What happened to Lance Larson?

Larson, the accomplished dentist from Orange, passed away on January 19 at the age of 83. A celebration of his life is scheduled for March 1 at 11 a.m. at the Garden Grove Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Garden Grove. Instead of flowers, those wishing to honor Larson’s memory can contribute to the Trojan Victory Fund, supporting the USC men’s and women’s swimming and diving program, where Larson’s four sons, Lance Jr., Greg, Gary, and Randy, also swam. Greg Larson served as a Trojan team captain in 1991 and 1992.

While Larson went on to win a gold medal in the 4×100 medley relay at the Rome Olympics, his legacy in the sport is forever tied to the controversial Olympic title that many believe was unjustly taken from him.

Blonde, tan, and towering at 6 feet 1 inch and 174 pounds, Larson embodied the quintessential Southern California golden boy. At El Monte High School, he achieved significant milestones, becoming the first prep swimmer to break the 50-second barrier in the 100-yard freestyle and the first man globally to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-meter butterfly. In 1959, Larson also became the first man to dip below 2 minutes and 25 seconds in the 200-meter individual medley.

The 1960 Rome Olympics thrust Larson into the spotlight, with the focus on the 100 freestyle final showdown between Larson and Australia’s Jon Devitt, the reigning Olympic champion. The dramatic final, held with dimmed lights for effect, led to post-race confusion.

Despite Larson’s underwater touch at the final wall and the consensus among observers that he had won, the three timers recorded his times at 55.0, 55.1, and 55.1. In contrast, Devitt’s times were consistently clocked at 55.2. The first-place judges voted 2-1 in favor of Devitt, while the second-place judges voted 2-1 in favor of Larson. The newly developed automatic electronic timing system, not yet used for official purposes, recorded Larson in 55.10 and Devitt in 55.16.

Despite Larson’s lead in both manual and electronic timing, the swimming competition’s chief judge, Hans Runstromer of West Germany, without authority over the matter, declared Devitt the Olympic champion. Larson’s time was changed to 55.2, matching Devitt’s and setting a new Olympic record. Runstromer claimed he had been at the finishing line, but photographic evidence clearly showed him far from the actual finish line, creating controversy over the disputed result.