Coincidentally Both Embrace Jubilance

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Wednesday) to two Olympic champions who both did something very similar at the Olympic Games.

No, I don't mean winning Olympic gold, but rather the event they competed in during the Olympics.

These two athletes were born a total of 127 years ago today.

Our birthday champions were born approximately 4,141 miles (6,664 kms) from each other and spoke different languages.

Neither person competed in the Olympic hurdles.

One of our birthday athletes was 23 years old when the other champion was born.

The younger of the two individuals was born almost six months after the older athlete won that Olympic gold medal.

You might know that one of our birthday people turns 52 today while the other athlete died at the age of 59.

They competed in a total of three Olympic Games.

Please name our birthday athletes on this first Wednesday of April.

[Olli]

So, no one has replied to this quiz, even though it shouldn't be too hard. At least the math is easy. Athletes born 1946 and 1969, the first one won in Mexico. I think I remember most gold medalists in Mexico but, but cannot think of CB or EJ. My guess is it was a relay runner (but might also have been one of the women's individual event winners).

[DoubleRBar]

You are right, Olli, about Mexico City in 1968, however our birthday athlete did not run a relay in Mexico City. Hang on to that event (relay), because it is key to our two champions.

[noone]

Colette Besson ?

[Olli]

I was trying to figure out what was the Frenchwoman's name who won 400m, but couldn't get it into my mind without cheating...

[DoubleRBar]

Colette Besson was born 75 years ago today in France. Good job, noone. Besson equaled the Olympic record of 52.0 when she won the 400 in Mexico City (1968). Four years later in Munich, she ran the 400 again, but did not make the Munich final. She ran the second leg (52.1) on the French four by 400 relay team that took fourth place in West Germany.

Besson was 59 when she died of cancer in August of 2005.

Thank you, noone and Olli.

[J Rorick]

Esther Jones???

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 52nd birthday this past Wednesday to Esther Jones. Nice going, J Rorick. Esther Jones ran the second leg on the U.S. four by 100 relay team in Barcelona (1992) that won the gold medal with a time of 42.11. Barcelona was her only Olympic Games and that relay was her only event. Her brother (Mark) played for a short time in the N.B.A. Colette Besson ran the second leg on the French Olympic four by 400 relay team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. They were fourth place in that race.

Thank you J Rorick.