Career
Next year he set a new world record at 57.93 m. As a child of sharecroppers, in 1934 his family left Oklahoma due to the onset of the dust bowl and moved to the small San Joaquin Valley town of Tulare, California. Weeks after his high school graduation, and on his 18th birthday, Iness placed sixth in the discus in the 1948 Olympic Trials.
His gold medal triumph started the longest United States of America winning streak in the discus event in modern Olympic history.
He set the discus world"s record on June 28, 1953 in Lincoln, Nebraska at 57.93 m, being the first man to throw over 190 feet. He was an Olympic torch bearer for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.
After his Olympic and world record triumph, Iness worked the rest of his life as a high school and college physical education teacher, track and football coach, and education counselor "Sim Iness Gymnasium" can be found on the campus of Sim"s alma-mater, Tulare Union High School.
The Sim Iness Collection is housed at the Tulare City Historical Museum.