Jim Bolding

James Doyle Bolding, II (November 3, 1949 – July 31, 2011) was an American track and field athlete, primarily known for the 400 metres hurdles.

He was the current world record holder in the now rarely run 440-yard hurdles,[1] the predecessor to the current 400 metre hurdles (the 440 yard event is 2.336m, or seven feet eight inches, longer in distance).[2]

Over the more conventional 400 hurdles, Bolding was ranked in the top ten in the world 5 times from 1972 to 1976, achieving the #1 ranking in 1974 and trailing only the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder John Akii-Bua.[3] In 1974 he was named United States Olympic Committee "Male Athlete of the Year."[2][4]

Biography

Bolding was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was a 1968 graduate of U. S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City. He then went to Oklahoma State University where he won two NCAA Championships.[4] Bolding was 6th at the 1972 Olympic Trials while still in college. Between Olympics he was the U.S. National Champion in 1973 (440 yard hurdles) and 1974 (400 metres hurdles).[5]

In 1974, on tour, he also won the French national championship.[6] In Italy on the 24 July, Bolding set a world record at the 440 yard hurdles of 48.7s.[7][8] At the end of the season, he was on the August 1974 cover of Track and Field News captioned "Bolding Burns Barriers."[9]

In the 1976 Olympic Trials, he was in the lead at the halfway point going into a strong wind on the backstretch, but was passed by upstart Edwin Moses around the turn. Maintaining second until over the last hurdle, he "almost crumpled" and was passed by Mike Shine and a fast closing Quentin Wheeler into a non-qualifying fourth place. Moses and Shine would finish 1–2 in the Olympics.[10]

Between 1985 and 1988, Bolding was track coach at Oklahoma State University.[11] He returned as a volunteer coach in 2004 whilst also the owner of a travel agency.[12]

Bolding died, aged 61, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He is a member of both the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (elected posthumously in2011) and the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame (elected 2000).[4][13]

Rankings

Bolding was ranked among the best in the US and the world in the 400 m hurdles from 1971 to 1976, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.[14][15]

400 meters hurdles

Year	World rank	US rank
1971	-	6th
1972	9th	5th
1973	2nd	1st
1974	1st	1st
1975	3rd	1st
1976	3rd	3rd

References

1. "Drut finally gets revenue from Foster". Rome News-Tribune. Berkeley, California. UPI. 1975-06-15.
2. "James Bolding Obituary - OK | Oklahoman". Legacy.com.
3. "World Ranking – Men's 400 Hurdles" (PDF). trackandfieldnews.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
4. "Bolding, Jim | the Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
5. "USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
6. "French Championships".
7. Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p. 127.
8. Godfrey, Ed. "Olympian, former OSU start Jim Bolding had a heart of gold". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
9. "Past Covers 1974". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
10. Hymans, Richard (2008). "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
11. "OSU Loses Track Great Jim Bolding". Oklahoma State University. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
12. "Jim Bolding". Oklahoma State University. 12 October 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
13. "Hall of Honor - Oklahoma State University". Retrieved 23 September 2024.
14. "Men's World Rankings By Athlete". Track and Field News.
15. "Men's U.S. Rankings By Athlete". Track and Field News.

Awards
Preceded by John Akii-Bua	Men's 400 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1974-1975	Succeeded by Edwin Moses