Keystone, via Getty Images
Harrison Dillard, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, was considered the world’s best hurdler in the 1940s, setting countless records and winning championships. But his greatest fame resulted from an embarrassing defeat.
From June 1947 through June 1948, Dillard — who died on Friday in Cleveland at 96 — won 82 consecutive finals, outdoors and indoors, in the high hurdles, low hurdles and sprints. The streak was the longest in track and field history.
In the 1948 United States Olympic trials in Evanston, Ill., he finished third in the 100-meter dash final and made the Olympic team.