Cyrus J. Young, Jr. is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw. A graduate of UCLA, he was the first non-European man to win the gold medal in the javelin throw in the Olympics in 1952, and - through the 2012 London Olympics - he remains the only American male to earn Olympic gold in the event. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles and graduated in 1951. Incredibly, Young only toyed with the javelin for two years in junior college and only took it seriously after entering UCLA in 1948. In 1950, he placed second in the NCAA Championships, and in 1952 Young set a new U.S. record of 256 feet 3 inches in the javelin. Young competed in the javelin throw for the U.S. at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland where he won the gold medal. Young continued to throw during his mid-20s and four years later prepared to defend his Olympic title. In April 1956, Young had the best throw of his career with 259-8�. Later in the season, he won his only AAU championship. 

July 23rd, 1928 in Modesto  /  Died:   Dec 6th, 2017 - dementia