May They RIP (Gold Olympians) - Q1 2025 (Part 1) Quiz

Answer: Bernd Cullmann

Bernd Cullmann was born in Idar-Oberstein in 1939. In the finals of the 4x100 m relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics, the USA team placed first but they were later disqualified due to an incorrect exchange. Thus the German team that included Cullmann was awarded the gold medal with a world record tying time of 39.5 seconds. In addition to his Olympic success, Cullmann was also a national champion indoor track runner at the 50m and 60m distances. After his running career Cullmann became a gem cutter and he passed away on January 13, 2025 at the age of 85.

Answer: George Foreman

George Foreman was twice the world heavyweight champion of boxing in addition to the gold medal he won at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Foreman set a record for being the oldest world heavyweight champion at 46 in 1995 and he retired from boxing sport in 1997.

After his boxing career, he became a minister and helped launch the extremely popular George Foreman Grill. George Foreman died on March 21, 2025 at the age of 76.

Answer: Richard Meredith

Richard Meredith was born in South Bend, IN in 1932 and he played ice hockey for the University of Minnesota. Meredith would represent the USA at the forward position twice at the Winter Olympics, helping the team win silver at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo games and gold at the 1960 Squaw Valley games. Richard Meredith died on February 6, 2025 at the age of 92.

Answer: Giancarlo Guerrini

Giancarlo Guerrini was born in Rome in 1939 and he actually took up swimming as a hobby after he almost drowned at the age of 15. In addition to helping his Italian water polo team win a gold medal for the host nation in 1960, Guerrini also competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Giancarlo Guerrini died on March 21, 2025 at the age of 85.

Answer: John Adams Morgan

John Adams Morgan was born in Oyster Bay, NY in 1930 and he has a very prestigious heritage. His great-grandfather was the founder of J.P. Morgan & Co. and his father was the co-founder of Morgan Stanley. At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Morgan was a part of a six-person team aboard the Llanoria yacht that took home a gold medal for the USA in the 6m class. Morgan had a successful career in finance after his Olympic Games appearance and he died on January 23, 2025 at the age of 94.

Answer: Drazen Dalipagić

Drazen Dalipagić was a longtime player for the Belgrade based KK Partizan team and he represented Yugoslavia 243 times in international play. At just under 6 ft 6 in, Dalipagić was a small forward capable of scoring from distance and around the basket. Dalipagić led the Yugoslavia basketball team that won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Drazen Dalipagić passed away on January 25, 2025 at the age of 73.

Answer: Ágnes Keleti

Ágnes Keleti was born in Budapest in 1921 and she was the most decorated athlete at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where she won four gold medals and two silver medals. She also won four medals (one gold, one silver, two bronze) at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

After competing as an artistic gymnast, Keleti emigrated to Israel where she worked as a coach. At the time of her death on January 2, 2025 at the age of 103, Ágnes Keleti set a record as the longest-lived Olympic gold medalist.

Answer: Jorge Luis Valdés

Jorge Luis Valdés was born in Jovellanos, Cuba in 1961 and he was nicknamed Tati. Although he was slender in stature, Valdés is regarded as one of the best left-handed pitchers of the 20th century in Cuba. The Cuban team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics finished with a 7-0 record and a run differential of +64. Jorge Luis Valdés died on January 28, 2025 at the age of 63.

Answer: Mikhail Vasilyev

Mikhail Vasilyev was born in Moscow in 1961 and he helped the Soviet Union handball team win a gold medal at the 1982 World Championships and the 1988 Seoul Olympics. At the Olympics Vasilyev scored five goals. Mikhail Vasilyev passed away on March 5, 2025 at the age of 64.

Answer: Hans Kjeld Rasmussen

Hans Kjeld Rasmussen was born in Glostrup, Denmark in 1954. The 1980 Moscow Olympics skeet shooting event surprisingly had five individuals tied with 196 after eight rounds. Rasmussen had two perfect (25) scores in the shoot-offs that determined him to be the champion. Hans Kjeld Rasmussen died in February 2025 at the age of 70.