Fred Newhouse (left) at the 1976 Olympic Games (© Getty Images)
World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Fred Newhouse, who earned Olympic 400m silver and 4x400m gold in 1976, died on Monday (20) at the age of 76.
The US sprinter was one of the world’s leading 400m runners throughout the 1970s.
Born in Texas in November 1948, Newhouse honed his sprinting talent at Prairie View A&M, where he studied electrical engineering. During his time there, he won the 400m at the 1969 NAIA Championships, contributing to Prairie View A&M’s overall victory.
Newhouse started the following year in tremendous form. He clocked 45.7 and 45.3, the fastest times ever recorded for 400m indoors at that point, albeit on an oversized track. Aged just 21, he achieved his first national podium finish that year, placing third in the 220 yards at the US Championships. He produced another third-place finish at the 1971 edition, this time over 440 yards.
Later that year, Newhouse represented the USA at the Pan-American Games in Cali, where he earned silver over 400m before going on to win gold in the 4x400m.
He looked to be on course to make the US team for the 1972 Olympic Games after clocking 44.2 in the semifinals of the US Olympic Trials. He faded badly in the final, though, and finished seventh, missing out on making the team for the Munich Games.
After winning the US 400m title in 1975, and having learned from his mistakes in 1972, Newhouse secured his place on the US team for the 1976 Olympics. He won his heat, quarterfinal and semifinal, then took silver in the final in a PB of 44.40 behind Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena. Newhouse’s time was the fourth-fastest electronic-timed performance in history at that point.
Fred Newhouse and Alberto Juantorena in Eugene (© Getty Images)
Two days later, Newhouse ran a 43.83 split on the victorious US 4x400m quartet, earning Olympic gold in 2:58.65, the second-fastest time in history.
He retired in the late 1970s but remained active in the sport as an official. In 2000 he was team leader for the US men’s athletics team at the Sydney Olympic Games. More recently, Newhouse was the video review assistant to the referee at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
