Major Taylor, the first African-American to win a world championship in sprint events.

Major Taylor became a professional sprinter in 1896, at the age of 18, living in the city of the east coast and participating in multiple track events, including six-day races. He moved his focus to the sprint event in 1897, competing in a national racing circuit, he won many competitions and gained popularity with the public. Within 1898 and 1899, he had set numerous world records in race distances ranging from the quarter-mile (0.4 km) to the two-mile (3.2 km).

Major Taylor
Major Taylor 

Taylor went Ahead to win the sprint event at the 1899 world championship and become the first African-American to achieve the level of cycling world champion and also the second black athlete to win a world championship in any competition. He was also a national sprint champion in 1899 and 1900. He raced in the U.S., Europe, and Australia between 1901 and 1904, beating the world’s best riders. After a two 1⁄2-year hiatus, he made a brief return in 1907, before retiring aged 32 to his home in Worcester in 1910.

Major Taylor
Major Taylor

Towards the end of his life, Taylor faced severe financial difficulties, which forced him into poverty. He spent the final two years of his experience in Chicago, Illinois, where he died of a heart attack in 1932.

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