May They Rest in Peace (Olympians) - March 2023 Quiz

Answer: Fosbury flop

Dick Fosbury was born in Portland, OR, USA in 1947 and he started experimenting with different high jump techniques while in high school. Fosbury was deterred by the straddle technique, in which jumpers were face down and lifted their legs sequentially over the bar.

He then developed what would be called the Fosbury flop in which jumpers run diagonally toward the bar, jump clearing the bar backwards head-first and then curve their bodies and lift their legs to get the whole body past. While Fosbury was in high school, the landing surface was changed to padded mats rather than a wood chip pit. Obviously landing on one's back on a padded mat was much more comfortable than wood chips or sand so during the 1960s most colleges and high schools switched to padded mats. Fosbury's gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics prompted many other high jumpers to utilize the Fosbury flop. Dick Fosbury died on March 12, 2023 at the age of 76.

Answer: It was beaten on the same day by a fellow countryman.

Shiro Hashizume was born in Wakayama, Japan in 1928 and he set the world record in the 1500m freestyle at just 20 years old in 1949 with a time of 18:35.7 at the American Swimming Championships in Los Angeles. However, Hashizume's world record didn't even last a day as Hironoshin Furuhashi posted a time of 18:19.0 on the same day at the same meet in LA and became the new world record holder. Three years later at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Hashizume won a silver medal in the 1500m freestyle. Shiro Hashizume died on March 9, 2023 at the age of 94.

Answer: Eventing

Kevin Freeman was born in Portland, OR in 1941 and he came onto the international equestrian stage at the 1963 Pan American Games in Sao Paulo where he won a silver medal in individual eventing and a gold in team eventing. His success would carry over to the Olympics where he won silver medals in team eventing in Tokyo (1964), Mexico City (1968) and Munich (1972).

Incredibly, for the Mexico City Olympics, Freeman had only ridden his horse Chalan one time prior to the Olympics and still had a great deal of success in the competition. Kevin Freeman died on March 10, 2023 at the age of 81.

Answer: United Team of Germany

Klaus Bonsack was born in Waltershausen, Germany in 1941. For the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter and Summer Olympics, athletes from both West Germany and East Germany competed as a combined team called the United Team of Germany. Klaus Bonsack was a part of this team when he won his silver medal in 1964.

At the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, Bonsack won a gold in the doubles luge and a bronze in singles. Bonsack's last Olympic Games were in 1972 in Sapporo where he won a bronze medal in doubles luge. Klaus Bonsack died on March 5, 2023 at the age of 81.

Answer: Allan Jay

Allan Jay was born in London in 1931 and he competed at five Olympic Games in the fencing events of foil and épée. Although Jay never won a medal at the Olympics in foil, he became the first British World Champion in foil in 1959. Allan Jay died on March 5, 2023 at the age of 91.

Answer: Featherweight

Shozo Sasahara was a featherweight freestyle wrestler who was the flag bearer for Japan at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in recognition of him winning a world title in 1954. After Sasahara's wrestling career, he designed a sport called 'bound tennis'. Shozo Sasahara died on March 5, 2023 at the age of 93.

The wrestling weight classes range from the smallest (bantamweight) to the largest (super heavyweight). The featherweight class was the third smallest weight class at the Olympics but it was discontinued after the 2012 London Olympics when it was absorbed into the lightweight class.

Answer: Canoe sprint

Pavel Kharin was born in St. Petersburg, USSR, in 1927 and he represented the Soviet Union as a sprint canoeist. At the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the team of Kharin and Botev won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters by 46 seconds over the French team and Kharin and Botev won the silver medal in the 1,000 meters canoe sprint losing to the Romanian team by just over one second. Pavel Kharin died on March 6, 2023 at the age of 95.

Answer: Pat McCormick

Pat McCormick was born in Seal Beach, CA USA in 1930 and, prior to her Olympic career, she was known to have practiced dives off of the Los Alamitos Bridge into the harbor. McCormick had an excellent Olympic career in the 3m springboard and 10m platform winning gold in both events twice. After her diving career, McCormick modeled for Catalina swimwear and was on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee. Pat McCormick died on March 7, 2023 at the age of 92.
Her daughter Kelly McCormick won silver in the 3m Springboard at the 1984 LA Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Answer: Rowing

Amy Fuller was born in Inglewood, CA in 1968 and she competed in rowing at the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000. In the coxless four competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where the USA finished second, Fuller teamed with Shelagh Donohoe, Cynthia Eckert and Carol Feeney and lost to the Canadian team by just one second. Amy Fuller died on March 11, 2023 at the age of 54.

Answer: Argentina Menis

Argentina Menis was born in 1948 in Cernele, Romania. The finals of the discus throw at the 1972 Munich Olympics saw an incredible four Olympic records being set. Menis set an Olympic record of 61.58m with her first throw (she passed on her second and third); and qualified for the Final in first place. On her first throw in the Final, Menis broke her own Olympic record with a throw of 64.28m and broke it again with her fourth and final throw of 65.06m; but was bested by the eventual gold medal winner Faina Melnik who set a new Olympic record on her fourth throw at 66.62m.

Just two weeks alter, on September 24, 1972 Menis would set a new world record in the discus throw of 67.32m (the exisiting WR was 66.67m), but it would fall to Faina Melnik eight months later on May 25, 1973 at 67.44m. Argentina Menis died on March 3, 2023 at the age of 74.