Mel Walker (athlete)

Melvin E. Walker (April 27, 1914 – November 9, 2000, in Strongsville, Ohio)[1] was an American track and field athlete specializing in high jump.

[2] He finished a non-qualifying fourth place in the 1936 Olympic Trials.

On August 12, 1937, he set the world record for high jump in Malmö, clearing 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in).

The record would stand until June 17, 1941, when it was beaten by Lester Steers.

Walker benefitted from a rule change that had previously outlawed diving, or clearing the bar first with his head.