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INDOT To Name Road For State's Most Decorated Olympian

Wikimedia Commons

Ray Ewry won eight gold medals in track and field during the 1900, 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games. For 12 years, he held the world record for most Olympics medals won by any competitor, summer or winter.

INDOT will name a portion of U.S. 52 and 231 between Martin Jischke Drive and Lindberg Road in West Lafayette for Ewry, who was born in Lafayette and received an engineering degree from Purdue.

Ewry dominated the standing long jump, standing triple jump and standing high jump events in the first three Olympics of the 20th century.

When the standing long jump was discontinued as an international event in the 1920s, Ewry still held the world record, at nearly 11-and-a-half feet.

Ewry’s eight gold medals still tie him for sixth on the all-time medal count internationally.

The only track and field athletes he trails are Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi, known as “The Flying Finn," and American Carl Lewis, who won medals in five different Olympics.

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