Jewish World Records emblemJewish World Records
Back to all records
JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000192

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Olympic Champion in the 100 Metres

Record holder

Harold AbrahamsPerson

Record value

Gold — 7 July 1924

Country represented: Great BritainAchievement location: Paris, FranceAchievement date: 7 July 1924Current record

Challenge this record

Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Harold Abrahams at the 1924 Olympic Games.

Harold Abrahams in 1924, the year he won Olympic 100 m gold.Unknown photographer / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish athlete to win Olympic gold in the 100 metres.

Measurement methodology

Chronological review of Olympic 100 m champions and Jewish eligibility.

Measurement point: Men’s 100 m Olympic final in Paris on 7 July 1924, when Harold Abrahams won gold in 10.6 seconds.

Record story

Harold Abrahams became the First Jewish Olympic Champion in the 100 Metres on 7 July 1924. At the Olympic Games in Paris, the British sprinter won the men’s 100 m final in 10.6 seconds. During the same Olympics he also earned silver in the 4 × 100 m relay.

A contemporary Jewish Telegraphic Agency report identified him as an Anglo-Jewish athlete. His position as the earliest Jewish winner of the event is supported by the official Olympic chronology and the Jewish Olympic medalist chronology.

Media

Record video
Footage titled 1924 Paris Olympic 100m 10.6 Harold Abrahams 7.7.24. Historical Olympic final footage; full content and platform embedding unverified.

How JWR verified this record

Verification status
Verified
Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Olympedia records Abrahams as the 100 m gold medalist on 7 July 1924 in 10.6 seconds.

Superiority evidence

No earlier Olympic 100 m champion in the official chronology is identified as Jewish in the Jewish Olympic medalist record; 1924 Jewish reporting explicitly identifies Abrahams as Jewish.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Anglo-Jewish Athlete Wins Olympic 100 Metre Race — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • 100 metres, Men — Paris 1924 — Olympedia
  • Harold Abrahams 1924 — Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Jewish Olympic Medalists — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Have documented contrary evidence or a stronger counter-candidate? Submit a challenge for review.

View public sourcesChallenge this record

Sources & Verification

  • 100 metres, Men — Paris 1924

    Independent publicationOlympedia

    What this proves: Confirms Abrahams won 100 m gold on 7 July 1924 in 10.6 seconds.

  • Anglo-Jewish Athlete Wins Olympic 100 Metre Race

    Independent publicationJewish Telegraphic Agency

    What this proves: Contemporaneously identifies Abrahams as an Anglo-Jewish athlete and reports his Olympic 100 m victory.

  • Jewish Olympic Medalists

    Independent publicationInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

    What this proves: Lists Abrahams' 1924 100 m gold in the Jewish Olympic medal chronology.

  • Harold Abrahams 1924

    Holder-controlled websiteWikimedia Commons

    What this proves: Documents the archival image and public-domain basis.

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

Related records

Mark Spitz at swimming championships in Freiburg, July 1980
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Athlete

Record holder

Mark Spitz

Record value

9 Olympic gold medals

American swimmer Mark Spitz holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish athlete, with a career total of '9 Olympic gold medals'. His achievement was secured across two Summer Olympic Games and was completed on 4 September 1972. Two of his gold medals came from relay events at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, followed by a historic seven gold medals at the 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany. Notably, every one of Spitz's seven winning performances in Munich set a new world record.

Country represented
United States
Achievement locations
Mexico City, Mexico (1968); Munich, West Germany (1972)
Achievement date
4 September 1972
View full record
Mark Spitz at swimming championships in Freiburg, July 1980
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Sports · Olympic GamesMost

Most Olympic Medals Won by a Jewish Man

Record holder

Mark Spitz

Record value

11 Olympic medals

Mark Spitz won 11 Olympic medals across Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972, and the record page now identifies the events behind every medal. In 1968 he won gold in the 4×100 m freestyle relay and 4×200 m freestyle relay, silver in the 100 m butterfly and bronze in the 100 m freestyle. In Munich in 1972 he won seven gold medals—in the 100 m and 200 m freestyle, 100 m and 200 m butterfly, 4×100 m freestyle relay, 4×200 m freestyle relay and 4×100 m medley relay—setting world records in all seven winning events. His career total is nine gold, one silver and one bronze.

Country represented
United States
Achievement locations
Mexico City, Mexico (1968); Munich, West Germany (1972)
Achievement date
4 September 1972
View full record
Irving Jaffee, American Jewish Olympic speed skater, in 1928
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Athlete to Win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal

Record holder

Irving Jaffee

Record value

4 February 1932

American speed skater Irving Jaffee became the first Jewish athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal on 4 February 1932. His record was set at the third Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, where he won the gold medal in the men's 5,000-metre speed-skating event. Official Olympic sources and Team USA medal histories confirm Jaffee as the winner of the race.

Country represented
United States
Achievement location
Lake Placid, New York, United States
Achievement date
4 February 1932
View full record