Welles

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Friday) to an Olympic champion who was born on a Friday 146 years ago today.

This champion competed in one Olympic Games (two events) and made Olympic history.

Another Olympic champion (gold in two events) won Olympic gold 68 years after our birthday individual and shares the same initials with our birthday person.

About ten years before that other Olympic champion won two Olympic gold medals, our birthday athlete died at the age of 79.

If you look at the eight digits found in the two Olympic years in which both athletes (birthday athlete and athlete sharing same initials) won a total of three Olympic gold medals, you will notice that both years share three of the same digits, but not in the same order.

The fourth digit (which is not the same number) in our birthday athlete's Olympic year is exactly double that of the fourth digit in the other Olympic athlete's Olympic year.

Our birthday athlete was born the same year that Henry Wilson (President U.S. Grant's second Vice President) died.

Nobody said this would be easy, but I'll bet one or two of you might know the name of our birthday athlete for this first Friday of May.

Please give it a go and name this Olympic champion who did not win that Olympic gold medal in the hurdles.

[noone]

This is very confusing. Two Olympic years 68 years apart might be 1896-1964, 1900-1968, 1904-1972, 1908-1976, 1912-1980. By 1920 our mystery athlete was well into his forties. Only the first set of years shares 3 digits, but 6 isn't double 4. So I give up!

[Olli]

8 is double 4, though. Moreover, the mystery athlete was born 1875 and died 1954, which is ten years before 1964. (The years could be deduced even without the hints about the digits in the years.)

[bambam1729]

1896 and 1964 works 196 is in both years and 8 is double 4 so

Bill Hoyt (birthday boy) and Bob Hayes

[bambam1729]

And Bill Hoyt was William Welles Hoyt - I thought for a long time he want by Welles rather than Bill - still not positive on the preferred name

[noone]

1896 and 1964 works 196 is in both years and 8 is double 4 so

Bill Hoyt (birthday boy) and Bob Hayes

But he said the fourth digit was double that of the fourth digit of the other year. I assumed fourth meant last digit.

[Olli]

Even though he said "The fourth digit (which is not the same number)".

[DoubleRBar]

Bill Hoyt was born 146 years ago today in Connecticut. Very well done, bambam1729. Bill Welles Hoyt won the first Olympic pole vault (1896 Athens). He also competed in the 110 hurdles, but did not run in the Olympic final. Hoyt was a doctor and served during World War I.

Bob Hayes won his two Olympic gold medals in 1964. You know 1896 and 1964 share three of the same digits (1, 9, and 6), but not in the same order. Yes, the 8 is twice that of the 4.

Thank you bambam1729, noone, and Olli.