Because we were unable to post an update yesterday, and because on that day we had two milestone birthdays, we have decided to post a blog entry covering three updates! First, we are wishing a happy belated 97^th birthday to Tom Gayford, the oldest living Canadian Olympic champion and Olympic champion in equestrian! Gayford represented Canada in the three-day event at the 1952 and 1960 Summer Olympics without reaching the podium. In 1968 in Mexico City, however, he switched to jumping and won the gold medal with the Canadian team. He also won three medals at the Pan American Games and gold at the 1971 World Championships. He later became an equestrian coach and judge, and also designed the jumping course for the 1976 Montreal Games.

Next, we are wishing a happy 93^rd birthday to Jakobína Jakobsdóttir, the oldest living Icelandic Olympian! Jakobína represented her country in three alpine skiing events at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Games, where she was 31^st in the downhill, 41^st in the giant slalom, and disqualified in the slalom. She won a national title in 1953 and was still skiing earlier this year at the age of 92.

As for today, Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that Australian rower Dave Anderson, born April 8, 1932, died November 5 at the age of 93. Anderson represented his country in the eights at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where he won a bronze medal. He was also eliminated in the semi-finals of the coxless fours at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. At the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, he captured gold in the coxed fours and bronze in the coxless pairs.

(Bob Shaw, pictured at Welsh Athletics)

Finally, we want to thank the reader who found evidence that British track athlete Bob Shaw, who we covered in our last post as having been last known alive in 2014, was still alive in 2019, and thus he will remain on our tables.