Today on Oldest Olympians we have two milestone birthdays to celebrate, so it is time cover them both in a blog entry!
(Sheila Lerwill, pictured at The Streatham Society)
First we are wishing a happy 97th birthday to Sheila Lerwill, the oldest living British Olympic medalist and Olympic medalist in track and field athletics! Lerwill represented her country in the high jump at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where she won a silver medal. She was European champion in that event in 1950 and came in fourth at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. After coming in fifth at that year’s Europeans, she retired from active competition.
Second, we are wishing a happy 96th birthday to Fritz Nachmann, the oldest living Olympic luger and survivor of the 1968 Grenoble Games! Nachmann represented West Germany in 1968 and won a bronze medal in the doubles while placing 17th in the singles. Four years earlier he had represented a unified Germany at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, but did not finish the singles. He won silver in the singles at the 1967 Europeans and five medals, including three golds, at the Worlds.
Finally, thanks to Connor Mah, we have learned that Swiss field hockey player Maurice Magnin, who was on our list of 1928 mystery competitors, was born August 5, 1896 in what is now Geneva. He also found that another Swiss field hockey player, Pierre Pasche from 1948, was born September 27, 1909 and died April 14, 1988.