WW2 Prisoner-of-War,1^st Soviet Gymnastic Hero, 11-time Olympic medalist

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Viktor Ivanovych Chukarin

Used Name,Viktor Chukarin

Original Name,Віктор Іванович Чукарін

Other Names,Viktor Ivanovich Chukarin; Виктор Иванович Чукарин

Born,9 November 1921; Krasnoarmeyskoye-Krym (UKR)

Died,25 August 1984; Lviv-Lviv (UKR)

Affiliations,Iskra Lvov / Burevestnik Lvov

Ethnic Nation,UKR

[/table]

[table]

Year-Games,Sport,Event,Place,Medals

1952 Summer,Gymnastics,Individual All-Around,1,Gold

,,Team All-Around,1,Gold

,,Floor Exercise,=29,

,,Horse Vault,1,Gold

,,Parallel Bars,2,Silver

,,Horizontal Bar,5,

,,Rings,2,Silver

,,Pommelled Horse,1,Gold

1956 Summer,Gymnastics,Individual All-Around,1,Gold

,,Team All-Around,1,Gold

,,Floor Exercise,=2,Silver

,,Horse Vault,=7,

,,Parallel Bars,1,Gold

,,Horizontal Bar,=4,

,,Rings,=7,

,,Pommelled Horse,3,Bronze

[/table]

[table]

Medals,Number

Gold,7

Silver,3

Bronze,1

Total,11

[/table]

Viktor Chukarin was a former World War II prisoner-of-war, who was 30-years-old when the USSR first competed at the Olympic Games in 1952. Despite these handicaps, he dominated the gymnastics competition in Helsinki, winning the all-around title in addition to taking gold in the team event and four medals in the individual apparatus events – gold on the pommelled horse and horse vault, and silver on the parallel bars and rings. In 1956, he successfully defended his all-around title and added two more gold, one as a member of the winning team, a silver and a bronze medal to bring his tally of Olympic medals to a then record total of 11. His 1956 individual medals were as follows: gold – all-around, parallel bars, team; silver – floor exercises; and bronze – pommelled horse. He was also World Champion in 1954 in the all-around and parallel bars and, after retiring, became head of gymnastics at the L’viv Institute of Physical Culture in his native Ukraine.

Hurdler, Gold Medalist, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Robert Morton Newburgh “Bob” Tisdall

Used Name,Bob Tisdall

Nickname,The Irish Wonder

Born,16 May 1907; Nuwara Eliya (SRI)

Died,27 July 2004; Nambour-Queensland (AUS)

Measurements,186 cm / 74 kg

Affiliations,Achilles Club (GBR)

[/table]

[table]

Year-Games,Sport,Event,Place,Medal

1932 Summer,Athletics,400 metres Hurdles,1,Gold

,,Decathlon,8,

[/table]

A year before the 1932 Olympics, nobody would have even considered Bob Tisdall for the Olympic gold in the 400 m hurdles. While a decent sprinter and high hurdler at Cambridge University, where he majored in agriculture and forestry, Tisdall had never contested the event until, early in 1932, he asked the president of the Irish NOC to send him to Los Angeles for that event. He met the qualifying standard in his second attempt, winning the Irish championship in the event. In 1931 Tisdall had won four events in the Oxbridge meet – the 440 yards, long jump, shot put, and 120 yard hurdles. He was Irish champion in the 120 yard hurdles in 1930 and in the 440 yards hurdles in 1932, but he was not considered of world caliber. But once in Los Angeles, Tisdall was unbeatable. In the final, he even bettered the world record to win the gold medal. He received the medal, but not the record, as Tisdall had knocked over the final hurdle, which was not allowed by the rules of the day for record purposes.

Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Ireland and educated in England, Tisdall emigrated to South Africa at the end of 1933 and while there helped to form the South African-Irish Regiment during World War II. He later lived in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Kenya and Tanzania before returning to Ireland and eventually settling in Nambour, in Queensland, Australia. He participated in the torch relay for the Sydney Olympics, aged 93.

Personal Bests: 400H – 51.67 (1932); Dec – 6398 (1932).

It is often said that an Olympian is unlucky when they finish fourth – see our previous post on “The Unluckiest Olympians” from 18 June 2014. But what about those Olympians who win medals, but never get to mount the top step, winning a gold medal? Which Olympians have won the most Olympic medals, but never won a gold medal? Here is the list of all those with 5 or more Olympic medals, but no golds:

[table]

Name,Gdr,Ssn,NOC,Sport,G,S,B,TM

Franziska van Almsick,F,S,GER,SWI,0,4,6,10

Merlene Ottey-Page,F,S,JAM,ATH,0,3,6,9

Frank Beaurepaire,M,S,ANZ/AUS,SWI,0,3,3,6

Roald Larsen,M,W,NOR,SSK,0,2,4,6

Rintje Ritsma,M,W,NED,SSK,0,2,4,6

Piero D’Inzeo,M,S,ITA,EQU,0,2,4,6

Harri Kirvesniemi,M,W,FIN,CCS,0,0,6,6

Viktor Lisitsky,M,S,URS,GYM,0,5,0,5

Erika Zuchold,F,S,GDR,GYM,0,4,1,5

Anders Holmertz,M,S,SWE,SWI,0,4,1,5

Yang Yang (S),F,W,CHN,STK,0,4,1,5

Miya Tachibana,F,S,JPN,SYN,0,4,1,5

Miho Takeda,F,S,JPN,SYN,0,4,1,5

László Cseh Jr.,M,S,HUN,SWI,0,3,2,5

Anita Moen-Guidon,F,W,NOR,CCS,0,3,2,5

Gustav Fischer,M,S,SUI,EQU,0,3,2,5

Fredric Landelius,M,S,SWE,SHO,0,3,2,5

Østen Østensen,M,S,NOR,SHO,0,3,2,5

Fritz Feierabend,M,W,SUI,BOB,0,3,2,5

Li Jiajun,M,W,CHN,STK,0,2,3,5

Gina Gogean,F,S,ROU,GYM,0,2,3,5

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen,F,W,FIN,CCS,0,2,3,5

William Merz,M,S,USA,GYM,0,1,4,5

Edvin Wide,M,S,SWE,ATH,0,1,4,5

Arianna Fontana,F,W,ITA,STK,0,1,4,5

Phil Edwards,M,S,CAN,ATH,0,0,5,5

Antje Buschschulte,F,S,GER,SWI,0,0,5,5

Arie de Jong,M,S,NED,FEN,0,0,5,5

[/table]

Franziska van Almsick

Very tough for both Franziska van Almsick and Merlene Ottey-Page, and interesting that two women lead the list – and quite easily at that.

There are 11 women and 17 men in the above list, with 9 Winter Olympians, and 19 Summer Olympians. In all, 11 different sports/disciplines are represented, as follows: Athletics, Bobsledding, Cross-Country Skiing, Equestrian, Fencing, Gymnastics, Shooting, Short-Track Speed Skating, Speed Skating, Swimming, and Synchronized Swimming.

What about the goal of winning an individual gold medal and who has come the closest to that without ever winning one? In all 31 Olympians have won 4 or more individual Olympic medals, without ever winning an individual gold. Merlene Ottey-Page leads this list, which is as follows:

[table]

Name,Gdr,Ssn,NOC,Sport,IG,IS,IB,ITM

Merlene Ottey-Page,F,S,JAM,ATH,0,2,5,7

Eizo Kenmotsu,M,S,JPN,GYM,0,3,3,6

Yury Titov,M,S,URS,GYM,0,3,3,6

Roald Larsen,M,W,NOR,SSK,0,2,4,6

Shirley Babashoff,F,S,USA,SWI,0,5,0,5

László Cseh Jr.,M,S,HUN,SWI,0,3,2,5

Uschi Disl,F,W,GER,BIA,0,2,3,5

Sofiya Muratova,F,S,URS,GYM,0,2,3,5

Masao Takemoto,M,S,JPN,GYM,0,2,3,5

Rintje Ritsma,M,W,NED,SSK,0,2,3,5

William Merz,M,S,USA,GYM,0,1,4,5

Hryhoriy Misiutin,M,S,EUN/UKR,GYM,0,4,0,4

Frankie Fredericks,M,S,NAM,ATH,0,4,0,4

Ivica Kostelić,M,W,CRO,ASK,0,4,0,4

Shuji Tsurumi,M,S,JPN,GYM,0,3,1,4

Frank Gailey,M,S,AUS,SWI,0,3,1,4

Adam Małysz,M,W,POL,SKJ,0,3,1,4

Paula Jean Myers-Pope,F,S,USA,DIV,0,3,1,4

Marlies Schild,F,W,AUT,ASK,0,3,1,4

Igor Basinsky,M,S,BLR/URS,SHO,0,2,2,4

Franco Cagnotto,M,S,ITA,DIV,0,2,2,4

Dara Torres,F,S,USA,SWI,0,1,3,4

Pavel Lednyov,M,S,URS,MOP,0,1,3,4

Frank Beaurepaire,M,S,ANZ/AUS,SWI,0,1,3,4

Edvin Wide,M,S,SWE,ATH,0,1,3,4

Teddy Billington,M,S,USA,CYC,0,1,3,4

Ato Boldon,M,S,TTO,ATH,0,1,3,4

Leo Visser,M,W,NED,SSK,0,1,3,4

Yordan Yovchev,M,S,BUL,GYM,0,1,3,4

Yelena Välbe,F,W,EUN/RUS,CCS,0,0,4,4

[/table]

Merlene Ottey-Page

Of the 31, only 8 are women, possibly because there have been fewer Olympic events for women. By seasons, 8 are Winter Olympians and 23 Summer Olympians. There are 12 sports represented in this list, which are slightly different than the first list: Alpine Skiing, Athletics, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Cycling, Diving, Gymnastics, Modern Pentathlon, Shooting, Ski Jumping, Speed Skating, and Swimming.

Of the above, only a few athletes are still competing, and those that are are no longer competitive at the highest levels, so there should be nobody leaving the two lists.

We looked earlier at Olympians who won every event they entered at the Olympics – see “The Undefeated Olympians” from 25 June 2014. But what about those Olympians who may not have won a gold medal in every event, but still won a medal in every Olympic event they entered? How many of those have there been?

Well, that number is pretty big, but let’s look at those Olympians who entered the most events and still won medals in all of them. Here is the list for the Summer Olympics, including all those winning medals in 6 or more events:

[table]

Name,Gdr,NOC,Sport,G,S,B,TM

Paavo Nurmi,M,FIN,ATH,9,3,0,12

Natalie Coughlin,F,USA,SWI,3,4,5,12

Ray Ewry,M,USA,ATH,10,0,0,10

Carl Lewis,M,USA,ATH,9,1,0,10

Gary Hall Jr.,M,USA,SWI,5,3,2,10

Valentina Vezzali,F,ITA,FEN,6,1,2,9

Zoltán von Halmay,M,HUN,SWI,3,5,1,9

Isabell Werth,F,GER,EQU,5,3,0,8

Kornelia Ender,F,GDR,SWI,4,4,0,8

Aaron Peirsol,M,USA,SWI,5,2,0,7

Tom Jager,M,USA,SWI,5,1,1,7

Mariya Gorokhovskaya,F,URS,GYM,2,5,0,7

Rudolf Kárpáti,M,HUN,FEN,6,0,0,6

Kristin Otto,F,GDR,SWI,6,0,0,6

Steven Redgrave,M,GBR,ROW,5,0,1,6

Lucien Gaudin,M,FRA,FEN,4,2,0,6

Matt Grevers,M,USA,SWI,4,2,0,6

Kim Su-Nyeong,F,KOR,ARC,4,1,1,6

Wu Minxia,F,CHN,DIV,4,1,1,6

Viktor Sidyak,M,URS,FEN,4,1,1,6

Doina Ignat,F,ROU,ROW,4,1,1,6

Murray Rose,M,AUS,SWI,4,1,1,6

Max Décugis,M,FRA,TEN,4,1,1,6

Rebecca Soni,F,USA,SWI,3,3,0,6

Renate Stecher,F,GDR,ATH,3,2,1,6

Daniela Silivaş,F,ROU,GYM,3,2,1,6

Rüdiger Helm,M,GDR,CAN,3,0,3,6

[/table]

Paavo Nurmi
There are 13 females and 15 males in the above list, with 11 sports represented. Paavo Nurmi leading with 12 medals in 12 events is not a surprise, but few would likely have picked Natalie Coughlin to tie Nurmi at 12.

For the Winter Olympics, there are less events and the Olympians tend to have won fewer medals, so we’ll look only at those who won medals in all of their 4 or more events:

[table]

Name,Gdr,NOC,Sport,G,S,B,TM

Wolfgang Hoppe,M,GER,BOB,2,3,1,6

Eugenio Monti,M,ITA,BOB,2,2,2,6

Matti Nykänen,M,FIN,SKJ,4,1,0,5

Jayna Hefford,F,CAN,ICH,4,1,0,5

Hayley Wickenheiser,F,CAN,ICH,4,1,0,5

André Lange,M,GER,BOB,4,1,0,5

Samppa Lajunen,M,FIN,NCO,3,2,0,5

Caroline Ouellette,F,CAN,ICH,4,0,0,4

Bernhard Germeshausen,M,GDR,BOB,3,1,0,4

Gillis Grafström,M,SWE,FSK,3,1,0,4

Vladislav Tretyak,M,URS,ICH,3,1,0,4

Jennifer Botterill,F,CAN,ICH,3,1,0,4

Becky Kellar,F,CAN,ICH,3,1,0,4

Meinhard Nehmer,M,GDR,BOB,3,0,1,4

Yevgeny Plyushchenko,M,RUS,FSK,2,2,0,4

Jan Behrendt,M,GER,LUG,2,1,1,4

Stefan Krauße,M,GER,LUG,2,1,1,4

Igor Kravchuk,M,RUS,ICH,2,1,1,4

Bjarte Engen Vik,M,NOR,NCO,2,1,1,4

Lyubov Kozyreva-Baranova,F,URS,CCS,1,3,0,4

Josef Benz,M,SUI,BOB,1,2,1,4

Bernhard Lehmann,M,GDR,BOB,1,2,1,4

Fred Anton Maier,M,NOR,SSK,1,2,1,4

Erich Schärer,M,SUI,BOB,1,2,1,4

Angela Ruggiero,F,USA,ICH,1,2,1,4

Jenny Schmidgall-Potter,F,USA,ICH,1,2,1,4

Sten Stensen,M,NOR,SSK,1,1,2,4

Radiya Yeroshina,F,URS,CCS,0,3,1,4

Julie Chu,F,USA,ICH,0,3,1,4

Jiří Holík,M,TCH,ICH,0,2,2,4

Saku Koivu,M,FIN,ICH,0,1,3,4

Ville Peltonen,M,FIN,ICH,0,1,3,4

Leo Visser,M,NED,SSK,0,1,3,4

[/table]

Hayley Wickenheiser

The Winter list has 33 Winter Olympians with 4 or more medals, interestingly led by two bobsledders – Wolfgang Hoppe and Eugenio Monti with 6 each. There are 10 females and 23 males, representing 8 sports.

In both lists, those who were in our previous undefeated post can be seen – Ray Ewry with 10, Rudolf Karpati and Kristin Otto with 6 among the Summer Olympians; and Caroline Ouellette with 4 among the Winter Olympians.

Sailor, Bronze Medalist, German Industrialist, Metallurgy, German War Minister, Nazi Party Member

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Alfried Felix Alwyn von Bohlen und Halbach (-Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach)

Used Name,Alfried von Bohlen und Halbach

Born,13 August 1907; Essen-Nordrhein-Westfalen (GER)

Died,30 July 1967; Essen-Nordrhein-Westfalen (GER)

Affiliations,NRV Hamburg

[/table]

[table]

Year-Games,Sport,Event,Place,Medal

1936 Summer,Sailing,8 metres,3,Bronze

[/table]

Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, usually known as Alfried Krupp, was the son of the former Bertha Krupp and her husband, Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach, and one whose Olympic participation was a mere footnote to his life. Bertha Krupp was an heir to the well-known Krupp family business, Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, the largest company in Europe before World War II.

Alfried Krupp studied metallurgy at several German universities, earning a Master’s degree from the Aachener Technische Hochschule in 1934, writing a thesis on melting steel in vacuums, and then joined the family business in 1936. The Krupp company was a steel and metal producer that would eventually contribute greatly to the German war effort.

In 1931 Alfried Krupp joined the German SS (Schutzstaffel) and became a member of the Nazi Party in 1938. When his father suffered a stroke, Alfried Krupp became head of the firm. Under his leadership, the company used slave labor, often removing Jews from concentration camps to help work in the factories. He worked closely with the SS to obtain slave labor from the concentration camps, and made his employees work in very brutal conditions even when it was obvious that the war was lost. Krupp was German Minister for the War Economy 1943-45.

After the war ended, Krupp’s use of slave labor was investigated by the Allied Military Government, and after what was known as the Krupp Trial (technically The United States of America vs. Alfried Krupp, et al.), he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for “crimes against humanity.” He was also required to forfeit much of his property. Krupp was pardoned after three years in prison by John McCloy, America High Commissioner for Germany, and his property was restored.

Alfried Krupp resumed control of his family company in 1953. He led the company until his death in 1967, after which it passed to the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation, a philanthropic organization, which remained the majority shareholder into the 21st century, with the company later known as ThyssenKrupp AG, after mergers with other firms.

OlympStats reader David Clark of Australia asked, “What is the shortest or longest time an Olympian has been able to enjoy their Olympic medal prior to their death?” A great question and one we had to work on a little bit to get all the details.

Fully 45 athletes have died within one year of winning their final Olympic medal. Göpf Kottmann, a Swiss rower from 1964, died only 22 days after winning his single sculls bronze medal, closely followed by Swedish fencer Gösta Algren, who lived only 23 days after his fencing team épée silver in 1936. American archer G. C. Spencer won a gold medal in the 1904 team archery event, but enjoyed it for only 28 days, although he was 64-years-old when he won his medal. Here are the 36 that died within 275 days of winning an Olympic medal – an arbitrary number we chose because it gets us to the 1948 Czechoslovakian ice hockey airplane tragedy, in which six of their players died in the crash of their charter plane flying from Paris to London for a match.

[table]

Age2Dth,Died,Name,Gdr,NOC,Ssn,Year,Spt,Event,Med,YB,YE,YD

0-022,32,Göpf Kottmann,M,SUI,S,1964,ROW,Single Sculls,B,1932,1964,1964

0-023,30,Gösta Almgren,M,SWE,S,1936,FEN,Épée Team,S,1906,1936,1936

0-028,64,G. C. Spencer,M,USA,S,1904,ARC,Team,G,1840,1904,1904

0-048,27,Rich Sanders,M,USA,S,1972,WRE,Light-Middle FS,S,1945,1972,1972

0-062,24,Piet Salomons,M,NED,S,1948,WAP,Water Polo,B,1924,1948,1948

0-068,30,Miguel Caldés,M,CUB,S,2000,BSB,Baseball,S,1970,2000,2000

0-081,23,José de Figueroa,M,ESP,S,1920,POL,Polo,S,1897,1920,1920

0-088,35,David Bratton,M,USA,S,1904,WAP,Water Polo,G,1869,1904,1904

0-091,20,Bekzat Sattarkhanov,M,KAZ,S,2000,BOX,Light-Middleweight,G,1980,2000,2000

0-101,42,John Black,M,CAN,S,1924,SHO,Trap Team,S,1882,1924,1924

0-103,22,Waldemar Malak,M,POL,S,1992,WLT,Middle-Heavy,B,1970,1992,1992

0-106,33,Gösta Magnusson,M,SWE,S,1948,WLT,Light-Heavy,B,1915,1948,1948

0-113,15,Bianca Ambrosetti,F,ITA,S,1928,GYM,Team All-Around,S,1914,1928,1929

0-122,26,George Van Cleaf,M,USA,S,1904,WAP,Water Polo,G,1879,1904,1905

0-126,26,Yuliya Riabchynska,F,URS,S,1972,CAN,K1-500 m,G,1947,1972,1973

0-130,26,John B. Taylor,M,USA,S,1908,ATH,1600 medley relay,G,1882,1908,1908

0-143,23,Viktor Blinov,M,URS,W,1968,ICH,Ice Hockey,G,1945,1968,1968

0-150,45,Selwin Calverley,M,GBR,S,1900,SAI,20+ Ton,S,1855,1900,1900

0-151,22,Ivo Van Damme,M,BEL,S,1976,ATH,1500 metres,S,1954,1976,1976

0-161,24,Konrad Hirsch,M,SWE,S,1924,FTB,Football,B,1900,1924,1924

0-205,27,Joseph Olivier,M,FRA,S,1900,RUG,Rugby,G,1874,1900,1901

0-212,59,Petre Roşca,M,ROU,S,1980,EQU,Dressage Team,B,1922,1980,1981

0-212,25,Kostas Tsiklitiras,M,GRE,S,1912,ATH,Standing High Jump,B,1888,1912,1913

0-217,25,Kostas Tsiklitiras,M,GRE,S,1912,ATH,Standing Long Jump,G,1888,1912,1913

0-218,26,Sayed Jaffar,M,IND,S,1936,HOK,Hockey,G,1911,1936,1937

0-222,31,Radivoj Korać,M,YUG,S,1968,BAS,Basketball,S,1938,1968,1969

0-240,33,George Calnan,M,USA,S,1932,FEN,Épée Team,B,1900,1932,1933

0-246,33,George Calnan,M,USA,S,1932,FEN,Foil Team,B,1900,1932,1933

0-255,24,George Saling,M,USA,S,1932,ATH,110 m hurdles,G,1909,1932,1933

0-269,24,Miloslav Bednařík,M,TCH,S,1988,SHO,Trap,S,1965,1988,1989

0-274,30,Zdeněk Jarkovský,M,TCH,W,1948,ICH,Ice Hockey,S,1918,1948,1948

0-274,22,Miloslav Pokorný,M,TCH,W,1948,ICH,Ice Hockey,S,1926,1948,1948

0-274,25,Karel Stibor,M,TCH,W,1948,ICH,Ice Hockey,S,1923,1948,1948

0-274,31,Vilibald Šťovík,M,TCH,W,1948,ICH,Ice Hockey,S,1917,1948,1948

0-274,34,Ladislav Troják,M,TCH,W,1948,ICH,Ice Hockey,S,1914,1948,1948

[/table]

Bekzat Sattarkhanov

Now who was able to enjoy their medal for the longest time? Fifty-seven (57) now deceased Olympic medalists lived 75 or more years after winning their Olympic medal, led by Finnish gymnast Jalmari Kivenheimo, who won a silver medal in 1912 and lived 82 years, 111 days more (although this record is being broken by Clara Marangoni, who is still living – see below). American diver Aileen Riggin lived longer than any gold medalist after winning that gold, as she survived 82 years, 51 days after her victory in 1920 at age 14 – although technically this record has already been broken by a living Olympian – see the note at the end of the following table. Here are all those who lived 78 or more years after winning an Olympic medal:

[table]

Age2Dth,Died,Name,Gdr,NOC,Ssn,Year,Spt,Event,Med,YB,YE,YD

82-111,105,Jalmari Kivenheimo,M,FIN,S,1912,GYM,Team All-Around,S,1889,1912,1994

82-051,96,Aileen Riggin,F,USA,S,1920,DIV,Springboard,G,1906,1920,2002

80-229,105,Harry Prieste,M,USA,S,1920,DIV,Platform,B,1896,1920,2001

80-024,102,Babe Rockefeller,M,USA,S,1924,ROW,Coxed Eights,G,1902,1924,2004

79-185,95,Carolina Tronconi,F,ITA,S,1928,GYM,Team All-Around,S,1913,1928,2008

79-151,97,Cissie Stewart,F,GBR,S,1928,SWI,4 x 100 m FS relay,S,1911,1928,2008

79-137,97,Gertrude Ederle,F,USA,S,1924,SWI,400 m FS,B,1906,1924,2003

79-112,95,Carin Nilsson,F,SWE,S,1920,SWI,4 x 100 m FS relay,B,1904,1920,1999

79-066,97,Jam Handy,M,USA,S,1904,SWI,400 m Breaststroke,B,1886,1904,1983

79-044,99,Abel Kiviat,M,USA,S,1912,ATH,1500 m,S,1892,1912,1991

78-363,101,Attilio Pavesi,M,ITA,S,1932,CYC,Road Race Indiv,G,1910,1932,2011

78-357,103,Carmelo Camet,M,ARG,S,1928,FEN,Foil Team,B,1904,1928,2007

78-229,105,Lucien Démanet,M,FRA,S,1900,GYM,Individual All-Around,B,1874,1900,1979

78-220,99,Roger Beaufrand,M,FRA,S,1928,CYC,Sprint,G,1908,1928,2007

78-210,101,Herman Brix,M,USA,S,1928,ATH,Shot Put,S,1906,1928,2007

78-093,96,Aileen Riggin,F,USA,S,1924,DIV,Springboard,S,1906,1924,2002

78-064,98,Harry Glancy,M,USA,S,1924,SWI,4 x 200 m FS relay,G,1904,1924,2002

78-057,96,Max Décugis,M,FRA,S,1900,TEN,Doubles,S,1882,1900,1978

78-037,98,Georg Werner,M,SWE,S,1924,SWI,4 x 200 m FS relay,B,1904,1924,2002

[/table]

Aileen Riggin
The above record is at risk of being broken by a still-living Olympian. Evelyn Furtsch was an American sprinter who won a gold medal at the 1932 Olympics in the 4×100 relay, and is still alive as of October 2014 – 82 years, and about 90 days, after winning her Olympic medal.

So then we started thinking – who are the Olympians, not just medalists, who lived for the longest time or the shortest time after their final Olympic appearance? Here we measured the time not from the end of their event, but from the day of the Closing Ceremony.

Sadly, eight (8) Olympians did not live to see the Closing Ceremony. We know of the 11 Israelis who were murdered at München in 1972, with four of those having already competed as Olympians. Only two athletes died while competing in the Olympics – Knut Enemark Jensen, a Danish cyclist who succumbed during the 1960 cycling team time trial; and Francisco Lazaro, a Portuguese marathoner who died the day after the 1912 marathon.

Two athletes died during the Games after competing but not from the effects of the events or from being cowardly murdered. After losing his first match in 1936 featherweight boxing, Romanian Nicolae Berechet developed a carbuncle which quickly spread into blood poisoning and in the pre-antibiotic days, he died only three days after his Olympic bout, and two days before the Closing Ceremony. In 1956, Italian rower Arrigo Meniccoci competed in coxed eights, but after his event ended, he went for a car ride and was killed in a crash 7 days before the Closing Ceremony.

This does not include athletes who died in training, but never actually competed in the Olympics, such as Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luger who died the day before the 2010 Vancouver Opening Ceremony during a training run; Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, the British/Polish luger who likewise died in training before the 1964 Innsbruck Games; Czechoslovak gymnast Eliska Mišaková, who developed polio after arriving in London for the 1948 Olympics, and died the day before the Opening Ceremony; or Australian downhiller skiier Ross Milne, who died before the Innsbruck Games after crashing on a training run.

Here are all the Olympians who died less than 7 weeks after the Closing Ceremony of an Olympics:

[table]

Age2Dth,AgeDth,Name,Gdr,Ssn,NOC,Sport,LastOly,YrBth,YrDth

-16 days,23,Knud Enemark Jensen,M,S,DEN,CYC,1960,1936,1960

-12 days,19,Francisco Lázaro,M,S,POR,ATH,1912,1891,1912

-7 days,24,Arrigo Menicocci,M,S,ITA,ROW,1956,1933,1956

-6 days,28,David Berger,M,S,ISR,WLT,1972,1944,1972

-6 days,28,Ze’ev Friedman,M,S,ISR,WLT,1972,1944,1972

-6 days,31,Yossef Romano,M,S,ISR,WLT,1972,1940,1972

-6 days,24,Eliezer Halfin,M,S,ISR,WRE,1972,1948,1972

-2 days,21,Nicolae Berechet,M,S,ROU,BOX,1936,1915,1936

0-007,23,Tony Zasada,M,S,CAN,ROW,1984,1960,1984

0-007,23,Moritz Heidegger,M,W,LIE,BOB,1956,1932,1956

0-013,32,Göpf Kottmann,M,S,SUI,ROW,1964,1932,1964

0-014,26,Jonatan Johansson,M,W,SWE,SNB,2006,1980,2006

0-015,29,Gösta Almgren,M,S,SWE,FEN,1936,1906,1936

0-027,23,Aurelio Janet,M,S,CUB,ATH,1968,1945,1968

0-029,22,Thomas Pleisch,M,W,SUI,ICH,1936,1913,1936

0-034,64,G. C. Spencer,M,S,USA,ARC,1904,1840,1904

0-037,27,Rich Sanders,M,S,USA,WRE,1972,1945,1972

0-042,21,Leo Portelance,M,S,CAN,SWI,1952,1931,1952

0-046,24,George Gardiner,M,S,GBR,WRE,1924,1900,1924

[/table]

Knud Enemark Jensen

What about those who lived the longest after their final Olympic appearance? Thirteen (13) Olympians lived for 80 or more years after they left the Olympic stage. Here is the list:

[table]

Age2Dth,AgeDth,Name,Gdr,Ssn,NOC,Sport,LstOly,YrBth,YrDth

86-210,103,Ivo Pavelić,M,S,YUG,SWI,1924,1908,2011

85-286,104,Signe Johansson,F,S,SWE,DIV,1924,1905,2010

82-311,102,Rezső Kende,M,S,HUN,GYM,1928,1908,2011

82-110,98,Maud Sundberg,F,S,SWE,ATH,1928,1911,2010

82-094,105,Jalmari Kivenheimo,M,S,FIN,GYM,1912,1889,1994

81-343,99,Helen Johns,F,S,USA,SWI,1932,1914,2014

81-338,102,Willem Winkelman,M,S,NED,ATH,1908,1887,1990

81-183,99,Elsa Andersson,F,S,SWE,DIV,1912,1894,1994

81-178,104,Andrejs Kapmals,M,S,RUS,ATH,1912,1889,1994

81-053,102,Hans Kleppen,M,W,NOR,SKJ,1928,1907,2009

80-228,104,Harry Prieste,M,S,USA,DIV,1920,1896,2001

80-141,100,John Dellert,M,S,USA,GYM,1904,1884,1985

80-014,102,Babe Rockefeller,M,S,USA,ROW,1924,1902,2004

[/table]

There are two additions to this list still alive – Clara Marangoni, an Italian gymnast from the 1928 Olympics, is the only known Olympian still alive who competed at the Amsterdam Games – she is now in her 86th year after her final Olympic appearance, and is close to bettering Pavelić’s mark; and Evelyn Furtsch, as mentioned above, now 82 years after her Olympic appearance.

While researching this topic we found another interesting tidbit. How many Olympic athletes never saw their 20^th birthday? Sadly, it has happened eight times. An Italian gymnast from 1928, Bianca Ambrosetti, was the youngest, dying at age 15 after competing when she was 14. Three on this list died in the 1961 US Figure Skating tragedy when their plane crashed in Belgium while travelling to the 1962 World Championships. Here is the list of Olympic teenagers who died:

[table]

AgeDth,Name,Gender,Season,NOC,Sport,Oly,YrBth,YrDth

15,Bianca Ambrosetti,F,S,ITA,GYM,1928,1914,1929

17,Laurie Owen,F,W,USA,FSK,1960,1944,1961

18,Ray Hadley Jr.,M,W,USA,FSK,1960,1943,1961

18,Viktoriya Dimitrova,F,W,BUL,FSK,1992,1976,1994

19,Marián Havlíček,M,S,TCH,CAN,1972,1953,1972

19,Amar Garibović,M,W,SRB,CCS,2010,1991,2010

19,Ila Ray Hadley,F,W,USA,FSK,1960,1942,1961

19,Sandra Schmitt,F,W,GER,FRS,1998,1981,2000

[/table]

What about the other end of the spectrum? Fortunately, many Olympians have lived long, full lives. At least fifty-nine (59) Olympians have died after their 100^th birthday (this is not always easy to track), led by Walter Walsh, American shooter from 1948, who died earlier in 2014 just short of his 107^th birthday – the longest-lived Olympian ever.

So there you have it, David. Thanx for the interesting question and we hope we answered it for you.

Rower, gold medalist, pediatrician, author, peace activist, Presidential candidate

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Benjamin McLane “Ben” Spock

Used Name,Ben Spock

Born,2 May 1903; New Haven Connecticut (USA)

Died,15 March 1998; La Jolla California (USA)

Measurements,196 cm

Affiliations,Yale University

[/table]

[table]

Year-Games,Sport,Event,Place,Medal

1924 Summer,Rowing,Coxed Eights,1,Gold

[/table]

Ben Spock ran track for one year at Yale and rowed crew for four years, but his college career pales beside his accomplishments afterwards. After college he started med school at Yale, then transferred to Columbia, where he earned his M.D. and became a pediatrician. As the author of Baby and Child Care, Dr. Spock is a name known to millions of parents in this country. The book was written while Spock practiced pediatrics in New York and sold over 25,000,000 copies. He also wrote five other books on child care.

During the 60s, Dr Benjamin Spock was in the news for other reasons. He took a strong stand against nuclear proliferation and participated in several protests against military escalation in Vietnam. In 1972, Ben Spock became the first former U.S. Olympic athlete to run for the United States presidency on the People’s Party ticket in 1972, but received only 78,759 votes (about 0.1%). He espoused radical political action and severe reduction of the military but received no electoral votes. After he retired from practicing medicine, he did some occasional public speaking, usually at universities or for the benefit of peace groups.