The United States’ first government came into being 240 years ago – in September 1774, with the formation of the 1^st Continental Congress. But Americans celebrate the nations’ birthday on July 4^th, the day chosen to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, although it is well known that the signing actually occurred on July 2, 1776. Nonetheless this is what we consider the United States’ birthday – so Happy Birthday, USA. (Yes, I am a USA-ian, and I approved this post)

The United States has also competed at every Olympic Games except for, sadly, the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. During that time, the USA has dominated the medal lists and the medal standings more than any other nation, mainly at the Summer Olympics. There have been pretenders to attempt to usurp that dominance – the USSR from 1952-88, the GDR from 1972-88, and now China threatens to lead the medal standings. But overall, from 1896-2014, Summer alone, Summer and Winter, men, women, it matters not. The USA has been the dominant nation at the Olympic Games in terms of medals won.

Here are the top 5 nations in terms of all medals won, actually listing 6 nations, because North American and Europe tend to count the medal lists differently, and there is a discrepancy, even at the top of the lists (USA uses totals, gold, silver, bronze for the rankings; Europe / International uses gold, silver, bronze for the rankings) (Note: these numbers are all per the IOC standards, meaning they do not include the 1906 Olympics):

[table]

RkUS,RkEU,NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Total

1,1,United States,1071,857,754,2682

2,2,Soviet Union,473,376,355,1204

3,3,Germany,288,320,307,915

4,4,Great Britain,246,277,282,805

5,6,France,235,256,298,789

6,5,Italy,236,200,228,664

[/table]

So skipping the Soviet Union, which no longer exists, the USA has won more gold medals than the next 4 best nations that are still extant, and more medals than the next 3 best nations, however you rank them.

Just looking at the Summer Olympics, that dominance becomes even more impressive.

[table]

RkUS,RkEU,NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Totals

1,1,United States,975,754,669,2398

2,2,Soviet Union,395,319,296,1010

3,3,Great Britain,235,271,266,772

4,5,Germany,201,235,249,685

5,4,France,204,225,251,680

6,7,Italy,199,166,185,550

[/table]

Again, skipping the USSR, the United States has won more gold medals than the next best 4 nations, and more medals than the next best 3 nations. Including the Soviet Union, the USA has won more gold medals and medals than the next best 3 nations at the Summer Olympics.

If we try to split this up by gender, the dominance remains. Here are the lists for men, women, and mixed medals:

Men

[table]

RkUS,RkEU,NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Total

1,1,United States,761,591,520,1872

2,2,Soviet Union,323,259,228,810

3,5,France,171,195,217,583

4,4,Great Britain,172,193,194,559

5,6,Germany,171,190,190,551

6,3,Italy,188,157,168,513

[/table]

Women

[table]

RkUS,RkEU,NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Total

1,1,United States,277,222,202,701

2,2,Soviet Union,122,96,113,331

3,3,China,120,100,83,303

4,5,Germany,88,115,97,300

5,4,German DR,94,84,63,241

6,6,Russia,72,83,63,218

[/table]

Mixed

[table]

RkUS,RkEU,NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Total

1,1,United States,33,44,32,109

2,2,Great Britain,31,27,24,82

3,5,France,27,20,27,74

4,3,Germany,29,15,20,64

5,4,Soviet Union,28,21,14,63

[/table]

The male dominance for the USA is as complete, with more gold medals than the next 4 remaining nations, and more medals than the 3 next nations still extant. The female dominance is less so, as the Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic (GDR – East Germany) emphasized women’s medals during their existence. And it is even less dramatic for mixed events, where it is approached by several other nations, but the USA still leads the mixed medal lists, both in terms of medals won and gold medals won.

Now at the Winter Olympics, the USA is not #1, that honor still going to Norway, with the United States 2^nd, Germany 3^rd, and Austria 4^th. But if we look only at the Summer Olympics, here is how the medal standings have ended up at each Games:

[table]

Year,NOC,G,S,B,Tot,RkUS,RkEU

1896,Greece,10,16,19,45,1,2

1896,United States,11,7,2,20,2,1

1900,France,28,41,38,107,1,1

1904,United States,78,79,82,239,1,1

1906,France,15,9,16,40,1,1

1908,Great Britain,55,49,34,138,1,1

1912,Sweden,23,24,17,64,1,2

1912,United States,25,18,20,63,2,1

1920,United States,41,26,26,93,1,1

1924,United States,45,27,27,99,1,1

1928,United States,22,18,16,56,1,1

1932,United States,40,33,30,103,1,1

1936,Germany,33,26,30,89,1,1

1948,United States,38,27,19,84,1,1

1952,United States,40,19,17,76,1,1

1956,Soviet Union,37,29,32,98,1,1

1960,Soviet Union,43,29,31,103,1,1

1964,Soviet Union,30,31,35,96,1,2

1964,United States,36,26,28,90,2,1

1968,United States,45,28,34,107,1,1

1972,Soviet Union,50,27,22,99,1,1

1976,Soviet Union,49,41,35,125,1,1

1980,Soviet Union,80,69,46,195,1,1

1984,United States,83,61,30,174,1,1

1988,Soviet Union,55,31,46,132,1,1

1992,Unified Team,45,38,29,112,1,1

1996,United States,44,32,25,101,1,1

2000,United States,37,24,32,93,1,1

2004,United States,36,41,26,101,1,1

2008,United States,36,38,36,110,1,2

2008,China,51,21,28,100,2,1

2012,United States,46,29,29,104,1,1

[/table]

So of the above 32 leaders (by either system), the USA has been the leading nation at the Summer Olympics 17 times, or more than all other nations combined. However, if one looks at 1956-88, you can see that the Soviet Union was quite dominant in that era. What if they had competed before 1952 or since 1988?

One can argue that Russia, China, and Germany have not existed for as long as the United States, in Olympic terms. So let’s compare numbers against Pan-Soviet (USSR 1952-88 and all former Soviet republics prior to 1952 and since 1992) and Pan-Germania (Germany, East and West Germany) (Note: The Saar also competed in 1952 but did not win any medals.). We really can’t do the same for China. And this tabulation will give an advantage to Pan-Soviet counts, because since 1992 they can have far more than 3 competitors, or 1 team, in an event. The same was true for East and West Germany from 1968-88.

Here are the numbers for all Olympic medals:

[table]

NOC,Gold,Silver,Bronze,Total

United States,1071,857,754,2682

,,,,

Soviet Union,473,376,355,1204

Russia,183,166,179,528

Unified Team,54,44,37,135

Ukraine,35,28,59,122

Belarus,18,28,45,91

Kazakhstan,17,20,22,59

Estonia,13,11,16,40

Azerbaijan,6,5,15,26

Latvia,3,15,8,26

Georgia,6,5,14,25

Uzbekistan,6,5,11,22

Lithuania,6,5,10,21

Armenia,1,2,9,12

Moldova,0,2,5,7

Kyrgyzstan,0,1,2,3

Tajikistan,0,1,2,3

Pan-Soviet,821,714,789,2324

,,,,

Germany,288,320,307,915

German Demo. Rep.,192,165,162,519

Fed. Rep. Germany,67,82,94,243

Pan-Germania,547,567,563,1677

[/table]

So even with the advantage Pan-Soviet and Pan-Germania get from extra competitors and teams, the USA still leads the medal lists comfortably. Of course, Pan-Soviet had only a few competitors from 1912-36 – Russia in 1912 and the Baltics from 1924-36 – but given how much fewer events there were in that era, the USA would still lead the lists.

Happy Birthday, America. We have a national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, which I’ve considered like our alma mater, but I much prefer what could be considered similar to our college fight song – The Stars and Stripes Forever (officially the USA National March since 1987). Here’s one of my favorite versions of it:

Olympic distance runner, War hero, Prison camp survivor, Legend

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Louis Silvie “Lou” Zamperini

Used Name,Lou Zamperini

Born,26 January 1917; Olean New York (USA)

Died,2 July 2014

Measurements,180 cm / 60 kg

[/table]

Games	Sport	Event	Status	Team	Pos		Details
1936 (summer)	Athletics	5,000 metres	Olympic		8

Fencer, Soldier, Resistance fighter, Martyr, Sachsenhausen

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Richard Leonard Arnold Schoemaker

Used Name,Richard Schoemaker

Born,5 October 1886; Roermond (NED)

Died,3 May 1942; Sachsenhausen; Oranienburg; Brandenburg (GER)

[/table]

[table]

Year-Season,Sport,Event,Finish

1908 Summer,Fencing,Individual Sabre, =3 Pool 1 Round 2/4

[/table]

Richard Schoemaker studied at the Royal Netherlands Military Academy, beginning there as a cadet in 1905. In the year he graduated he competed at the Olympic Games in London. Schoemaker then left for the Dutch East Indies as a second lieutenant, being promoted to captain 1915. He left the Army just after World War I, and became a professor of constructional engineering at the Technical Academy in Bandoeng, before returning to the Netherlands where he served as a professor of architecture on the faculty of bouwkunde (architecture/structural engineering) at the Technical University in Delft. He continued as a reserve major in the Army and over the next 20 years helped design and construct several Army barracks. Schoemaker’s brother, Wolff, was a noted Dutch architect often called the Frank Lloyd Wright of Indonesia.

At the start of World War II Schoemaker was called to serve with the Technical Corps of Engineering but was not involved in combat. After the Dutch Army surrendered to the Germans he joined the Dutch Underground, later becoming part of the Ordedienst (OD), a fusion of several underground groups. On 2 May 1941 Schoemaker was arrested after being found to be a member of the OD. He and several other OD members were kept in the state prison in Scheveningen, later called the Oranjehotel. In March-April 1942 Schoemaker and many of his compatriots were tried in Amersfoort, and all were found guilty, with the sentence being death.

On 1 May 1942 the convicted OD members, among whom was included Pierre Versteegh, a Dutch equestrian Olympian, were taken by train to Oranienburg, near Berlin, and then transported by truck to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. On 3 May 1942 all of the convicts were executed by firing squad, in groups of 12 each. Richard Schoemaker was among them. On 3 May 1946 a monument was erected in the Netherlands in the group’s honor. Schoemaker posthumously was given the Resistance Cross for his efforts.

In some sports an Olympic title can be part of a greater achievement. In this blog we’ve already featured ice hockey’s Triple Gold Club and basketball’s Triple Crown winners but tennis also has its’ ultimate challenge – the Golden Slam.
The Golden slam consists of winning the 4 major championships, the Australian, French and US Opens as well as Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal. It was never achieved during tennis’s original tenure as an Olympic sport (because of the French tournament being restricted to members of French clubs before 1925) but, since the sport returned to the Olympic fold in 1988, a dozen men and women have performed the feat in a mixture of singles and doubles.

Men’s singles
[table]

Athlete,Nation(s),Olympics,Australia,French, Wimbledon,USA
Andre Agassi, USA, 1996,4 wins,1 win,1 win,2 wins
Rafael Nadal,ESP,2008,1 win,9 wins,2 wins,2 wins

[/table]

Men’s doubles
[table]
Athlete,Nation(s),Olympics,Australia,French, Wimbledon,USA
Bob Bryan,USA,2012,6 wins,2 wins,3 wins,4 wins
Mike Bryan,USA,2012,6 wins,2 wins,3 wins,4 wins
Daniel Nestor,CAN,2000,1 win,4 wins,2 wins, 1 win
Todd Woodbridge,AUS,1996,3 wins,1 win,9 wins,3 wins,
Mark Woodforde,AUS,1996,2 wins,1 win,6 wins,3 wins
[/table]

Women’s singles
[table]

Athlete,Nation(s),Olympics,Australia,French, Wimbledon,USA
Steffi Graf,FRG/GER,1988,4 wins,6 wins,7 wins,5 wins
Serena Williams,USA,2012,5 wins,2 wins,5 wins,5 wins
[/table]

Steffi Graf (right of picture)

Women’s doubles
[table]

Athlete,Nation(s),Olympics,Australia,French, Wimbledon,USA
Gigi Fernandez,PUR/USA,1992/1996,2 wins,6 wins,4 wins,5 wins
Pam Shriver,USA,1988,7 wins,3 wins,5 wins,5 wins
Serena Williams,USA,2000/2008/2012,4 wins,2 wins,5 wins,2 wins
Venus Williams,USA, 2000/2008/2012, 4 wins,2 wins,5 wins,2 wins
[/table]

Williams sisters

Mixed doubles
Closest approach which includes an Olympic title is that of Vika Azarenko and Max Mirnyi of Belarus with Olympic, Wimbledon and US Open titles and an appearance in the final at the Australian Open.
Daniela Hantuchová has won all 4 major titles but did not compete in the event at the 2012 Olympics.

Serena Williams is unique in achieving this feat as both a singles and doubles player and has a record 34 wins across all five championships and both disciplines. Steffi Graf is the only player to win all 5 tournaments in the same calendar year whilst the Bryan brothers have also held all 5 titles at the same time although, in their case, it was spread over 2012 and 2013. Two of the premiere players of recent years, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, still need an Olympic singles gold to complete their set.

On 28 June 1914, 100 years ago today, the inciting incident which led to World War I, occurred. This was the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. World War I is considered to have officially started one month later, 28 July, when Austro-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia.

Although there had been only 5 celebrations of the Olympic Games to that date (6 if you count 1906), many of the Olympic athletes served in the military during the war and some of them did not return.

Canadian doctor-soldier John McCrae penned the poem “In Flanders Fields” in memory of the brave men who lost their lives in what has been called The Great War, as if any war could be great. McCrae wrote:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In their memory, here are the 131 Olympians that we have been able to identify as being killed, died, or missing in action as a result of World War I. RIP.

[table]

Olympian,NOC,Sport,Era,Fate

Andrey Akimov,RUS,FTB,1912,†1916. Killed during World War I.

Gordon Alexander,GBR,FEN,1912,†24 April 1917. Killed in action during World War I.

Laurie Anderson,GBR,ATH,1912,†9 November 1914. Killed in action while serving with the Cheshire Regiment.

William Anderson,GBR,ATH,1906,†April 1915. Killed in action in France.

Henry Ashington,GBR,ATH,1912,†31 January 1917. Killed in action in France.

Louis Bach,FRA,FTB,1900,†16 September 1914. Killed in action.

Fritz Bartholomae,GER,ROW,1912,†12 September 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Georg Baumann,RUS,WRE,1912,Missing-in-action during World War I but date and place not known.

Béla Békessy,HUN,FEN,1912,†6 July 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Isaac Bentham,GBR,WAP,1912,†15 May 1917. Killed in action during Battle of Arras.

Renon Boissière,FRA,ATH,1912,†25 September 1915. Killed in action in World War I.

Henri Bonnefoy,FRA,SHO,1908,†19 August 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Hermann von Bönninghausen,GER,ATH,1908-12,†26 January 1919. Died from wounds from being shot in the face in World War I.

Hermann Bosch,GER,FTB,1912,†16 July 1916. Killed in action in World War I.

Jean Bouin,FRA,ATH,1908-12,†29 September 1914. Killed in action by friendly fire.

Hanns Braun,GER,ATH,1908-12,†9 October 1918. Died as a fighter pilot near Saint-Quentin; Aisne; France in World War I.

Karl Braunsteiner,AUT,FTB,1912,†19 April 1916. Died as a prisoner of war.

Kurt Bretting,GER,SWI,1912,†30 May 1918. Killed in action during World War I.

Heinrich Burkowitz,GER,ATH,1912,†November 1918. Missing in action in November 1918 somewhere in Belgium.

Edmund Bury,GBR,RAQ,1908,†5 December 1915. With the 11th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps he was killed in action in France during World War I and is buried in Rue-Petillon Military Cemetery in Fleurbaix.

George Butterfield,GBR,ATH,1908,†24 September 1917. Killed in action in France.

Oswald Carver,GBR,ROW,1908,†7 June 1915. With the 1st/2nd East Lancashire Royal Engineers he was killed in action in Turkey in World War I and is buried in the Lancashire Landing Cemetery.

Joseph Caullé,FRA,ATH,1912,†1 October 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Ralph Chalmers,GBR,FEN,1908,†8 May 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Noel Chavasse,GBR,ATH,1908,†4 August 1917. He is one of only three men to have been awarded a bar to the Victoria Cross. Serving as a captain in the RAMC he was first awarded the VC in 1916 and a bar posthumously in 1917.

Geoffrey Coles,GBR,SHO,1908,†27 January 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

André Corvington,HAI,FEN,1900,†13 December 1918. Killed in action in World War I near Reims.

Percy Courtman,GBR,SWI,1908-12,†2 June 1917. Part of 6th Battalion Manchester Regiment he was killed in action in World War I. Buried at Neuville-Bourjonval British Cemetery.

Harry Crank,GBR,DIV,1908,†22 October 1917. Killed in action near Ypres Belgium.

Robert Davies,GBR,SHO,1912,†9 September 1916. A member of the 1st/9th Batallion; London Regiment (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) he was killed in action in the Somme in France in World War I.

Louis de Champsavin,FRA,EQU,1900,†20 December 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Felix Debax,FRA,FEN,1900,†25 August 1914. Killed in action in World War I.

Alex Decouteau,CAN,ATH,1912,†17 October 1917. Killed in action in the Battle of Passchendale.

Oszkár Demján,HUN,SWI,1912,†4 September 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Charles Devendeville,FRA,SWI/WAP,1900,†19 September 1914. Killed in action.

Karl Baron von Diepurg,GER,IOC,1909-14,†25 October 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Joseph Dines,GBR,FTB,1912,†27 September 1918. He was killed in Pas de Calais as a second lieutenant on the Western front during World War I.

Jimmy Duffy,CAN,ATH,1912,†23 April 1915. In September 1913 he joined the Canadian Army and was assigned to the 91st Argyle Regiment. On 23 April 1915 he was fatally wounded near Ypres Belgium.

Hugh Durant,GBR,MOP/SHO,1912,†21 January 1916. With the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers he was killed in action in France in World War I and is buried in the Vermelles British Cemetery.

George Fairbairn,GBR,ROW,1908,†20 June 1915. Killed in action in the Somme in France during World War I.

René Fenouillière,FRA,FTB,1908,†4 November 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Léon Flameng,FRA,CYC,1896,†2 January 1917. Killed in action during World War I.

Alfred Flaxman,GBR,ATH,1908,†1 July 1916. Killed in an attack on the enemy positions at Gommecourt.

Bert Gayler,GBR,CYC,1912,†23 June 1917. Killed by rifle fire during an ambush in a valley near Kotkai Bozi Khel.

Bernhard von Gaza,GER,ROW,1908,†25 September 1917. Killed in action during World War I in Belgium.

Thomas Gillespie,GBR,ROW,1912,†18 October 1914. A lieutenant with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers he was killed in action in France in World War I and is buried in Le Touret Memorial.

Henry Goldsmith,GBR,ROW,1908,†9 May 1915. Killed in action at Fromelles.

Lajos Gönczy,HUN,ATH,1900-06,†4 December 1915. Killed in action in area of Galicia and Lodomeria.

Carl Heinrich Goßler,GER,ROW,1900,†9 September 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Wyndham Halswelle,GBR,ATH,1906-08,†31 March 1915. Killed by a sniper’s bullet in France.

George Hawkins,GBR,ATH,1908,†22 September 1917. During World War I he served as a Gunner with the Royal Artillery and was killed in action when a shell exploded in the doorway of a dugout while he was on outpost duty.

Harold Hawkins,GBR,SHO,1908,†16 June 1917. Reported missing between Bullecourt and Croisilles. When last seen he was wounded; lying in a very forward position; which unfortunately had to be abandoned.

Cecil Healy,ANZ/AUS,SWI,1906-12,†29 August 1918. Killed in action in World War I.

Max Herrmann,GER,ATH,1912,†29 January 1915. Killed in action in World War I.

George Hutson,GBR,ATH,1912,†14 September 1914. Killed in action only five weeks after the outbreak of World War I.

Albert Jenicot,FRA,FTB,1908,†22 February 1916. An under-lieutenant with the 165th Regiment D Infantry he was killed in action in World War I.

Walther Jesinghaus,GER,GYM,1912,†1918. Killed in action during World War I.

Ernest Keeley,RSA,SHO,1912,†23 July 1918. A 2nd lieutenant with the 4th Regiment (South African Infantry Unit) he was killed in action in World War I and is buried in the Ploegsteert Memorial.

Frederick Kelly,GBR,ROW,1908,†13 November 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Paul Kenna,GBR,EQU,1912,†30 August 1915. Killed in action at the Battle of Gallipoli.

Alister Kirby,GBR,ROW,1912,†29 March 1917. Served as a captain in the Rifle Brigade and died from illness in 1917.

Frederick Kitching,GBR,ATH,1908,†1914. Killed in action in World War I.

Adolf Kofler,AUT,CYC,1912,†13 April 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Nikolay Kynin,RUS,FTB,1912,†1916. Killed during World War I.

Ivan Laing,GBR,HOK,1908,†30 November 1917. With the 2nd Battalion; Coldstream Guards he was killed in action in France during World War I and is buried in Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery; British Extension.

Octave Lapize,FRA,CYC,1908,†14 July 1917. Killed when his plane was shot down near Verdun.

Béla von Las-Torres,HUN,SWI,1908-12,†13 October 1915. Killed in action in Italy during World War I.

Henry Leeke,GBR,ATH,1908,†29 May 1915. Killed in action on the eve of his battalion’s departure for Gallipoli.

Erich Lehmann,GER,ATH,1912,†9 July 1918. Listed as missing in action in World War I.

Feliks Leparsky,RUS,FEN,1912,†10 January 1917. Killed in action in World War I.

Bertrand Count de Lesseps,FRA,FEN,1908,†28 August 1918. Killed in action during World War I.

Ismaël de Lesseps,FRA,FEN,1908,†30 September 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Eduard von Lütcken,GER,EQU,1912,†15 September 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Georges Lutz,FRA,CYC,1908,†31 January 1915. Killed in action in World War I.

Willy Lützow,GER,SWI,1912,†1916. Killed in action during World War I.

William Lyshon,USA,WRE,1912,†13 October 1918. Killed in the final days of World War I.

Duncan Mackinnon,GBR,ROW,1908,†9 October 1917. Killed in action at Ypres in the Battle of Passchendaele.

Gilchrist Maclagan,GBR,ROW,1908,†25 April 1915. Killed in action in Pilckem Ridge at the Second Battle of Ypres.

Leopold Mayer,AUT,SWI,1906,†21 September 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Alphonse Meignant,FRA,ROW,1912,†4 November 1914. Killed at First Battle of Ypres during World War I.

Robert Merz,AUT,FTB,1912,†30 August 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Georg Mickler,GER,ATH,1912,†14 June 1915. Killed in action during World War I somewhere in Poland.

Felice Milano (DNS),ITA,FTB,1912,†11 November 1915. Killed at the Fourth Battle of the Isonzo during World War I.

Percival Molson,CAN,ATH,1904,†5 July 1917. Killed in action when hit by mortar fire while attempting to rescue a fallen friend on the outskirts of Avignon France.

Alfred Motté,FRA,ATH,1908-12,†31 October 1918. Killed in action in World War I.

István Mudin,HUN,ATH,1906-08,†22 July 1918. Killed in action during World War I.

Edward Nash,GBR,EQU,1912,†21 February 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Georges de la Nézière,FRA,ATH,1896,†9 October 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Grigory Nikitin,RUS,FTB,1912,†1917. Killed during World War I.

Harcourt Ommundsen,GBR,SHO,1908-12,†19 September 1915. A Lieutenant in the Honourable Artillery Company when he was killed at the Battle of Ieper in World War I.

Alan Patterson,GBR,ATH,1908-12,†14 March 1916. Commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery he was killed in action only two days after his 30th birthday.

Árpád Pédery,HUN,GYM,1912,†21 October 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

Jacques Person,GER,ATH,1912,†15 July 1915. From Alsace; killed in action in Flanders as a member of the “7. Thüringische Infanterie Regiment Nr. 96”.

William Philo,GBR,BOX,1908,†7 July 1916. Killed in World War I during the battle of the Somme in France.

Hermann Plaskuda,GER,FEN,1912,†21 March 1918. Killed in action in World War II. His grave is in the war cemetary in St. Quentin France.

Léon Ponscarme,FRA,CYC,1900,†24 November 1916. Killed in action in World War I in Verdun.

Kenneth Powell,GBR,ATH/TEN,1908-12,†18 February 1915. Killed in action while serving as a private in the HAC.

Friedrich Karl Prince von Preußen,GER,EQU,1912,†6 April 1917. During a flight on 21 March 1917 he was forced to land with a bullet in his engine and a slight wound to his foot. He landed his Albatros aircraft in no-man’s land but while running towards his own lines he was severely wounded in the back by Australian troops. He was taken into Australian war captivity where he died from his injuries on 6 April 1917 at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.

Reggie Pridmore,GBR,HOK,1908,†13 March 1918. Served as a major in the Royal Horse & Field Artillery winning a Military Cross on the Somme before being killed in action in Italy.

Joseph Racine,FRA,CYC,1912,†28 October 1914. With the 113th Regiment Infantry he was killed in action in World War I.

Thomas Raddall,GBR,SHO,1908,†9 August 1918. With the 8th Battalion Canadian Infantry Manitoba Regiment he was killed in action in France in World War I and is buried in the Manitoba Cemetery in Caix.

Maurice Raoul-Duval,FRA,POL,1900,†5 May 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Josef Rieder,GER,CYC,1912,†13 July 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

John Robinson,GBR,HOK,1908,†23 August 1916. Commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment he was soon promoted to captain but died from injuries received in the Mesopotamian campaign.

Patrick Roche,GBR,ATH,1908,†7 June 1917. A lieutenant in the Royal Engineers he won an MC in World War I and was later killed in action.

Albert Rowland,ANZ,ATH,1908,†23 July 1918. Killed in action during the Second Battle of The Marne.

Marius Royet (DNS),FRA,FTB,1908,†1915. Killed during World War I.

Maurice Salomez,FRA,ATH,1900,†7 August 1916. Killed in action in World War I.

Ronald Sanderson,GBR,ROW,1908,†17 April 1918. Killed in action near Ypres.

Heinrich Schneidereit,GER,TOW/WLT,1906,†30 September 1915. Killed in action as an artillery officer in France during World War I.

André Six,FRA,SWI,1900,†1914. Killed in action.

Pierre Six,FRA,FTB,1908,†7 July 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Michel Soalhat,FRA,ATH,1906,†25 September 1915. Killed in action in World War I.

Robert Somers-Smith,GBR,ROW,1908,†1 July 1916. Killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Geoffrey Taylor,CAN,ROW,1908-12,†24 April 1915. Missing; presumed killed; during the Second Battle of Ypres.

Felix Tekusch (DNS),AUT,FTB,1912,†21 May 1916. Killed in action during World War I.

Waldemar Tietgens,GER,ROW,1900,†28 July 1917. Killed in action during World War I.

Dragutin Tomašević,SRB,ATH,1912,†1915. Killed in action during World War I in Serbia

Justin Vialaret,FRA,FTB,1908,†30 September 1916. Killed in action in World War I.

Charles Vigurs,GBR,GYM,1908-12,†22 February 1917. With the 11th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment he was killed in action in France in World War I and is buried in the Maroc British Cemetery in Grenay.

Amon Ritter von Gregurich,HUN,FEN,1900,†28 June 1915. Killed in action during World War I.

Edmond Wallace,FRA,FEN,1900,†18 August 1915. Killed in action in World War I.

Rudolf Watzl,AUT,WRE,1906,†15 August 1915. Died from illness during World War I.

Arthur Wear,USA,TEN,1904,†6 November 1918. As a result of refusing to obtain proper treatment for a probable perforated duodenal ulcer; he died; still commanding his battalion; during the Meuse-Argonne fighting.

Arthur Wilde,GBR,SHO,1908,†21 January 1916. With the 1st/6th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment he was killed in action in World War I and is buried in the Arras Memorial.

Tony Wilding,ANZ,TEN,1912,†9 May 1915. Joined the British army and was leading an armoured car unit when he was killed at Aubers Ridge during the Battle of Neuve-Chapelle.

Victor Willems,BEL,FEN,1908-12,†1918. Killed in action during World War I.

Edward Williams,GBR,ROW,1908,†12 August 1915. With the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards he was killed in action in France in World War I and is buried in the St. Venant Communal Cemetery.

Herbert Wilson,GBR,POL,1908,†11 April 1917. Was a captain with the Royal Horse Guards near Arras. Died in the preliminary skirmishes leading up to the Battle of Paschendaele in Ypres Belgium.

Richard Yorke,GBR,ATH,1908-12,†22 December 1914. Killed in action in World War I while serving as a sergeant in the London Scottish.

Béla Zulawszky,HUN,FEN,1908-12,†24 October 1914. Killed in action during World War I.

[/table]

Metal Skis, Bar Fights, Cults, Suicides, and Sunglasses

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Jean Raoul Célina André Vuarnet

Used Name,Jean Vuarnet

Born,18 January 1938; Bardo (TUN)

Affiliations,Skiclub de Morzine

[/table]

[table]

Year-Season,Sport,Event,Finish,Medal

1960 Winter,Alpine Skiing,Downhill,1,Gold

[/table]

[table]

Category,Data

Full name,François Bonlieu

Born,21 March 1937; Juvincourt-et-Damary; Aisne (FRA)

Died,18 August 1973; Cannes; Alpes-Maritimes (FRA)

Affiliations,CR Mont Blanc

[/table]

[table]

Year-Season,Sport,Event,Finish,Medal

1956 Winter,Alpine Skiing,Giant Slalom,9,

1960 Winter,Alpine Skiing,Giant Slalom,11,

,,Slalom,DQ Run 2/2,

1964 Winter,Alpine Skiing,Downhill,15,

,,Giant Slalom,1,Gold

,,Slalom,DQ Run 1/2,

[/table]

[table]

Category,Data

Full Name,Marie Edith Bonlieu (-Vuarnet)

Used Name,Edith Bonlieu

Born,18 September 1934

Died,22 December 1995; Vercors; Isère (FRA)

[/table]

[table]

Year-Season,Sport,Event,Finish,Medal

1956 Winter,Alpine Skiing,Downhill,DNF,

[/table]

The Vuarnet family has known the best of times and the worst of times. Jean Vuarnet first featured internationally when he won a bronze medal in the downhill at the 1958 World Championships. He was a pioneer downhiller, as he was really the first to use a deep tucked position, emphasizing its aerodynamic advantages. In 1960, he used the position to win the gold medal in the downhill at Squaw Valley, the only Olympic event in which he competed. Vuarnet also skied that year on Rossignol metal skis, and was the first skier to win a major championship using metal skis.

Jean Vuarnet

After the Olympics, Vuarnet endorsed a brand of sunglasses that took his name, and Vuarnet Sunglasses later became among the world’s most popular brands. He also spent time as a sports administrator with the French Skiing Association from 1962-71.

In 1958, Vuarnet had married Edith Bonlieu, who competed at the 1956 Olympics. Her brother was François Bonlieu, who had a much more extensive Olympic ski career than either his sister or Vuarnet. François Bonlieu competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics, competing in 6 events and winning the gold medal in giant slalom at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics.

François Bonlieu became a member of the French ski team when he was only 15 years old. In 1954, when only 17, he won a silver medal in the giant slalom at the World Championships in Aare. In 1958, Bonlieu added a World bronze medal at the championships in Bad Gastein, Austria. He was also a two-time slalom winner at the Arlberg-Kandahar, in 1959 and 1963, and was a three-time French national champion. François Bonlieu eventually was killed in a fight in Cannes on the Promenade de la Croisette, after an argument, at only 36-years-old.

Edith Bonlieu-Vuarnet was a three-time French champion. She competed in the downhill at the 1956 Winter Olympics, but did not finish the race. Bonlieu-Vuarnet and their youngest son, Patrick, later joined the Order of the Solar Temple cult, known in France as the Ordre du Temple Solaire. The Order of the Solar Temple was founded in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret in Genève, Switzerland. The goals of the order were to establish the correct notions of authority and power in the world, affirm the primacy of the spiritual over the temporal, prepare for the Second Coming of Christ as a solar god-king, and assist in the unification of all Christian churches and Islam.

In 1994-95, the cult carried out mass suicides in several Swiss and French villages. The bodies were found in mass graves, dressed in ceremonial robes, lying in a circle, feet at the center, with plastic bags over their heads, and bullet wounds to the heads. Edith Bonlieu-Vuarnet and her son, Patrick Vuarnet, were among those who took their own lives.

They never lost. Not once. Not when the odds were against them, not when somebody else was favored, not when the weather was bad, not when they caught a bad break along the way, not when they were not feeling so well that day. They simply never lost. They are the undefeated Olympians.

Twenty-one (21) Olympians have won 4 or more gold medals, while going undefeated at the Olympics, winning in every event in which they competed. The list is below but it deserves some closer examination.

First of all, it’s almost evenly divided – there are 10 women and 11 men on the list. But it is not evenly divided by Olympics, as only Canadian ice hockey player Caroline Ouellette has ever done this at the Winter Olympics, a feat she accomplished in Sochi with her fourth consecutive gold medal (with thanx to NBCOlympicTalk’s Nick Zaccardi for spotting this  – and inspiring this stat post)

Caroline Ouellette

Secondly, most people did this spread out over several Olympics. Only American tracksters Alvin Kraenzlein (1900) and Jesse Owens (1936) and East German swimmer Kristin Otto (1988) accomplished this at a single Olympics, with Otto winning six gold medals in 1988. Six on this list took four Olympics to pull this off – Ray Ewry (1900-08), Rudolf Kárpáti (1948-60), Al Oerter (1956-68), Lisa Leslie (1996-2008), Matthew Pinsent (1992-2004), and Ouellette (2002-14).

Al Oerter

Topping the list is Ray Ewry, and you could quibble and say that that includes 1906, but even if we skip 1906, he tops the list with 8 gold medals in 8 events in which he competed – all standing jumps.

Ray Ewry

Next comes Otto and Hungarian fencer Kárpáti with their six gold medals, followed by two names on the list that you may not have suspected, who won five gold medals – American shooter Bud Fisher, who competed in 1920-24, and Russian synchro swimmer Anastasiya Davydova, who competed 2004-12.

If we limit this list to undefeated in four individual events only, six names remain, five Americans and Otto. Ewry still leads the list with 10, or 8 if you are picky, followed by five athletes with 4 individual gold medals in 4 events – Kraenzlein (ATH; 1900), Oerter (ATH; 1956-68), Otto (SWI; 1988), Archie Hahn (ATH; 1904-06), and Pat McCormick (DIV; 1952-56).

[table]

G,IG,Name,Gdr,Ssn,NOC,Sport

10,10,Ray Ewry,M,S,USA,ATH

6,4,Kristin Otto,F,S,GDR,SWI

6,2,Rudolf Kárpáti,M,S,HUN,FEN

5,2,Bud Fisher,M,S,USA,SHO

5,0,Anastasiya Davydova,F,S,RUS,SYN

4,4,Archie Hahn,M,S,USA,ATH

4,4,Al Kraenzlein,M,S,USA,ATH

4,4,Pat McCormick,F,S,USA,DIV

4,4,Al Oerter,M,S,USA,ATH

4,3,Jesse Owens,M,S,USA,ATH

4,2,Chen Ruolin,F,S,CHN,DIV

4,2,Deng Yaping,F,S,CHN,TTN

4,2,Harrison Dillard,M,S,USA,ATH

4,2,Bärbel Eckert-Wöckel,F,S,GDR,ATH

4,2,Jenő Fuchs,M,S,HUN,FEN

4,2,Viktor Krovopuskov,M,S,URS,FEN

4,2,Zhang Yining,F,S,CHN,TTN

4,0,Lisa Leslie,F,S,USA,BAS

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

4,0,Matthew Pinsent,M,S,GBR,ROW

4,0,Anastasiya Yermakova,F,S,RUS,SYN

[/table]

Quite a list containing many of the greatest Olympians ever. Bob Barney, Canadian Olympic historian, likes to end some of his tributes to athletes or scholars, by stating, “All honor to his/her name.” In this case, no finer acclamation could be given, so I’ll borrow from Bob. All honor to their names.

Ice hockey player, silver medalist, governor, senator, lawyer

Full Name       Wendell Richard Anderson

Used Name    Wendell Anderson

Born                   1 February 1933; Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA)

[table]

Year-Games,Sport,Place,Medal

1956 Winter,Ice hockey,2,Silver

[/table]

http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/an/wendell-anderson-1.html

Wendell Anderson played for the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1954, and won a silver medal in the 1956 Olympics, but his greatest fame came outside of sports. After the Olympics, Anderson entered the army where he spent the next two years. After his discharge he entered the University of Minnesota Law School, receiving an LL.B. in 1960. From then until 1970 he had a busy law practice in Minnesota, but he also became active in politics.

In 1962 Anderson was elected to the Minnesota Senate, and served until 1970. On 3 November 1970, Anderson was elected governor of Minnesota by a comfortable margin. He was re-elected governor in 1974 in a landslide victory. While in office, he expressed his concern for the environment and the family farmer by his support for new laws. He also signed into law several bills concerning judicial reform, and bills reforming existing laws on alcohol and drug use. In addition, in the inaugural World Hockey Association (WHA) draft of 1972, Anderson was drafted by the Minnesota Fighting Saints as a publicity stunt. He chose to remain governor.

With the election of Walter Mondale as Vice-President in 1976, Governor Anderson resigned to replace Mondale in the United States Senate. He served in the Senate until 29 December 1978, when he returned to the practice of law in Minnesota. From 1995-2001, Anderson was the director and head of the legal committee for Turbodyne Technologies in California.

With the World Cup going on, some people have wondered about the 3-letter hashtags (#USA or #GER) used on twitter for the various competing nations. The first time that national identifying abbreviations formally appeared at the Olympics was in 1952 at Helsinki.  They were not used in the Official Report, but did appear in the Daily Programs from that year.  The abbreviations were not strictly of the 3-letter style.  A few had 4-letters (USSR, CHIN = China), while some had only 2-letters (Finland = SF, Saar = SR), and several had 2-letters separated by a dash (Czechoslovakia = T-S, Great Britain = G-B, Hong Kong = H-K, New Zealand = N-Z, Puerto Rico = P-R). They have varied greatly over the years – one can see the article on these in Journal of Olympic History (Mallon/Karlsson.  “IOC and OCOG Abbreviations for NOCs”. Journal of Olympic History 12 (2): 25–28, May 2004.)

But FIFA (the football federation) and the IAAF (the athletics federation) also have their own set of 3-letter abbreviations (3LA) – and they are not always the same.

The only time this has really come up at the World Cup is with Nigeria, which has a 3LA of NGR from the IOC and the IAAF, but is NGA per FIFA.

There are 269 “countries” recognized by the 3 organizations, although many are not technically nations, and some 30 of them are now defunct. The IOC has had 232 different recognized geo-political entities (GPEs), and currently recognizes 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs). FIFA has recognized 239 abbreviations, and currently recognizes 209 GPEs, while the IAAF has had 216 abbreviations, with 212 GPEs currently recognized. In addition, over the years, some nations change their IOC 3LA – such as Saudi Arabia, which used to be SAU, but is now KSA (=Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), and Iran, which was originally IRN by the IOC, but later changed to IRI = Islamic Republic of Iran. There are several other such examples – all noted in the article referenced above. The former Czechoslovakia alone had 8 different abbreviations used by varying Olympic Organizing Committees – T-S, CZS, CSL, CZE, CSV, CS, CZS, and TCH; and this does not include CZE and SVK after the nation split into Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Currently, there are 198 GPEs recognized by the IOC, FIFA, and the IAAF. Of these 23 of them differ among the organizations. In 19 cases, the IOC and IAAF agree, but FIFA has a different 3LA, while in 4 cases, the IOC and FIFA agree but the IAAF has a different 3LA. There are also 5 cases of GPEs not recognized by all 3 organizations, but which have different 3LAs. The entire list is as follows:

[table]

NOC,IOC,FIFA,IAAF,Notes

Antigua & Barbuda,ANT,ATG,ANT,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Bahrain,BRN,BHR,BRN,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Barbados,BAR,BRB,BAR,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Belize,BIZ,BLZ,BIZ,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

British Virgin Islands,IVB,VGB,IVB,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Burkina Faso,BUR,BFA,BUR,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Central African Republic,CAF,CTA,CAF,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

El Salvador,ESA,SLV,ESA,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Equatorial Guinea,GEQ,EQG,GEQ,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Guinea – Bissau,GBS,GNB,GBS,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Indonesia,INA,IDN,INA,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Iran,IRI,IRN,IRI,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Latvia,LAT,LVA,LAT,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Libya,LBA,LBY,LBA,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Malawi,MAW,MWI,MAW,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Nigeria,NGR,NGA,NGR,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Palestine,PLE,PAL,PLE,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

Slovenia,SLO,SVN,SLO,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

United States Virgin Islands,ISV,VIR,ISV,FIFA differs from IOC/IAAF

,,,,

Congo DR (Zaire),COD,COD,ZAI,IAAF differs from IOC/FIFA

East Timor,TLS,TLS,ETM,IAAF differs from IOC/FIFA

Romania,ROU,ROU,ROM,IAAF differs from IOC/FIFA

Serbia,SRB,SRB,SER,IAAF differs from IOC/FIFA

,,,,

Anguilla,,AIA,ANG,IOC does not recognize

Faeroe Islands,,FRO,FAR,IOC does not recognize

Marshall Islands,MHL,,MSH,FIFA does not recognize

Montserrat,,MSR,MNT,IOC does not recognize

Turks & Caicos Islands,,TCA,TKS,IOC does not recognize

[/table]

Has anyone ever competed in both the Olympics and the Paralympics? You probably know us well enough by now to know the answer is yes, and most people assume we are referring only to Oscar Pistorius, the South African blade runner now on trial for the murder of his girlfriend. In fact, it has happened 14 times, although 3 were sighted guides at the Paralympics. The first ever was Neroli Fairhall, the New Zealand archer who competed at the 1980 Paralympics and the 1984 Olympic Games. Fairhall was a paraplegic after a motorbike accident, and competed as an archer from her wheelchair.

Here are the 13 Olympians / Paralympians:

[table]

Athlete,NOC,Sport,Olympics,Paralympics

Orazio Fagone,ITA,STK,1988-94,2006

Neroli Fairhall,NZL,ARC,1984,1980

Paola Fantato,ITA,ARC,1996,1988-2004

Assunta Legnante,ITA,ATH,2008,2012

Craig MacLean,GBR,CYC,2000-04,2012 (sighted guide)

Robin McKeever,CAN,CCS,1998,2010 (sighted guide)

Natalia Partyka,POL,TTN,2008-12,2000-12

Oscar Pistorius,RSA,ATH,2012,2004-12

Marla Runyan,USA,ATH,2000-04,1992-96

Jeroen Straathof,NED,CYC/SSK,1994-2004,2000 (sighted guide)

Pál Szekeres,HUN,FEN,1988,1992-2012

Natalie du Toit,RSA,SWI,2008,2004-12

Sonia Vettenburg,BEL,SHO,1992,1984-88

Ilke Wyludda,GER,ATH,1992-2000,2012

[/table]

See also http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi