Arthur Duffey

Who was Arthur Duffey?

Arthur Francis Duffey was an American track and field athlete who competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. He was an alumnus of the Class of 1899 of Worcester Academy and Georgetown University. He was originally from Boston, Massachusetts and after his athletic career was a sports writer and editor and settled in the Boston area.

Duffey competed in the 100 metres event in the 1900 Summer Olympics, placing fourth overall. He won his first-round heat with a time of 11.4 seconds, dropped to 11.0 seconds to win his semifinal, and took an early lead in the final before pulling a muscle in his leg. This injury forced him to withdraw from the race as the other three runners in the final took the medals.

In 1905, he confessed that he had been accepting sponsor money since 1898, and the AAU ordered all of his records expunged. Later, Duffey became a columnist for the Boston Post.

He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2012.