Georgia On My Mind

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Thursday) to an Olympic champion who won that gold medal at the first of two Olympic Games.

Our birthday athlete was born 88 years ago today and died at the age of 86.

You may remember that this champion was not the favorite going into the Olympic Games.

Four years after winning the Olympic gold medal, our birthday individual placed fifth in the same event at the Olympic Games.

No hurdles were involved with this athlete's Olympic experience.

About 44 years after our birthday person won the Olympic gold medal, another athlete using the same initials as our birthday champion, also won the Olympic gold medal and also using the same event as did our birthday athlete.

I imagine there are at least four of you that know the name of our birthday person on this first day of April.

Go ahead and name this Olympic champion.

[Olli]

Shavlakadze?

[DoubleRBar]

Robert Shavlakadze is correct. Nice going, Olli. Shavlakadze won the high jump at the 1960 Rome Olympics. American John Thomas was the favorite going into those Games. Four years later, Shavlakadze took fifth place in Tokyo. Valeriy Brumel was second place in the Rome high jump and he won the gold medal in Tokyo (1964). John Thomas won the bronze medal in Rome and moved up to the silver medal in Tokyo.

Robert Shavlakadze died about 11 months ago on March 4, 2020 at the age of 86.

Thank you, Olli.

[Olli]

This time the title gave it away. The dze ending in Shavlakadze's name suggested he was Georgian. (Two Georgias in my mind.) I had no idea who was the champion 44 years later with the same initials and "using the same event," but by cheating (afterwards) I discovered you refer to Roman Šebrle. I suppose Š in Czech corresponds to შ in Georgian, so they actually share initials

[DoubleRBar]

Roman Sebrle is right, Olli. Sebrle cleared 2.12 (6' 11 1/2") on his way to the gold medal in the decathlon at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. That clearance (2.12) was good enough for Charlie Dumas to win the high jump gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.