October 3 Birthdays

1945
Viktor Saneyev, Soviet Union, triple jump. Al Oerter's Olympic longevity in the discus throw is paralleled by that of Viktor Danilovich Saneyev's in the men's triple jump. Saneyev won the men's triple jump at the 1968 (Mexico City) Olympic Games (17.39, a world record), the 1972 (Munich) Olympic Games (17.35m), and the 1976 (Montreal) Olympic Games (17.29m). Ironically, his one silver medal in the event came in his own back yard at the 1980 (Moscow) Olympic Games, where he jumped 17.24m to place behind his countryman, Jaak Uudmäe.

1953
Géjza Valent, Czechoslovakia, discus thrower. Valent won the bronze medal in the men's discus at the 1983 (Helsinki) World Championships with a toss of 66.08m.

1967
Lynda Tolbert, United States, hurdler. Lynda Tolbert-Goode ran 12.67 in the women's 100m hurdles at the 1993 (Stuttgart) World Championships, winning a bronze medal. She also ran the 100m hurdles for the United States team at two Olympic games, 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta), where she finished fourth and eighth respectively.

1983
Tyler Christopher, Canada, sprinter. Christopher was the bronze medalist in the men's 400m at the 2005 (Helsinki) World Championships, running a Canadian-record time of 44.44. He also competed for Canada at 400m in the 2008 (Beijing) Olympic Games, but failed to advance to the final.

September 14 Birthdays

1945
Annamária Tóth, Hungary, pentathlete. Annamária Tóth won the bronze medal in the women's pentathlon at the 1968 (Mexico City) Olympic Games, scoring 4,959 points behind Ingrid Becker of West Germany and Liese Prokop of Austria.

1974
Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco, middle-distance runner. After winning a silver medal in the 1,500m at the 2000 (Sydney) Olympic Games, El Guerrouj returned to the Olympics four years later to win both the 1,500m (3:34.19) and the 5,000m (13:14.39) at the Games in Athens. In the World Championships, El Guerrouj won a silver medal in the 1,500m in 1995 (Gothenburg), a gold medal in the 1,500m in 1997 (Athens), a gold medal in the 1,500m in 1999 (Seville), a gold medal in the 1,500m in 2001 (Edmonton), and a gold medal in the 1,500m and a silver medal in the 5,000m in 2003 (Paris). El Guerouj still holds the world records in the 1,500m (3:26.00), the mile (3:43.13), and the 2,000m (4:44.79).

1976
Roman Shchurenko, Ukraine, long jump. Roman Shchurenko leaped 8.31m to win the bronze medal in the men's long jump at the 2000 (Sydney) Olympic Games.

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.