James William Denver

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Wednesday) to an Olympic champion who competed in only one Olympic Games and won the Olympic gold medal on a Monday in Europe.

This birthday champion did not compete in the Olympic hurdles.

Born 91 years ago today, our birthday athlete died at the age of 74 over 16 years ago.

You might already know that this champion was not the favorite going into the Olympic final. In fact, this event was one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.

Please name this Olympic champion who was born on the penultimate Tuesday of March not quite one year after Charles Lindbergh flew nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris.

[Olli]

Hmm, born 1928; hence probably won in 1948, 1952, or 1956. I would appreciate a bit more clues, but I'll make a guess: Josy (sp.?) Barthel. I think his win was something of an upset if not necessarily "one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history."

[Olli]

P.S. Of course it cannot be 1956, if it was in Europe. But Barthel was wrong, I checked it.

[DoubleRBar]

Barthel was an upset in 1952, but our birthday athlete completed an even bigger upset in Helsinki.

[dukehjsteve]

I will take wild stab at Jerome Biffle, upset winner in the LJ in '52 in Helsinki. Good guess ? Maybe, because Biffle went to the University of Denver.

[DoubleRBar]

You're good, dukehjsteve and you got Jerome Biffle who won the Helsinki (1952) long jump. Biffle was born 91 years ago today and yes, he went to the University of Denver. Biffle was second in the United States Olympic Trials in Los Angeles, but the big story was that George Brown (ranked #1 in the world) took third place in those Trials. This was Brown's first long jump loss since 1950. Many people expected Brown to win the Olympic gold medal in Helsinki (he had won 14 of his 17 1952 competitions), but in the Olympic final, Brown fouled his first three jumps. What a shock! Brown had only three losses in 1952 and two of them came from the U.S. Olympic Trials and the 1952 Olympic final in Helsinki.

[lonewolf]

I may have related this before:
In the winter of 1951-52, Okla A&M traveled (6 to the car) to Denver to compete in one of our few indoor meets. I was scheduled to jump against Biffle. He was better than me but, as we see, stuff happens.. anyway, upon arrival in Denver I was diagnosed with measles and was quarantined in hospital for four days,missed meet, left to fly home alone.. my first hospital stay and airplane ride.

[dukehjsteve]

They had airplanes that long ago ?! lol

[DoubleRBar]

I'll take the airplane ride over the hospital stay.

[lonewolf]

I got both..no option