Gerald Howard "Gerry" Ashworth (born May 1, 1942 in Haverhill, Massachusetts to Earl Ashworth) was an American former track athlete and a gold medalist in the 4 x 100 meter relay in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He won two gold medals sprinting in the 1964 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. Recognized internationally, in 1963 Ashworth was rated seventh in the World in indoor competition and in 1964 had an eighth world rating in the outdoor 100 Yards and 100 Meters distances.
Gerry was born one of three children on May 1, 1942, to Gladys Brown Ashforth and Earl Ashforth in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His father, who was originally from nearby Lawrence, was a manufacturer for shoe products, and after purchasing his first shoe company in Maine at age 20, he eventually owned a number of shoe manufacturing companies operating in Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont. Active in the community, Earl had been a President of Temple Emmanuel in Haverhill, and the Haverhill Country Club, before retiring to Sarasota, Florida with his wife Gladys in 1974. In 1964, the couple donated the first electronic timing device ever used at Dartmouth's Leverone Field House, which electronically displayed both scores and electronic times to spectators.
Early track career
Ashworth began his track career as a Freshman at Haverhill High School under Coach Charlie White, and then around his junior year transferred to the Holderness School in Plymouth N.H., a private college preparatory school where he acquired the academic skills required for the challenges of Dartmouth College which he would attend after graduation. While competing in High School Track, he ran a noteworthy 9.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash, but the North's cold weather may have kept him from competing with the nation's best, and from being noticed by top track schools outside the Northeast.
Dartmouth track highlights
At Dartmouth, he studied Engineering Science and Economics. Setting records early, in 1961, he tied the World record in the 60-Yard Dash with a time of 6.1 seconds. Not yet his fastest, in 1962, he broke the school record at the Dartmouth track for the 50-yard dash with a time of 5.3 seconds. On April 22, 1962, as a Junior, he broke the Dartmouth record for the 220 yard dash with a time of 21.2 seconds. When as a Junior at Dartmouth, he ran a winning 100-yard time of 9.4 seconds in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships around May 12, 1962, the track community began to take notice, and at only 20, Ashworth looked to be one of the top competitors in the event in New England, with the fastest time in the Ivy League. The time became his personal best for the event. Subsequently, in the 200-meter at the Ivy League Heptagonals, Ashworth injured a left leg muscle, but with insight his coach remarked, "It doesn't necessarily mean he is through for the season...Ashworth hasn't reached his potential." With the guidance of Coach Elliot B. "Ellie" Noyes, who had headed Dartmouth track since 1945, Ashworth gained recognition as one of the country's top runners after winning the IC4A championship in the 100-yard dash. Injuries prevented him from competing in the NCAA outdoor championships as a junior.
Still plagued by occasional injury in his Senior year at Dartmouth, he was unable to compete in the National Championships but showing remarkable resilience, was nearly undefeated in both indoor and outdoor collegiate meets. Though suffering injuries that affected his performance, he competed and won races against top professionals in indoor meets at such venues as Madison Square Garden. In his final year at Dartmouth, he was elected Captain of the Track team. Not long after graduating Dartmouth in 1963, he was invited to join the Striders Running Club in the Los Angeles area, and he moved there to train with the club.
Track career highlights
Ashworth is Jewish. He set the World record for the 100 Yard dash, 9.4 s, in 1962, and showing consistency, matched his record again in 1964 after graduating Dartmouth.
In the 1963 Pan American Games, he was an alternate in the relay but did not get the opportunity to compete, and a few press accounts considered him inexperienced in relay competitions. An injury while running in Brazil may also have hampered his chances of participating in the Games as a relay member. His performance in the Olympics indicated he could learn to run relays effectively without years of training.