World Track Elevates Life

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Tuesday) to two Olympic champions with a total of 200 years since their births.

Our birthday athletes competed in a total of five Olympic Games (I don't count 1906).

One of our birthday people celebrates 58 years today while the other person died at the age of 50.

Neither of these two champions was born in North or South America, Antarctica, Asia, or Australia.

Both won Olympic gold medals in Europe.

Please give it a try and name our birthday athletes on this last Tuesday of February and the 290th anniversary of the birth of George Washington.

[noone]

Wyomia Tyus

[DoubleRBar]

Wyomia Tyus has the correct initials, however she is already 76 years old and doesn't pass the age requirement.

[dukehjsteve]

W Tanui 800 '92

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 58th birthday today to William Tanui. Very well done, dukehjsteve.

William Tanui was born in Kenya and won the 800 Olympic gold medal at the first of his two Olympic Games (1992 in Barcelona). His time of 1:43.66 did not break the Olympic record set by Joaquim Cruz (Brazil) in Los Angeles in 1984 (1:43.00). Joaquim Cruz split 51.2 and 51.8 in his win at the 1984 Olympics. William Tanui split 50.7 and 53.0 in his win in Barcelona. Nixon Kiprotich (Kenya) ran 1:43.70 for the silver medal in 1992. This may have been the closest 800 finish in Olympic history.

Tanui ran the 1,500 at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he placed fifth at 3:37.42.

Thank you, dukehjsteve and noone.

[dukehjsteve]

don't forget Wottle and Arzhanov both 1:45.9 in 1972, ( don't know the hundreths )

[DoubleRBar]

Very good, dukehjsteve. Dave Wottle was 1:45.86 beating Yevgeniy Arzhanov (Soviet Union, but really Ukraine) at 1:45.89. By 0.01, that is closer than the 1992 Barcelona finish.

[LopenUupunut]

Eric Lemming?

[gh]

I've always thought that Lemming would be the perfect name for a pacesetter

[DoubleRBar]

Eric Lemming was born in Sweden 142 years ago yesterday (Tuesday). Good work, LopenUupunut.

Lemming competed in the 1900 Paris Olympic Games where he was tied for fourth in the high jump, tied for fourth place in the pole vault, 12th place in the long jump, tied for eighth in the discus, and fourth in the hammer throw. There was no javelin throw in 1900.

He also competed at the 1906 "Olympics" in Athens in the shot put (bronze), freestyle javelin (gold), pentathlon, ancient (bronze), and the tug-of-war (bronze).

At the 1908 London Olympic Games, he was eighth in the hammer throw, won gold in the javelin, and another gold in the freestyle javelin. The freestyle javelin means that you could throw it anyway you like. I think most athlete used the same method in both javelin contests.

In Stockholm (1912) Eric Lemming was 11th in the discus with both hands (left hand and right hand throws combined). He won the gold medal in the javelin and was fourth place in the javelin with both hands (left and right hand throws combined).

Lemming died at the age of 50 in June of 1930.

I think Lemming is a great name for a pacesetter, as long as he isn't holding a javelin.

Thank you, LopenUupunut and gh.

[tandfman]

I've always thought that Lemming would be the perfect name for a pacesetter

Not as good as Roger or Jessica Rabbit, but at least Lemming was a real person.

[DoubleRBar]

Only fair to use real track & field names.

[Davidokun]

Buffy Rabbitt, cross country and distance runner for Newport Harbor HS and UC Irvine

[gh]

in the early '70s Harvard had a long jumper named Noel Hare

(I only remember him because he had his picture in the mag featuring a full beard, which was obviously rather unique for the era)