Athletes Deaths Thread

[Nickyc707 382]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Maughan

 

Paralympics rather than Olympics but Margaret Maughan who won two gold medals in archery and swimming at the first Paralympic Games in 1960 has died. She also lit the cauldron at the opening of the 2012 Games in London.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/52740803

[Olympian1010 7,980]

3 hours ago, Nickyc707 said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Maughan

 

Paralympics rather than Olympics but Margaret Maughan who won two gold medals in archery and swimming at the first Paralympic Games in 1960 has died. She also lit the cauldron at the opening of the 2012 Games in London.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/52740803

Yeah, I saw the IPC were paying respects on their social media today. Seems like there have been quite a few noteworthy deaths this month.

[Nickyc707 382]

39 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Yeah, I saw the IPC were paying respects on their social media today. Seems like there have been quite a few noteworthy deaths this month.

 

I'm pleased to say that so far there has been a significant reduction in the number of deaths after the 42 in April.

[hckošice 14,838]

Alexander Gerasimov 61   - Ice Hockey

 

1984 Gold. He played all matches in Sarajevo with 2 goals and 3 Assists

 

[Griff88 1,952]

Balbir Singh, Sr. (field hockey - gold medalist 1948, 1952, 1956)

 

 

 

 

[phelps 7,685]

 Carlo Durante, Paralympic Marathon Gold Medallist in Barcelona (1992), Silver Medallist in Atlanta (1996) and Bronze Medallist in Sydney (2000)...

 

he also won 1 World and 3 European Paralympic titles and many more silver and bronze medals on the global stage...

 

he was 73 years old and died because of a heart attack while climbing the Montello hill on a tandem with his best friend and driver (he was blind)...

 

the news in Italian language:

https://www.repubblica.it/speciali/sportsenzabarriere/storie/2020/05/24/news/addio_a_carlo_durante_campione_paralimpico_di_maratona-257537980/?ref=RHPPBT-VS-I0-C4-P9-S1.4-T1

[nitinsanker 202]

15 hours ago, Griff88 said:

Balbir Singh, Sr. (field hockey - gold medalist 1948, 1952, 1956)

 

 

 

 

Balbir Singh ( Sr) was one of the handful of Indian Sports Stars who can be called a legend of his sport.... 3 Olympic Golds..... Captain and center forward... His finest moment :  5 goals in India's drubbing of Netherlands ( 6-1) in the 1952 final... ( a record which still stands most goals in Olympic hockey final) ..........      8 Olympic matches 22 goals.....61 internationals 246 goals ......... RIP .......you were truly the greatest hockey player of your Era..........Every Indian Sports Fan has a tear in their eyes today

[heywoodu 15,162]

Bobby Morrow, 1956 Olympic champion in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m and so an absolute sprinting legend.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Morrow

[heywoodu 15,162]

Two Italian (non-Olympian) swimmers have died in a plane crash, one of them finished 8th (200m free) at the 2017 short course ECh.

https://swimswam.com/two-italian-swimmers-die-in-a-plane-crash-on-sunday-morning-near-rome/

[Nickyc707 382]

Deaths of Olympians in May.

 

 Chung Hae-won, 60 - Football

 Antonina Ryzhova, 85 - Volleyball (1×S)

 Georgios Zaimis, 82 - Sailing (1×G)

 Fernando Sandoval, 77 - Water Polo

 Gennadiy Solodov, 85 - Athletics

 Pavle Jovanovic, 43 - Bobsleigh

 Stefan Burkart, 62 - Athletics

 Diran Manoukian, 101 - Hockey

 Antonio Piraino, 91 - Equestrian

 James Hill, 89 - Rowing

 John O'Brien, 88 - Water Polo

 Ronald Ludington, 85 - Figure Skating (1×B)

 Ingvar Ericsson, 92 - Athletics

 Franco Nenci, 85 - Boxing (1×S)

 Marko Elsner, 60 - Football (1×B)

 Wolfgang Gunkel, 72 - Rowing (1×G)

 Alexander Gerasimov, 61 - Ice Hockey (1×G)

 Roberto Moya, 55 - Athletics (1×B)

 Hector Ochoa, 77 - Football

 Jose Jacinto Hidalgo, 77 - Athletics

 Balbir Singh Snr, 96 - Hockey (3×G)

 Bruno Galliker, 89 - Athletics

 Gustaaf De Smet, 85 - Cycling

 Bobby Morrow, 84 - Athletics (3×G)

Peter Schiller, 62 - Ice Hockey

 

After 42 deaths last month we have a much shorter list this month although it includes five Olympic champions.

 

Both Balbir Singh of India and Bobby Morrow of the USA won three Olympic gold medals culminating in success at the 1956 Games in Melbourne. India has won eight men's Olympic hockey titles including six in a row between 1928-56. Singh was a member of the team for the last three of those wins and captained the side in 1956. His wonderful record has been alluded to earlier in this thread but his record of five goals in an Olympic final may stand for all time. 

 

Unlike Singh, Morrow only competed at one Games picking up golds in the 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay. He retired two years later at the age of just 23 although he subsequently made a failed attempt to return in order to try and qualify for the next Games in Rome.

 

The Greek sailor Georgios Zaimis won a gold medal in the three man Dragon class at the 1960 Games. Among his crewmates was the both future and former King Constantine of Greece. Alexander Gerasimov of the former Soviet Union was a member of their gold medal winning ice hockey team in 1984. He is the second member of the squad to die this year following the death of Alexander Skvortsov in February. Finally, Wolfgang Gunkel won a gold medal for the former East Germany in the coxed pairs at Munich in 1972.

 

Unlike the others Stefan Burkart of Switzerland was not an Olympic champion but at the age of 38 years, 10 months and 14 days he was the oldest person to compete in the Olympic 100m until 40 year old Kim Collins surpassed that record in Rio.