An Olympian in our midst
If you try to walk in Larry Young's shoes, you better be prepared to walk fast. Young, a 1976 graduate of Columbia College, was a racewalker before he became an art student.An Olympian in our midst
Young is the only American ever to win an Olympic medal in long-distance walking bringing home bronze medals at the Summer Olympics in 1968 and 1972. In 2000 he was honored as one of 33 outstanding living track and field Olympians of the 20th century.
Today he operates his own foundry near Columbia and his bronze sculptures have appeared all over the United States. He currently is working on a commission for a 33-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture titled "hope for Life" for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City. Columbia College is home to one of his bronze sculptures and there are several other pieces throughout the city of Columbia.
Young named his daughter, Sydney, after art professor Sidney Larson.