His identify crops up persistently when an Indian touches a landmark in Olympics. On July 30, British-Indian Norman Pritchard was trending once more when Manu Bhaker grew to become the nation’s first athlete within the post-independence period to win two Video games medals in a single version.
Why? As a result of Pritchard had achieved it pre-independence within the 1900 version, which additionally came about in Paris, by profitable silver medals in 200m dash and 200m hurdles.
Whereas the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) lists him as an Indian, World Athletics (previously IAAF) credit his Olympic medals to Britain.
Pritchard was born in then Calcutta in 1875 and died in Los Angeles in 1929 on the age of 54.
The IOC acknowledges that the query of his nationality is just not a quite simple one to reply.
“Norman Pritchard is a controversial Olympian in that he’s claimed by each Britain and India as having competed for them on the 1900 Olympics,” in response to ‘Olympics.com’ web site.
“Though not a match for the very best athletes on the 1900 Olympics, he was a stable sprinter and hurdler, profitable the Bengal 100 yards title for seven consecutive years (1894-1900) and was additionally Bengal champion at four hundred and forty yards and 120y hurdles, which might lend assist to the Indian declare,” it goes on to say.
In keeping with famous British Olympic historian Ian Buchanan, Pritchard was a member of an previous colonial household and though he was born in India, he was “indisputably British”.
He’s additionally usually described as the primary Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal.
Pritchard moved to the US quickly after that medal-winning efficiency to pursue a profession in performing and appeared in 27 silent Hollywood films below the display identify Norman Trevor.
Within the IAAF Statistical Handbook issued in 2019, Pritchard’s silver medals had been credited to Nice Britain.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), on its half, has included him within the Indian athletics’ ‘Corridor of Fame’.
“He returned to India however completely moved to England in 1905. Later, he shifted to the US to make a mark in Hollywood and acted in fairly a number of movies there, taking a brand new identify as Norman Trevor,” says its notice on the late athlete.
“A person with two names in a single lifetime is rare in athletics, however Pritchard is widely known by many as the primary Indian to win an Olympic medal.” Famous Indian athletics statistician Murali Krishnan — a member of the Worldwide Society of Olympic Historians — stated that it is now settled that Pritchard competed as an Indian “as a result of the IOC attributes these medals to India”.
“His identify being entered as an athlete from GBR may need one thing to do with the truth that headquarters of the athletics world physique was at one time situated in London earlier than being shifted to Monaco,” he stated.
Printed – July 30, 2024 04:39 pm IST
