Horace Ashenfelter, Montco Native, Olympic Gold Medalist, Dies

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Olympic runner Horace Ashenfelter III, born in Phoenixville, who won an iconic gold medal at the 1952 games, passed away on Jan. 6. He was 94.

Ashenfelter was born at Phoenixville Hospital in 1923 and raised on a Collegeville farm. He attended Collegeville-Trappe High School and graduated in 1941. He went on to compete at Penn State, where he earned numerous accolades as a star distance runner, including the 1948 NCAA Cross Country individual championship, as well as the NCAA outdoor two mile championship in 1949.

His career came to its zenith when he won a gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in the 3000 meter steeplechase, defeating a Soviet athlete for a symbolic victory as the Cold War raged. No American has won the event since. His time of 8:45 was a world record.

“We all carry heavy hearts with the passing of Horace Ashenfelter,” Penn State track and field head coach John Gondak said in a prepared statement. “He was an amazing person that I was honored to have visited with a handful of times during my years at Penn State. The number of alumni who have reached out to us about his passing shows how important an individual he was to our team, our sport and our university."

In addition to his storied running career, Ashenfelter also served in the military in World War II and was an FBI agent.

Ashenfelter's mark on the running world remained strong in the 21st century. The world class indoor track and field facility at Penn State is named after Ashenfelter.

Ashenfelter's full obituary, as it appears in the Star Ledger, can be accessed here.

A video of his gold medal winning race in 1952 is included below.

AP Photo