Summer Olympic Deaths/Dead Medallists

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

A while back I was complaining about how Godfrey Rampling never got any credit for being both the oldest British Olympian and very likely* the oldest gold medal-winning athlete and there was some doubt expressed as to whether or not he was alive.

 

Well, to the best of my knowledge, The Independent finally got it right (only under the assumption, of course, that "last surviving gold medallist from the 1936 Games" means "from Britain") and included a very high quality photo to boot, just before he turns 100 on the 14th of May. He looks pretty good given his age, but I heard that he's fairly unwell, which is why I was surprised to see this.

 

 

 

Rampers Sr duly reached his century today and even the Beeb recognised the occasion.

 

Judging by this, the old fellow clearly believes he's Private Godfrey.

"How old did you say I am? A hundred next week? Really? Are you sure? Good Lord, I'm surprised anyone remembers. How nice."

[TAFKAG 70]

Former Olympic and world snowboarding champion Karine Ruby has been killed while climbing on Mont Blanc.

[Ulitzer95 12,677]

Godfrey Rampling, Britain's oldest Olympian has died age 100.

[Ageless Immortal Giant 2]

Godfrey Rampling, Britain's oldest Olympian has died age 100.

Twice the age of Mays and Jacko, hence not too surprising to anyone. But he was the father of the woman who was married to Jean-Michel Jarre? Lol.

[VSBfromH 74]

John Caldwell

 

The Irish boxer, a former world bantamweight champion and bronze medal winner at the 1956 Olympics, has died aged 71.

[TAFKAG 70]

Harry Hill

 

No, not that one. This one "won a bronze medal at the Berlin games in 1936 in the 4,000m team pursuit" and "was the oldest surviving male winner of an Olympic medal" (not sure if that's in the world or just UK).

 

Why can't a journalist just take two seconds to do even a quick search for some of the junk they print? Among older surviving male winners of an Olympic medal are Joaquim Fiuza of Portugal, Godfrey Rampling of England (and father of Charlotte Rampling), Marcel Cosmat of France, Gustav Lantschner of Austria, Attilio Pavesi of Italy, Emile Allais of France, Britton Chance of the U.S.A., Sandor Tarics of Hungary, Leo Pinto of India, Joseph Galibardy of India, Bill Roycroft of Australia, Herbert Morris of the U.S.A. and Hans Schnitger of the Netherlands. These are just the ones that I know about. Many of these people are fairly famous in the sports world, and some even had articles written about them last year about their being alive. Two bit journalism here.

 

So to answer your question VSBfromH, neither in the world nor the UK.

Sunk.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,359]

David Laut, Olympic medal winning shot putter, shot dead.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,359]

Great Britain's Daniel Keatings won a silver medal last week in the all-round event at the World Gymnastics Championships in London. The man who got the bronze, Russia's Yuri Ryazanov, 22, was killed instantly this morning after his car swerved in to oncoming traffic in Moscow.

[maryportfuncity 10,662]

Great Britain's Daniel Keatings won a silver medal last week in the all-round event at the World Gymnastics Championships in London. The man who got the bronze, Russia's Yuri Ryazanov, 22, was killed instantly this morning after his car swerved in to oncoming traffic in Moscow.

 

Are we talking suicide from a sore loser? There's some mention of his car being too low at the front, but it's all a bit vague.

[TAFKAG 70]

The unique pick and under 50 double bonus, scored by a DDP participant following the death of Steve Irwin, has led me to an unexpected pang of jealousy.

 

I have pondered upon who might provide me with similar points on next years list, not someone who is 'ill' in the conventional sense of the word, but a risk taker or a hell raiser, someone who might just take things too far in 2007. With some Iain-like psychic imagery and with a bit of fishing on wikipedia I have been inspired the following name:

 

Matti Nykänen, aged 41, the quadruple Olympic ski jumping gold medalist, now known better as the national disgrace of Finland. He's been married five times, has been pissed for the last 15 years and has also been in a bit of trouble with the law:

 

"On August 24, 2004, Matti Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter after the stabbing of a family friend. He was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to a 26-month jail term on October 27, 2004. As a first-timer, he was released from jail on September 21, 2005. While on probation, he was re-arrested four days later for abusing his current life companion, Mervi Tapola. Nykänen was convicted again for four months on March 16, 2006."

 

Something at the back of my mind tells me that Matti Nykanen is a man who won't live to see a great age and that 2007 just might be his fatal year, probably caused by drinking or fighting, or when ski jumping whilst drunk possibly?

 

Sorry for rambling on so ....

Three years down the line, Nykänen's been arrested for trying to murder Tapola. He's for the high jump this time.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,206]

Bert Bushnell, the former Olympic rowing Gold Medalist (for Britain in the 1948 Olympics) has died, aged 88. He was my sub for my 2007 DDP team & came very close to being chosen at least once or twice since then. I think I discounted him this year as I was still under the impression, despite only having one lung, that he was getting out and about okay. Obviously not...

 

link

[DevonDeathTrip 2,359]

Wayne Collett, 60, 400m silver medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died of cancer.

 

He achieved some infamy for misbehaving during the playing of the national anthem at his Olympic medal ceremony. He and 400 gold-medal winner Vince Matthews stood with hands on hips and talked during the anthem in a protest of U.S. civil rights policies back home. They were both subsequently expelled from the games. Picture here.

[themaninblack 2,112]

Wayne Collett, 60, 400m silver medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died of cancer.

 

He achieved some infamy for misbehaving during the playing of the national anthem at his Olympic medal ceremony. He and 400 gold-medal winner Vince Matthews stood with hands on hips and talked during the anthem in a protest of U.S. civil rights policies back home. They were both subsequently expelled from the games. Picture here.

 

And with the favourite for 400m John Smith getting injured in the semi-final, it might explain why it was Kenya who went on to win the 4x400m relay! One of the few times that the USA did not win the gold for that particular event in an Olympic Games...

[Grande Pablo 112]

Olympic medal winning show-jumper Tim Grubb has faulted.

 

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/297904.html

[Magere Hein 1,400]

Not someone I heard of before but rather because not many Poles get mentioned on these pages: Polish lightweight boxer and 1960 Olympic champion Kazimierz Paździor died yesterday at age 75, according to Wikipedia. This news has a Polish sport web page, which I can't read but which looks like an obit, as its source.

 

regards,

Hein

[VSBfromH 74]

Andy Holmes

 

"Great Britain's double Olympic champion rower Andy Holmes MBE has died at the age of 51. Holmes was part of the coxed four crew, which included Sir Steve Redgrave, that won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He then partnered Redgrave to gold in the coxless pairs at the Games in Seoul four years later. Holmes is believed to have died from the bacterial infection Weil's disease, also known as leptospirosis"

[888-333 12]

Dorothy Hamill Anyone?

[maryportfuncity 10,662]

Dorothy Hamill Anyone?

 

Good chance of some qualifying mention for an Olympic champion I'd say, even if only a short obit in a broadsheet or a DDP qualifying snippet on a sports news page of a daily.

 

The Wiki page mentions breast cancer but nowt much about impending death. Her marriage in February surely can't have been a last minute deathbed job. So, how ill is she?

Edited March 31, 2011 by DevonDeathTrip
Many posts about deceased and ailing athletes plucked from The Dead of 2005/6/7/8/9/10 threads.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,359]

2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist in judo, Claudia Heill, from Austria, has leapt to her death from a sixth floor window, landing in this newly created thread.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist in judo, Claudia Heill, from Austria, has leapt to her death from a sixth floor window, landing in this newly created thread.

Nice thread DDT, but don't forget poor old Godfrey Rampling. He's out there. Somewhere.

 

EDIT: thanks in advance for adding Godders, modders.

Edited April 1, 2011 by DevonDeathTrip
Thread now liberally scattered with Rampling posts, for your perusal and delectation

[DevonDeathTrip 2,359]

Things are looking bleak for the former Olympian Elvis Gordon, who represented the UK at judo and was also the Commonwealth and European champion.

[Windsor 2,233]

Things are looking bleak for the former Olympian Elvis Gordon, who represented the UK at judo and was also the Commonwealth and European champion.

 

A unique pick for the Living End...

 

Who would have guessed.

[Spade_Cooley 9,552]

Might be this year's Linda Uttley?

 

#desperationtactics

[maryportfuncity 10,662]

You mean, a magnet for ranter fire. Entirely possible, he isn't that well spread over the internet.

[VSBfromH 74]

Grete Waitz

 

One of the greatest female marathon runners of all time dead from cancer at 57. Great shame.