X Y Z

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Tuesday) to an Olympic champion who shares the same initials with three other Olympic champions which we will can "X", "Y", and "Z".

Our birthday athlete was born 91 years ago today and won the Olympic gold medal on the same continent on which this person was born.

No hurdles came with this individual's Olympic gold medal.

Athlete "X" won three Olympic gold medals at two Olympic Games. The first two of those gold medals were won about 36 years before our birthday champion won Olympic gold.

"Y" represented the same country as our birthday athlete and won Olympic gold (in a similar event) 20 years after our birthday person won the Olympic gold medal.

You may remember when "Z" won Olympic gold about 36 years after our birthday champion won the gold medal.

All three ("X", "Y", and "Z") were born in Europe.

Of these three, only "X" won Olympic gold using hurdles and only "Y" won Olympic gold in a field event.

About 22 years after our birthday person won that gold medal, this champion died at the age of 51 years.

Put these clues together and then name our birthday athlete on this first Tuesday of May.

[Olli]

Born 1931, won in Rome 1960, European field eventer, sharing initials with a champion (in a "similar" event) in Moscow 1980, representing the same country.

[DoubleRBar]

Yes, Olli, our birthday champion was born in 1931 and won gold in Rome (1960) in a field event. Another athlete, representing the same country as our birthday person, won Olympic gold in Moscow (1980) a "similar" event. They share the same initials.

[bambam1729]

Vasily Rudenkov -

the 1980 guy would be Vladimir Rashchupkin
the 1996 guy would be Vebjorn Rodal
the 1924 guy would be Ville Ritola

[DoubleRBar]

Vasiliy Rudenkov was born in the Soviet Union (Belarus) 91 years ago today. Very well done, bambam1729.

Rudenkov won the Olympic hammer throw gold medal on the first Saturday of September at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. His winning toss came in the third round when he hit 67.10 (220' 2").

You are also correct about "X", "Y", and "Z", bambam1729. Ritola won the steeplechase and the 10,000 at the 1924 Paris Olympics. He also won the Olympic 5,000 at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

Rashchupkin won the discus at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and Rodal won the 800 in Atlanta (1996).

Vasiliy Rudenkov died in 1982 at the age of 51.

Thank you bambam1729 and Olli.

[Olli]

But Ritola won 5 golds in all.

[DoubleRBar]

No problem. We can add the two discontinued events from Paris (1924). That would be gold in the 3,000 team race and gold in the cross country team race (not to mention his Olympic silver medals).