August 29 Birthdays

1912
Sohn Kee-chung, Korean long-distance runner. Sohn Kee-chung won the 1936 (Berlin) Olympic marathon in a world-best time of 2:26:42. He was born in Sinanju, Korea, which had the misfortune of being part of the Japanese empire. Japanese officials forced Sohn Kee-chung to compete on the Japanese team under the Japanese name of Kitei Son. 52 years later, at age 73, Sohn Kee-chung, this time wearing a Korean uniform, carried the Olympic flame into the stadium for the 1988 (Seoul) Olympic Games.

1945
Wyomia Tyus, United States, sprinter. Wyomia Tyus was the first woman to repeat as Olympic 100m champion, winning the Olympic gold medal for 100m in both 1964 (Tokyo) and 1968 (Mexico City). Her time in the 1968 race was a world record 11.0 seconds.

1946
Bob Beamon, United States, long jumper. On 18 October 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, Robert Beamon leapt 29' 2½" (2.90m) in the first round of the long jump, winning the gold medal. His jump broke the existing world record by 21¾" (0.55m), or almost two feet. It remained the world record in the long jump for almost 23 years, and is still the Olympic record in that event as well as the second longest jump ever made. Dick Schaap wrote the aptly titled The Perfect Jump about Beamon. Beamon and Milana Walter Beamon have also told the long-jumpers story in The Man Who Could Fly: The Bob Beamon Story.