Gary Gubner

Gary Jay Gubner (born December 1, 1942, in New York, New York) was an American shotputter, weightlifter, and discus hurler. Gubner and his late wife Beverly have 3 children, Cheryle, Corwin and Kenrick and 5 grandchildren.

Gubner became the best shotputter in the world as a teenager. He threw the 16-lb. ball 53 feet when he was 16. [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:wjQlDVvJpIEJ:https://www.xtremebodyshop.com/articles/articles04/powerlifting/samsons.html+%22Gary+Gubner%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=30&gl=us]

hotputting career

He still holds the New York high school senior 16 lb. shotput record of 56' 9.5" (17.31 m) that he set in 1960 while at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:OcYu0NgtowYJ:www.tullyrunners.com/RecNysBoys.htm+%22Gary+Gubner%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us]

In 1962-64, while competing for New York University, he won the USA track and field championships in the shotput with marks of 62' 10", 62 6-3/4", and 63' 2.5". [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:e3rGJxvTRAEJ:www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAIndoorTF/men/mSP.asp+%22Gary+Gubner%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=us]

World records

Gubner broke the World Indoor Shotput record on multiple occasions in 1962, eventually establishing the World indoor record of 64' 11-3/4" (19.805 m).

World ranking

He was ranked # 1 in the World Indoors in 1962 and 1963. Outdoors, he was 2nd in 1962 and 5th in 1963.

Weightlifting career

Olympics

Injuries hampered Gubner’s expectations of making the U.S. team at the 1964 U.S. Olympic track and field trials, so he turned his attention to weightlifting, and made the U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team. He narrowly missed medaling, finishing 4th in the Heavyweight class at the 1964 Games.

World records

Gubner went on to establish four Junior World lifting records in the Heavyweight class: 387 1/2 pounds in the press; 324 pounds snatch; 423 1/2 pounds clean and jerk; and a total pounds 1,135. In 1965, he set a U.S. press mark of 412 pounds en route to lifting 1,180 pounds.

Maccabiah Games

In 1961, after touring Europe with the U.S. track and field team (winning a shotput victory over the Soviets, and making a “statement” visit to Friday night services at a Moscow synagogue), Gubner competed in the Sixth 1961 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning gold medals in Shotput, Discus, and Heavyweight Weightlifting. He won the shot put with a 60 foot, 1-1/4 inch (18.32 m) throw.

Hall of Fame

Gubner was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. [http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/GaryGubner.htm]

External links

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939130,00.html "Bronx Bomber," 1/25/60]
* [http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/GaryGubner.htm Jewish Sports bio]