Monthly Archives: February 2015

Uncategorized

Eugeniusz Lokajski

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Full name,Eugeniusz Zenon Lokajski

Born,14 December 1908 in Warszawa; Mazowieckie

Died,25 September 1944 in Warszawa; Mazowieckie

Measurements,181 cm / 74 kg

Affiliations,Warszawianka

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A multi-talented athlete who was adept in a number of track and field disciplines and also as a gymnast, Eugeniusz Lokajski is also known for his contributions, both as a soldier and also as a documenter through his photography, to the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

Champion of Poland at the javelin in both 1934 and 1935 he recorded a throw of 73.25m in the early summer of 1936 that established him as one the favourites for Berlin. A shoulder injury incurred shortly before the Olympic Games hampered him and he could only finish 7th as a throw of 71m claimed the Olympic title. His shoulder never recovered enough for him to return to serious athletics despite an attempted comeback. He was also a national champion at gymastics in 1934 and 1935.

Conscripted into the Polish Army in 1939 Lokajski served as an infantry commander and was taken prisoner by Soviet forces during the Siege of Brest-Litovsk. He escaped from his captors and returned to his hometown of Warsaw where he ran a photographic business.

He worked as a teacher in one of the illegal “underground universities” set up by the resistance before taking over his late brother’s responsibilities transporting arms and munitions. Lokajski commanded his own platoon of soldiers during the uprising but he was also charged by his commanding officer to use his talents as a photographer and record the events in the streets of Warsaw and he also provided portraits of resistance fighter for use of fake documents. He died in 1944 when caught in an artillery barrage during a trip to collect photographic materials. His body was only found in 1945 after the end of the war. Eugeniusz Lokajski was buried in the “Aleja Zasłużonych” (Avenue of the Meritorious) at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Personal Best: JT – 73.27 (1936).

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Games/Sport,Event,Position

1936 Athletics,Javelin Throw,7

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Uncategorized

Jim Kerr

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Parameter,Value

Full Name,James Lancefield “Jim” Kerr

Born,17 August 1940 in Plainfield; New Jersey (USA)

Measurements,182 cm / 73 kg

Country ,United States / Virgin Islands

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Jim Kerr was on the US Olympic team in the modern pentathlon in 1964 but did not compete. He excelled in both swimming and running, and was on state championship teams in both cross-country and swimming at Waukesha South High School in Wisconsin. He later swam at the University of Michigan. After college Kerr competed in fencing competitions and was a competitor at several US national championships. He later settled in the US Virgin Islands, where he continued to compete in fencing and represented the US Virgin Islands as a fencer at the 1984 Olympics. Later in life, Kerr became blind and began sailing for recreation. He then started competing in disabled sailing competitions for the blind, with an aim to sail at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Should Kerr make the US Virgin Islands sailing team for the 2016 Paralympics, it would be a record of sorts. While overlapping the Olympics and Paralympics, and only an alternate in 1964, it would be 52 years since his first appearance at the Olympics in Tokyo. The record for longest time span as an Olympic competitor is 48 years by Japanese equestrien Hiroshi Hoketsu, who competed in 1964, and then not again until 2008, and returned in 2012 at London.

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Games/Sport,Event,Position

1964 Modern Pentathlon,Individual/Team,DNS

1984 Fencing,Individual Épée,=61

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Alpine skiing

Alpine World Championships were once held during the Olympics

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On Tuesday the World Alpine Skiing Championships get underway in Colorado (USA) towns of Vail and Beaver Creek. From 1948 through 1980, no World Championships in the sport were held in Olympic years, with the Olympic races doubling as World Championships – except for the combined event. This event, which has been on the Olympic Program again since 1988, did produce a World Champion, but not an Olympic Champion. Who are these Olympic “champions”?

Embed from Getty Images

Gustavo Thöni (center) twice won the “Olympic” combined event, in 1972 and 1976. He also won three Olympic medals at these Games.

After the combined event was held in both 1936 and 1948, it was abandoned in 1952 to make room for the new giant slalom competition. But as it was still held at the regular World Championships (which were held in even years between Olympics), the combined event returned in 1956. However, it was never an actual event – no separate races were held – but instead conducted on paper only. Based on weighting factors and the time behind the winner of each race, the skiers were awarded points, with the lowest total winning (this format was later replaced by a simpler format with finishing times simply added up). Another difference with the present-day combined event is that it also included the giant slalom, not just the downhill and the slalom. From 1956 through 1980, the medal winners in these events were:

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Year, Gender, Gold, NOC, Silver, NOC, Bronze, NOC

1956, Men, Toni Sailer, AUT, Charles Bozon, FRA, Stig Sollander, SWE
1956, Women, Madeleine Berthod, SUI, Fieda Dänzer, SUI, Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo, ITA
1960, Men, Guy Périllat, FRA, Charles Bozon, FRA, Hans-Peter Lanig, GER
1960, Women, Anne Heggtveit, CAN, Sonja Sperl, GER, Barbi Henneberger, GER
1964, Men, Ludwig Leitner, GER, Gerhard Nenning, AUT, Billy Kidd, USA
1964, Women, Marielle Goitschel, FRA, Christl Haas, AUT, Edith Zimmermann, AUT
1968, Men, Jean-Claude Killy, FRA, Dumeng Giovanoli, SUI, Heinrich Messner, AUT
1968, Women, Nancy Greene, CAN, Marielle Goitschel, FRA, Annie Famose, FRA
1972, Men, Gustav Thöni, ITA, Walter Tresch, SUI, Jim Hunter, CAN
1972, Women, Annemarie Möser-Pröll, AUT, Florence Steurer, FRA, Toril Førland, NOR
1976, Men, Gustav Thöni, ITA, Willi Frommelt, LIE, Greg Jones, USA
1976, Women, Rosi Mittermaier, FRG, Danièle Debernard, FRA, Hanni Wenzel, LIE
1980, Men, Phil Mahre, USA, Andreas Wenzel, LIE, Leonahard Stock, AUT
1980, Women, Hanni Wenzel, LIE, Cindy Nelson, USA, Ingrid Eberle, AUT

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Many of these are not surprising winners, as Sailer, Killy, Mittermaier and Wenzel medalled in all three events. Others, however, are not known as Olympics heroes. Ludwig Leitner, for example, did not reach the podium on any of the Olympic events, but did achieve three top eight positions. The 1972 bronze medallist, Jim Hunter, didn’t place in the top 10 in any of the three races.

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Hanni Wenzel won both of Liechstein’s only two Olympic titles to date in 1980, and could have won a third one if the combined event would have had medal status at the time.