George Poage Becomes First Black American to Win an Olympic Medal

George Poage of the Milwaukee Athletic Club won bronze medals in the 200-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, becoming the first African American to win an Olympic medal. His achievement came despite the St. Louis Games being held in a racially segregated city in the Jim Crow South. Poage's performance broke a barrier in international sport and prefigured the long tradition of Black American Olympic excellence.