John EKE

John Eke was a promising young cross-country and long-distance runner, who won the Sundbyberg cross-country race in 1908, but he emigrated to the United States in 1909. Settling in Jamestown, New York, Eke worked as a sheet metal worker and continued to run with the Irish-American AC. In 1912 he returned to Sweden with an intention to compete at the Olympics, and that was the only time he competed at the Swedish championships, finishing second behind Hendrik Nordström in the cross-country race and winning the team cross-country gold with Södermalms IK, a performance that earned him a spot on the Swedish Olympic team. At the Olympics, Eke finished third in the cross-country and helped the Swedish team to won a team gold medal, when they narrowly edged the favored Finns by only one point. He also participated in the 10K race at the Olympics, but after finishing fourth in his first round heat and qualifying for the final, Eke did not start the final.

After the Olympics, Eke returned to United States and continued to run with the Irish-American AC for several seasons. His most notable accomplishment came in winning the 1913 AAU team cross-country title with the Irish-American AC. In 1915, he moved to Philadelphia and finished his running career, living there the rest of his life, where he worked as a sheet metal worker with the Art Metal Construction Co., until his retirement in 1961 as a supervisor.

Personal Best: 10000 – 33:33.0 (1912).