Who was the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal?

The first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal was George Poage, an American hurdler. He won two bronze medals in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, becoming the first black athlete to win a medal in Olympic history. Four years later, at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, Poage won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles event, becoming the first black athlete to win a medal in a running event.

Poage was born in 1880 in Hannibal, Missouri, and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he was the first black athlete to compete on the school's track team. Despite facing discrimination and racism, Poage persevered and became a trailblazer in Olympic history.

The first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal was John Baxter Taylor. He won the gold medal in the 1600-meter relay race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Taylor was a student and runner at the University of Pennsylvania, and he became Dr. Taylor, a veterinarian, in 1908—the same summer he competed in the London Games. He died of typhoid pneumonia just months after the Olympics.

Taylor's victory was a significant moment in the history of the Olympics, as it showed that black athletes could compete at the highest level. It also helped to inspire other black athletes to pursue their dreams of competing in the Olympics.