Juri Tarmak RIP

[JMysterio]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCri_Tarmak

[DoubleRBar]

Wow, I remember the Munich high jump very well. Sorry to hear this news. Tarmak was born about seven weeks before me, however I was a lousy high jumper (but I love the event)..

[Olli]

Jüri Tarmak was, according to the Estonian Postimees newspaper, the first Estonian Olympic gold medalist in t&f. Since him have come Jaak Uudmäe, Erki Nool, and Gerd Kanter.

[AFTERBURNER]

The last Gold Medalist in the HJ using the straddle right?

[Olli]

...unless we count Rosemarie Ackermann.

[LopenUupunut]

Jüri Tarmak was, according to the Estonian Postimees newspaper, the first Estonian Olympic gold medalist in t&f. Since him have come Jaak Uudmäe, Erki Nool, and Gerd Kanter.

That's a pretty surprising statistic actually; since Estonia had a long history of producing top-level athletes by then. Aleksander Klumberg had the year's best decathlon in 1920, but didn't finish at the Olympics that year (he took bronze in '24, and was Estonia's first official IAAF WR holder, albeit only due to Jim Thorpe's subsequently overturned DQ). Jüri Lossmann was a close 2nd in the marathon in '20. In the 30s Estonia had a bunch of talented athletes and won golds on the Euro level in both '34 (Arnold Viiding in the mSP) and '38 (Aleksander Kreek, also in the mSP), but unfortunately had to essentially withdraw from the LA Olympics in '32 due to insufficient finances. (At least Gustav Sule in the mJT would have been a very serious medal contender.) During the USSR era, Heino Lipp in '48 would have been the favorite in the decathlon, and a medal contender in the shot, had the Soviets sent a team that year (and had Lipp been in the authorities' good graces). Bruno Junk won bronze in '52 and '56, and Rein Aun a close silver in '64, before Tarmak finally hit gold.

That's all in spite of WW2, with successive Soviet and Nazi occupations (and Soviet re-occupation), taking its heavy toll on Estonian sport.