White Christmas

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 75th birthday today (Monday) to an Olympic champion with two Olympic gold medals. Our champion was born on a Saturday during an Olympic year and competed in three Olympic Games.

This Olympic champion set more than one world record and was the first to break a "major barrier" in track and field. The world records, the Olympic gold medals, and the "barrier-breaker" were all in the same track and field event.

Our birthday champion shares the same initials as a very famous songwriter.

Born very close to where another Olympic champion was born, our birthday athlete last set a world record the same year that President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. By the way, that other Olympic champion won five Olympic gold medals.

Unscramble the following nine letters to find out where our birthday champion was born some 75 years ago today: Samoa Riti.

A favorite in all three Olympics in which this athlete competed, our birthday champion "only" placed fifth in the first of those three Olympic Games.

You can unscramble these five letters to find out the last name of our birthday athlete's spouse: T Rose.

Do you have enough clues for this Olympic champion born today, 75 years ago? Name the person.

[dukehjsteve]

Racked my brain, racked my brain, about to give up, but the very last hint got it for me.

Answer is Iolanda Balas.

[DoubleRBar]

Iolanda Balas it is, dukehjsteve. Very good. Of course Iolanda Balas and Irving Berlin have the same initials. Balas won gold in Rome and in Tokyo last century. Some say she was the greatest female high jumper ever because she won by such large margins and was undefeated for so many years. Happy birthday today to Iolanda Balas. I hope she is doing well.

[Olli]

Who is the "other Olympic Champion" born nearby and with five gold medals? Nadia Comaneci?

[DoubleRBar]

Johnny Weissmuller, winner of five Olympic gold medals, was born in Romania, not too far from where Iolanda Balas was born.

[dukehjsteve]

And her husband's name is Soter, Ian first name I think. And wasn't he also her coach ?

[DoubleRBar]

Yes, dukehjsteve, Ian Soter was her coach and husband.