A Whip

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Friday) to an Olympic champion who won that gold medal in the second of two Olympic Games.

This athlete died 12 days before turning 96 years old.

Don't even worry about any hurdles with this Olympian's events.

Our birthday athlete competed in three different events at two Olympic Games.

A fairly famous movie star from about 75 years ago shares the same initials with our birthday champion.

You might know that this fairly famous movie star made "Westerns" and carried the usual six-shooters, however this actor also carried a fairly unusual "weapon" in his pictures.

Born 96 years ago today, our birthday athlete's gold medal came with a world record.

That fairly famous movie star and our birthday person were born approximately 1,172 miles (1,886 kms) from each other.

Who is our birthday athlete for this next-to-last Friday of February?

[Olli]

Once again, I don't know enough about movies to get those hints. Perhaps there was a Western star who used to carry a whip?

From the other hints, I infer that the athlete is probably American and won in Helsinki or Melbourne.

[Tuariki]

Is it the Jamaican sprinter Laing who died a couple of weeks ago? He was in his mid 90s

[gh]

Once again, I don't know enough about movies to get those hints. Perhaps there was a Western star who used to carry a whip?
....

Lash LaRue

[Olli]

That might be it. I inferred that since the movie star is probably American, and since they were born fairly "close" to each other, the athlete might be, too, but Jamaica is close enough to the USA. (Reply to Tuariki.)

[Tuariki]

Kingston to Miami, 580 miles

[Vault-emort]

Is it the Jamaican sprinter Laing who died a couple of weeks ago? He was in his mid 90s

A cracking good answer....

[DoubleRBar]

Leslie Laing was born 96 years ago and died 12 days ago at the age of 95. Very well done, Tuariki. Nice going, gh, for getting Lash LaRue, the cowboy star with the whip.

Leslie Laing ran the 100 in London (1948), but did not make the final. He was sixth place in the 200 and then ran the second leg (48.5) on Jamaica's four by 400 relay team that unfortunately did not finish the race in London because Arthur Wint dropped out with an injury on the third leg.

Laing was fifth place at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic men's 200 and four days later (in his final Olympic appearance) he ran the second leg (47.0) on Jamaica's winning four by 400 relay team that set a world record of 3:03.9.

A little known fact about Lash LaRue ties this cowboy with a whip to Track & Field News. Cordner Nelson (founder of the magazine with his brother Bert) and Lash LaRue went to the College of the Pacific (now called the University of the Pacific) and were in school together. I don't think Lash LaRue ran track nor do I remember Cordner with a whip.

Thank you Olli, Tuariki, and gh.

[Tuariki]

There was an RIP story on TFN Today's TOP Headlines about Les Laing about a week ago

[tandfman]

There was an RIP story on TFN Today's TOP Headlines about Les Laing about a week ago

There was also an RIP thread on this Message Board on Feb. 8