Mal Whitfield
Whitfield in 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname | Marvelous Mal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Malvin Greston Whitfield October 11, 1924 Bay City, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 19, 2015 (aged 91) Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 400 metres, 800 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 400 m: 45.9 (1953) 800 m: 1:47.9 (1953) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed Marvelous Mal, he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the 1948 gold medal team in the 4 × 400 metres relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze). After his competitive career, he worked for 47 years as a coach, goodwill ambassador, as well as an athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Service.