Career
He competed in this event at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed third, fourth and second, respectively. According to the Guinness Book of Track and Field: Facts and Feats, the smallest crowd ever to see a world record may have been 48, the number attending a Pasadena, California all-comers track meet in 1953 when Gordien set his last world record that stood for six years. In the 1950s Gordien had a few minor roles in films and television series, including The Cisco Kid (1950), Not for Hire (1959) and North to Alaska (1960).