Boris Djerassi

Boris Djerassi
Personal information
Birth name	Boris Djerassi
Nickname	Dov
Born	February 3, 1952; Haifa, Israel
Alma mater	New York University; Northeastern University
Occupation(s)	Strongman; Chiropractor
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics (Hammer thrower)
Medal record
Men's Hammer
Representing United States
Olympic Games
NCAA
Penn Relays
IC4A Championships
AAU Championships
Strongman
Representing Israel
World's Strongest Man

Boris (Dov) Djerassi (born February 3, 1952)^[1] is a former athlete and strongman, based in the United States but originally from Haifa, Israel. Between 1973 and 1981 Djerassi was ranked in the United States' top-ten hammer throwers, being number one in three different years. He was selected for the Olympic team in 1980, but the United States boycotted the Moscow Games and Djerassi was unable to compete in the Olympics. He also competed at the World's Strongest Man finals.

Early life

Boris Djerassi was born in Haifa, Israel, and is Jewish.^[2]

Sporting career

Djerassi came to the US in the early 1970s enrolling at New York University.^[3] However, when NYU dropped their athletics program in his sophomore year he moved on to Northeastern University in 1973.^[3] Known as "Dov" (Hebrew for Bear) he won All America honors in 1975, indoors in the weight and outdoors in the hammer. In the hammer he began dominating the New England, Eastern, and eventually the national collegiate hammer event. In 1975 he defeated defending champion Pete Farmer for the NCAA crown in Provo, Utah in 1975 by just three inches. This proved to be the first of the fabled quadruple sweep, when he went on in 1975 to win the Penn Relays, the IC4A Championships, and the AAU Championships. He was the first athlete to perform this feat in one year.^[3]

Djerassi competed for the United States in the 1977 Maccabiah Games in Israel, as well as in the 1981 Maccabiah Games.^[4]^[2] He won a gold medal in the hammer throw in each Maccabiah.^[4]^[2]

In 1980, he earned one of three berths in the hammer for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, but was unable to compete when the USA boycotted the games. Djerassi did however receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.^[5] In total, he was three time national champion and four time All-American.^[3]

In 1989 Northeastern University later inducted Boris into their Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the sport of track and field.^[6] In 1978 Djerassi also earned an invite to the 1978 World's Strongest Man contest, only the second time it had been held. In this contest he was said to be representing Israel, despite his American citizenship.

Later career

Djerassi went on to become a Track & Field coach^[3] and trained body building and track & field national champions.^[3] In 1995 he graduated from the Life Chiropractic College of Atlanta, Georgia^[3] and became a chiropractor.

References

^ Boris DJERASSI. All Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-12-29.
^ ^a ^b ^c "U.S. Takes 3 Golds; Soccer Team in Final". The New York Times. July 15, 1981.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Profile at the All-American Chiropractic Center official site". Archived from the original on January 25, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Swimmers Again Dominate Tel Aviv Games". The New York Times. July 19, 1977.
^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
^ "Boris D. Djerassi (1989) – Varsity Club Hall of Fame". Northeastern University Athletics.

[1] Boris DJERASSI. All Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-12-29.

[auto1-2] "U.S. Takes 3 Golds; Soccer Team in Final". The New York Times. July 15, 1981.

[Chiro-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Profile at the All-American Chiropractic Center official site". Archived from the original on January 25, 2012.

[auto-4] "U.S. Swimmers Again Dominate Tel Aviv Games". The New York Times. July 19, 1977.

[5] Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.

[6] "Boris D. Djerassi (1989) – Varsity Club Hall of Fame". Northeastern University Athletics.

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[6]

v t e US National Championship winners in men's hammer throw
1876–1878 New York Athletic Club	1876: William Curtis 1877: George Parmly 1878: William Curtis
1879–1888 – NAAAA	1879: James McDermott 1880: William Curtis 1881-2: Frank Lambrecht 1883: Wilson Coudon 1884-5: Frank Lambrecht 1886: Wilson Coudon 1887: Charles Queckberner 1888^{Note 1}: Frank Lambrecht
1888–1979 Amateur Athletic Union	1888^{Note 1}: William Barry 1889–96: James Mitchel 1897-9: John Flanagan 1900: Rich. Sheridan 1901-2: John Flanagan 1903: James Mitchel 1904-5: Alfred Plaw 1906-7: John Flanagan 1908: Matt McGrath 1909: Lee Talbott 1910: Matt McGrath 1911: Con Walsh 1912: Matt McGrath 1913-7: Pat Ryan 1918: Matt McGrath 1919–21^OT: Pat Ryan 1922: Matt McGrath 1923-4: Fred Tootell 1925-6: Matt McGrath 1927: Jack Merchant 1928^OT: Edmund Black 1929: Jack Merchant 1930: Norwood Wright 1931: Ed Flanagan 1932^OT: Frank Conner 1933: Pat O'Callaghan 1934: Donald Favor 1935: Henry Dreyer 1936: William Rowe 1937-8: Irving Folwartshny 1939: Chester Cruikshank 1940: Stanley Johnson 1941: Irving Folwartshny 1942: Chester Cruikshank 1943-5: Henry Dreyer 1946: Irving Folwartshny 1947-8: Bob Bennett 1949–51: Samuel Felton 1952: Tom Bane 1953: Marty Engel 1954: Bob Backus 1955–61: Hal Connolly 1962-3: Albert Hall 1964-5: Hal Connolly 1966-8: Ed Burke 1969: Tom Gage 1970-1: George Frenn 1972: Al Schoterman 1973: Ted Bregar 1974: Steve DeAutremont 1975: Boris Djerassi 1976: Larry Hart 1977: Emmitt Berry 1978: Boris Djerassi 1979: Scott Neilson 1980: Giampaolo Urlando
1980–1992 The Athletics Congress	1981: Richard Olsen 1982-3: Dave McKenzie 1984-5: Jud Logan 1986: Bill Green 1987: Jud Logan 1988: Ken Flax 1989: Lance Deal 1990: Ken Flax 1991-2^OT: Jud Logan
1993-onwards USA Track & Field	1993-6^OT: Lance Deal 1997: Kevin McMahon 1998–2000^OT: Lance Deal 2001: Kevin McMahon 2002: Lance Deal 2003-5: James Parker 2006-9: A. G. Kruger 2010: Jake Freeman 2011-2: Kibwé Johnson 2013: A. G. Kruger 2014-5: Kibwé Johnson 2016: Rudy Winkler 2017: Alex Young 2018: Rudy Winkler 2019: Conor McCullough 2021^{2020 OT}: Rudy Winkler
Notes	Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event. 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.