Career
He made two Olympic finals at 800 meters and once tied the world record at 880 yards. As the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships were simultaneously an early Olympic tryout meet, he qualified for the Olympic Trials in Stanford, where he placed second behind Eddie Genung and qualified for the team In the final he placed sixth, again running 1:52.7.
This equalled Ben Eastman"s world record from the previous year.
Two weeks later Cunningham beat Hornbostel at the national championships in 1:51.8 (800 m). At the Princeton Invitational, however, he was decisively beaten by Eastman, who ran 1:49.8 to break his own and Hornbostel"s record.
Hornbostel was some five yards behind in 1:50.7, also under the old record. Hornbostel qualified for the Olympics again in 1936, placing second to eventual gold medalist John Woodruff at the Trials in 1:51.3.
In the slow and tactical Olympic final Hornbostel finished fifth.
After the Olympics he took part in two world-record-setting relays on the same day, running 4 x 880 yards in 7:35.8 and 4 x Mile in 17:17.2.