Dale City

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 56th birthday today (Thursday) to an Olympic champion who was born on a Thursday and won the Olympic gold medal on a Friday just about a month after turning 23.

The parents of our birthday champion were both teachers.

This athlete was not the favorite going into the Olympic final.

I can't tell you to forget the hurdles today.

Please name our birthday champion for this first Thursday in July.

[mcgato]

Nawal El-Moutawakel? I had to look up the spelling.

[DoubleRBar]

Good guess, but incorrect, mcgato.

[KDFINE]

I'd guess Alonzo Babers but if that were the case you'd have reported that he'd won two golds.

[DoubleRBar]

It's not Alonzo Babers because he and Frank Shorter share the same birthday in October. You do have the correct birth year and the right Olympics.

[Charley Shaffer]

Benita Fitzgerald, 100H, 1984.

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday last Thursday to Benita Fitzgerald-Brown and nice going, Charley Shaffer. Yes, Benita did win the 100 hurdles in Los Angeles by .04 from Shirley Strong. How many of you remember the U.S. Olympic Trials in Los Angeles for the 100 hurdles? What a race.

[Charley Shaffer]

I recall a blanket finish of 4 hurdlers. T&FN carried a quote from Swiss Timing regarding how close it was, but that they were absolutely certain they got it right.

" . . . in 24 years, and after viewing photo finishes of more than 10,000 races, he had never seen a race as close." The 4th placer, a former USATF president, never has accepted the result to this day,
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-06-...anie-hightower

[rhymans]

About 30 of us guessed the 1-4 order after the race before the result was announced, and appropriately enough only Howard Willman, T&F News women's stats expert, got the order correct

[Davidokun]

In case you're wondering about the results of the rematch:

The Finish Is Different This Time: Women's 100 Hurdles Race Gets Off to Slow Start, Too

[Charley Shaffer]

Yesterday's TdF Stage 7 was even closer than the 1984 USOT w100H. They had to go to ten-thousandths to determine the winner (0.0003 sec). Again, as it was at the '84 USOT, the timer was Swiss Timing, branded at the Tour as Tissot.
http://www.velonews.com/2017/07/tour...stage-7_443075

Photofinish image from official timing company:
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