January 22 Birthdays

1931
Galina Ivanovna Zybina, Soviet Union, shot putter. Zybina set eight consecutive world records in the women's shot put from 1952 to 1956, taking the record from 15.02m to 16.76m. She set her first world record, 15.28m, at the 1952 (Helsinki) Olympics, where she won the gold medal. She won a silver medal in the women's shot at the 1956 (Melbourne) Olympics, and completed the set with a bronze in the women's shot at the 1960 (Rome) Olympics.

1968
Franka Dietzsch, Germany, discus thrower. Dietzsch is a three-time gold medalist in the women's discus throw at the World Championships, having won the title in 1999 (Seville), 2005 (Helsinki), and 2007 (Osaka). She threw at the 2009 (Berlin) World Championships, but failed to make the final. Dietzsch also competed for Germany in the women's discus at the 2000 (Sydney) Olympic Games, where she placed sixth.

1972
Norberto Téllez, Cuba, sprinter/middle-distance runner. Téllez started off as a 400-meter runner and was successful enough in the event to run on Cuba's silver-medal winning 4 x 400m relay team at the 1992 (Barcelona) Olympic Games. He then moved up to the 800m and ran 1:42.85 to finish fourth in the 1996 (Atlanta) Olympics, breaking the Cuban national record of the great Alberto Juantorena. At the 1997 (Athens) World Championships Téllez won a silver medal in the 800m, running 1:44.00. Téllez was back at the 1999 (Seville) World Championships, running 1:45.03 to finish fourth in the 800m.

December 22 Birthdays

1931
Gisela Birkemeyer (nee Köhler), Germany, hurdles. Running 10.9, Gisela Köhler was the silver medalist in the women's 80m hurdles at the 1956 (Melbourne) Olympics, finishing 0.2 seconds behind Australia's Shirley Strickland de la Hunty. Back in Olympic competition in 1960 (Rome), Köhler won bronze in the 80m hurdles with a 11.13.

1948
Don Kardong, United States, long distance. Don Kardong finished fourth at the 1976 (Montréal) Olympic marathon in 2:11:15, competing on a U.S. Olympic marathon team that included Frank Shorter (2nd, 2:10:45) and Bill Rodgers (40th, 2:25:14). Kardong won the prestigious Peachtree Road Race in 1976 and the Honolulu Marathon in 1978. Founding the Association of Road Racing Athletes, Kardong set out to replace the remnants of the amateur system in road racing with a more realistic professionalism. Kardong also served as president of the Road Runners Club of America from 1996 to 2000 and has written extensively about running, signing my copy of his book Thirty Phone Booths to Boston.

1971
Khalid Yusuf Abdurahman Khannouchi, United States, long distance. Born in Morocco where he began his athletic career, Khalid Khannouchi moved to the United States in 1992 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Khannouchi set a world record in the marathon of 2:05:42 at Chicago in 1999, and lowered the record to 2:05:38 at London in 2002. He is a four-time winner of the Chicago Marathon and a two-time winner of Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race.

1981
Marina Kuptsova, Russia, high jump. In the women's high jump at the 2003 (Paris) World Championships, Marina Kuptsova placed second behind South Africa's Hestrie Cloete (2.06m), leaping 2.00m for the silver medal.

October 4 Birthdays

1931
Thane Baker, United States, sprinter. While a student at the University of Kansas, Walter Thane Baker ran 20.8 to win a silver medal in the men's 200m at the 1952 (Helsinki) Olympic Games. He returned to Olympic competition in 1956 (Melbourne), where he won the silver medal in the 100m (10.5) and the bronze medal in the 200m (20.9).

1968
Rachid El Basir, Morocco, middle-distance runner. In a kicker's race at the 1992 (Barcelona) Olympic Games, El Basir won the silver medal in the men's 1,500m with a time of 3:40.62. Exactly one second separated the first runner (Spain's Fermín Cacho, 3:40.12) from the fourth runner (Kenya's Joseph Chesire, 3:41.12).