Only Child

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Friday) to an Olympic champion who under today's track and field rules would not be the Olympic champion.

This person was 31 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.

At the age of 21, our birthday athlete won the Olympic gold medal on the last Sunday in July.

You might like to know that this person competed in only one Olympic Games and did not win Olympic gold in the hurdles.

From our birthday athlete's birthplace to the city where this individual won Olympic gold is approximately 2,780 miles (4,475 km).

Not many Olympic champions also earn a PhD in geology, but our mystery athlete did.

Our birthday athlete won Olympic gold in the same continent where this person was born.

Time is up. Please name our Olympic champion on this 77th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

[mcgato]

Is this the female high jumper who beat Babe Didrikson, because Didrikson had an illegal jump that would be legal afterwards? I don't remember her name though.

[DoubleRBar]

Very good guess, mcgato, however our birthday athlete is not Jean Shiley. In fact, our birthday athlete is not a woman.

[Olli]

Probably a vertical jumper anyhow.

[DoubleRBar]

Yes, a vertical jumper.

[Olli]

I think I have heard of this case, but do not remember the name.

[LopenUupunut]

Duncan McNaughton. Won in a four-man jump-off that wouldn't have been needed under today's rules.

[DoubleRBar]

Very good, LopenUupunut. Today marks 108 years since the birth of Duncan McNaughton (Canada). McNaughton won the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic high jump and as LopenUupunut stated, McNaughton won the gold medal in a jump-off. He died almost 21 years ago at the age of 87.

[dukehjsteve]

If I had only gotten home 30 minutes earlier....

[DoubleRBar]

I was wondering where you were, dukehjsteve!

[Per Andersen]

I'm never around when this stuff is posted. With todays rules McNaughton would have won bronze after Van Osdel and Corny Johnson.