouts in 14.8.[19] He was considered likely to qualify for the Olympics,[19] but at the final Olympic Trials he failed to make it past the first round; he was leading his heat when he hit the fifth hurdle and fell.[20] Despite his failure to qualify he still travelled to the Olympics with the American team, getting aboard the team's ship, the SS President Roosevelt, as a stowaway with several other athletes;[21][22] in the end his trip to Amsterdam and back was duly paid for by a friend, but he was not allowed to compete at the Olympics.[22]

Leistner placed at the national championships for a final time in 1929, taking fourth in the high hurdles.[14] He later worked for the Southern California Gas Company, retiring in 1965; he died in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2002.[2] He is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.[23]

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References
  1. "Hugo Leistner". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  2. "Obituaries". The Spokesman-Review. May 20, 2002. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  3. "Sports". Berkeley Daily Gazette. April 30, 1921. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  4. "Candidates For June Graduation Surpass Last Year's Number". The Stanford Daily. May 12, 1927. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  5. ""Dink" Templeton Is Short Several Of His Best Known Players". Oakland Tribune. January 5, 1923. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  6. "Track Records Shattere in Stanford Meet". Oakland Tribune. April 9, 1922. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  7. Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships: 110 Hurdles" (pdf). Track & Field News. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  8. Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships: 220 Hurdles" (pdf). Track & Field News. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  9. "Title Goes Back To Eastern Coast". Santa Ana Register. May 31, 1924. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  10. Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  11. "Glenn Hartranft Is Elected To Captain Stanford Track Team". The Stanford Daily. February 6, 1925. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  12. "Set New Records". Lawrence Journal-World. June 13, 1925. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  13. Downer, George F. (June 14, 1925). "Hubbart Sets World's Mark In Broad Jump". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  14. Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2011". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  15. "Brookins Wins Low Hurdles". Iowa City Press Citizen. July 6, 1925. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  16. Wright, Theon (January 5, 1926). "Cards' Track Team Lacking In Sprinters". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  17. "Stanford Loses Grid Star By Ineligibility". The Miami News. October 24, 1926. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  18. "Charlie Paddock and Hugo Leistner Head Team Stopping Here Wednesday for Meet". Salt Lake Tribune. July 3, 1927. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  19. "California Counts On Weight Tossers". Lewiston Evening Journal. June 26, 1928. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  20. Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  21. "Swede Leistner Is Stowaway On Olympic Vessel". San Jose News. July 13, 1928. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  22. "Athletic Star Is Stowaway On Big Liner". The San Bernardino County Sun. July 13, 1928. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  23. "The University at a Glance" (PDF). GoStanford.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
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