Wrong Last Name

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 70th birthday today (Thursday) to an Olympic champion, a world record holder, and a person who competed in three different events (no hurdles) at two Olympic Games.

Our birthday athlete shares the same initials with another Olympic champion (different event) and both people speak the same language.

This other Olympic champion (with same initials) won two Olympic gold medals some 28 years after our birthday individual won Olympic gold.

Both of our birthday champion's Olympic Games were held on the same continent.

You probably already know that our birthday person is not the first from a certain country to win Olympic gold in a certain event.

If you think about it, you will come up with the name of our birthday athlete on this second Thursday of 2023.

Good luck and please remember that no research is allowed.

[Davidokun]

Are you sure it's his 70th birthday?

[DoubleRBar]

Thank you, Davidokun. Happy birthday today to our birthday champion, celebrating 71 years. This is 2023, right?

[noone]

I'm having trouble finding the Olympics involved. Our mystery athlete was born in 1952, so he likely won in 1972,1976 or 1980. But 1972+28=2000 (Europe*Australia), 1976+28=2004 (North America*Europe) and 1980+28=2008 (Europe*Asia). In fact the only Olympics I can think of off the top of my head that were held on the same continent 28 years apart are 1896-1924 (Europe), 1904-1932 (North America), 1908-1936 (Europe) and 1952-1980 (Europe).

[LopenUupunut]

1968-1996 would fit; but in this case, what DoubleRBar is saying is that the two Olympics the one birthday athlete competed at were on the same continent.

[DoubleRBar]

I think you are having trouble with the clues. The clues say that the other Olympic champion (the one sharing the same initials with our birthday person) won two Olympic gold medals about 28 years after our birthday won Olympic gold. The clues also say, both of our birthday champion's Olympic Games were held on the same continent. That means that our birthday champion (not the other athlete sharing the same initials) competed in two Olympic Games on the same continent.

Thank you, LopenUupunut. That is correct.

[Olli]

Someone who competed 1976 and 1984 but couldn't participate in 1980 due to boycott, perhaps.

[DoubleRBar]

Yes, our birthday athlete competed in the Montreal Olympics and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, but couldn't go to Moscow in 1980. Both Canada and the United States are on North America.

[cigar95]

I'm thinking John Walker, and the other athlete is Jeremy Wariner?

Walker ran the 8 and the 15, winning gold in the latter. Would have been boycotted out of '80, but did he stick around for '84 and run the 5000?

ETA - and he was a runner not a walker - that gives me a little more confidence in the answer.

ETAA - Clearly David knew the answer before me but graciously allowed the rest of us to play.

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 71st birthday today to John Walker. Very good, cigar95.

Walker was born in New Zealand on the second Saturday of 1952. He made two New Zealand Olympic teams, winning the 1,500 in Montreal (1976) and also running the 800, but not making that final in Canada.

Walker ran the 5,000 (he was eight place in L.A.) at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Yes, Jeremy Wariner is the other Olympic champion (400 in 2004) with the same initials.

Thank you, cigar95, Davidokun, noone, LopenUupunut, and Olli.

[Davidokun]

ETAA - Clearly David knew the answer before me but graciously allowed the rest of us to play.

Sadly, I'm not so gracious. Disqualified because I couldn't come up with the answer on my own, and couldn't wait for superior players like you. Found the aforementioned minor discrepancy when I looked up the answer. Couldn't even report that correctly, as I realized—too late—that I had inadvertently revealed the sex of the champion in question. (Insert "face palm" emoji here.) To DoubleRBar, our truly gracious host, I can only quote Agent 86: "Sorry about that, Chief."

[DoubleRBar]

Davidokun, not a problem at all.

[cigar95]

Continuing in that vein, and as for JW's age - "missed it by THAT much". (There are a few advantages to being part of our generation.)