Oldest Olympians is saddened to learn that British field hockey player Tony Nunn, born May 24, 1927, died May 7 at the age of 97. Nunn represented his country in the tournament at the 1952 Helsinki Games, where he won a bronze medal. Domestically, he played for the Hawks Hockey Club.
(Sheila Lerwill, pictured at The Streatham Society)
At the time of his death, Nunn was the oldest living British Olympic medalist and Olympic medalist in field hockey. The former distinction now goes to Sheila Lerwill, born August 16, 1928, who won a silver medal for Great Britain in the high jump at the 1952 Helsinki Games. She captured that title at the 1950 European Championships 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. She was already the oldest living medalist in track and field athletics.
The latter titleholder is now Eric Pearce, born October 29, 1931. Pearce represented Australia at four consecutive editions of the Games – 1956 through 1968 – and won bronze in 1964 and silver in 1968. Three of his brothers also represented Australia in Olympic field hockey, as did his daughter Colleen in 1984.
Additionally, while we are posting, we were prepared to mention the 95th birthday of Swiss rower Rico Bianchi on May 13, as he was believed to be the oldest living Swiss Olympic medalist. He took silver in the coxed fours at the 1952 Helsinki Games and also competed in the eights in 1960. There are unconfirmed reports, however, that he may have died March 26, which we have yet to verify. If he were deceased, another rower, André Moccand, born January 25, 1931, who took silver in the coxed fours in 1948, would be the oldest living Swiss Olympic medalist.
(Jacques Simon)
Finally, to complete the list of Connor Mah’s discoveries about 1928 Olympians, we have four Olympians for whom we have additional birth information. French field hockey player Jacques Simon was born August 23, 1903 and was still alive in 1970. Swiss water polo player Robert Hürlimann was born March 26, 1905, while Swiss weightlifter Hermann Eichholzer was born June 15, 1903. As for Eichholzer’s weightlifting compatriot Ernst Trinkler, Mah was able to uncover that he was born in 1906.