Ira Sylvester Davis (born September 25, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American triple jumper. He represented the United States at three Olympics; 1956, 1960 and 1964. He made the finals each time, his best showing was fourth place in 1960, missing a bronze medal by 2 cm.[1] He was the winner of the Olympic Trials each time, setting the Trials record in 1956 and twice in 1960. 1956 was also the American record, set as a 19-year-old college freshman. He was a four time National Champion, winning in 1958-60 and again in 1964.[2]

Davis competed for Overbrook High School where he was a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain on both the basketball and track teams; and La Salle University. Davis was also a credible sprinter, winning the 100-yard dash at the IC4A Championships and the Penn Relays in 1958.[3]

Davis was a 1956 initiate of the Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

1983 Davis (age 46) jumped to a Masters M45 Triple Jump World Indoor Record and winning the Masters National Indoor Championship.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ Ira Davis at Sports Reference
  2. ^ "USA Track & Field - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
  3. ^ "Olympian Ira Davis headed to London".
  4. ^ National Masters News (NMN), May 1983, pages 23 and 35 of 40.[1] Retrieved Mar 29, 2023
  5. ^ NMN May 1985, page 25 of 40.[2] Retrieved Mar 29, 2023
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