Six Degrees of Separation

[LopenUupunut]

(brought to you by the author of the Evil Quiz and the "Nice" Quiz...)

Athlete A was the last ever Olympic champion in a certain event (let's call it Event A). Athlete A also held the world record in this event. This event was replaced in the Olympic program by a similar event.

Athlete B, likewise an Olympic champion, was a world record holder in nearly the same event as athlete A. ("Nearly" because athletes A and B were of opposite genders.) This athlete competed in only one Olympics, also winning an Olympic bronze medal in a different event (Event B).

Athlete C finished 7th when athlete B won the bronze; however, athlete C had won the bronze in that event at the previous Olympics. Like athletes A and B, athlete C was a world record holder (in Event B).

Also competing at those same games was Athlete D, although he didn't finish either 1st, 3rd or 7th. (Instead, he finished 4th in Event C.) However, he had finished 7th in Event D at the previous Olympics (that is, the Olympics where athlete C won a bronze medal). Athlete D was both the European champion and European record holder in Event C, and national record holder in Event D.

Athlete E had more than one world record, all of them in Event D. Nevertheless, this athlete's only Olympic appearance was a 4th place finish in Event B! By the Games where athletes B, C and D competed this athlete was already dead.

Athlete F, a world record holder who won the gold in athlete E's only Olympic appearance, broke athlete G's only national best. ("National best" as it wasn't officially ratified, even though it had been achieved at the national championships.)

Only athlete A is still alive.

OK, finally, the questions... (most helpfully, questions C and D provide further clues!)

a) Name all seven athletes.
b) Name events A, B, C and D.
c) What does athlete D have in common with both Dan Ahearn and Oscar Zallhagen?
d) What does athlete E have in common with both Marlow and the '32 Olympic pole vault champion?

[gennady]

Event A/Athlete A
Pentathlon, Nadyezhda Tkachenko, 1980 WR Moscow OG.

[LopenUupunut]

Correct, but the other six athletes may be somewhat trickier

Extra clue... the competition where athlete E placed 4th and athlete F grabbed the gold also featured athlete C, who didn't place either 3rd or 7th.

[gennady]

(brought to you by the author of the Evil Quiz and the "Nice" Quiz...)

Athlete B, likewise an Olympic champion, was a world record holder in nearly the same event as athlete A. ("Nearly" because athletes A and B were of opposite genders.) This athlete competed in only one Olympics, also winning an Olympic bronze medal in a different event (Event B).

Do I translated and understood this?
Athlete of the male sex.
He was the WR-holder in the pentathlon.
He was Olympic champion in the event X =?.
He had a bronze medal in the event B =?.
All this took place before 1948.

[LopenUupunut]

Correct

[gennady]

Correct

Whether is he Olympic gold medalist in combined events?

[LopenUupunut]

Neither athlete B or any of the other remaining athletes ever participated in combined events at the Olympics.

[gennady]

LopenUupunut how do you expect, where to find the answer to your question, from the brain, or are allowed to use other sources.
I really want to talk with a man who remembers the fourth or seventh place Olympic Games 20-30s.

[LopenUupunut]

You're supposed to use your brain It would be too easy otherwise.

Try to crack one of the athletes along the line and the rest will follow or at least be easier to get. For instance, you know by now that athlete E was a multiple-WR-holder in an Olympic event who died tragically at a young age. There can't be many of those in the right era (especially when you add the Marlow connection!), so that might be a good starting point

One more clue: event C is the odd event out. Events B, D and X are often groupéd together while event C is quite different.

Another extra clue: you could add Edvin Wide to the list with athlete D, Dan Ahearn and Oscar Zallhagen. (In fact the connection becomes even more striking if one completely replaces Zallhagen with Wide, but I used Zallhagen because I'm evil )

[LopenUupunut]

OK, big clue: athlete G's US best was not ratified as a record because it was windy.

[gennady]

Thanks for the tips.
It is better to go in order to determine an athlete B. Gold and bronze in the same Olympics are not frequent.
In the athlete is associated with an athlete with a single event, and B. It is also referred to 7th OG. 7th place said that it was in the final eight athletes. All events are 100-400m can be excluded because of the 6 tracks in 1936. inclusive.
Middle and long distance and all-around can be excluded.
Remaining jumpers and throwers. Immediately it becomes easier.
Luckily at the Olympics until 1936 a lot of multi-medalists, which can be excluded.
In my opinion there is only one candidate for an athlete A - Gerhard Stock.
A 1936 Olympics, JT Gold, Bronze SP, Event B - SP.
So, athlete A - Gerhard Stock.(Edited later. Read the athlete B is Gerhard Stock. Printing error.)
Event B - SP.
I hope that Gerhard Stock could be WR-holder in the pentathlon.

[Powell]

You're supposed to use your brain It would be too easy otherwise.

Isn't it just the opposite? It would be very hard to answer without using your brain

[gennady]

As for the pentathlon. I know little about him.
I only know that he was at the Olympics from 1906 to 1924, excluding 1908.
To determine the winner used a system of counting places and events after the fourth excluded participants below the 7-th place on the sum of 4 events.
Can someone give a link to a detailed history of this event?

[LopenUupunut]

Athlete A is not Gerhard Stöck, but rather Tkachenko. Athlete B, however, is Gerhard Stöck. Well done And it logically follows that event B is the shot put.

Five more athletes still remain.

[gennady]

Athlete A is not Gerhard Stöck, but rather Tkachenko. Athlete B, however, is Gerhard Stöck. Well done And it logically follows that event B is the shot put.

Five more athletes still remain.

I apologize for my mistake!
Of course the athlete B is Gerhard Stock, especially as an athlete A I called right in my first post.

[gennady]

The next step is quite simple.
Event B=SP and 1932 Bronze give a definite answer an athlete C is Frantisek Douda. Perhaps it was SP-holder in SP .

[gennady]

Go ahead. There are many tips for the athlete E.
1932 4th in SP, plus WR in event D gives a unique answer - event D is Discus Throw.
Followed by a walk with a small doggie(85kg).

[LopenUupunut]

Event D is discus throw, but there's something wrong with your dating. Athlete E can't have been 4th in 1932 because athlete C (correctly identified as František Douda ) was 3rd that year, which was specifically disallowed.

Extra clue... the competition where athlete E placed 4th and athlete F grabbed the gold also featured athlete C, who didn't place either 3rd or 7th.

[gennady]

Another typo, affects fatigue.
Clarification after the walk.
Athlete E 4th in SP OG=?, and Multy WR-holder in DT.

[gennady]

So, Athlete E.
Multy WR-holder in DT plus 4th in SP(OG-?) plus tragically early death.
Athlete E have in common with both Marlow and William "Bill" Miller.
While it is clear that he is American. Most likely one university for three.

[gennady]

Athlete D
Was 7th in event D=DT in OG 1932.
"...Athlete C finished 7th when athlete B won the bronze..." plus "..Also competing at those same games was Athlete D, although he didn't finish either 1st, 3rd or 7th. (Instead, he finished 4th in Event C)…" resulting in a total 1936 Olympics.
Was 4th in event C=? OG 1936.
If LopenUupunut who sleeping in Finland said about national record, it is likely that athlete D is also from Finland.
Usually DT's athletes compete in SP(event B), but for athlete D there is another event C. Event C is probably the jumps event.
EuroChamp 1934/38 and ER-holder in event C=jumps.
Most likely this is an athlete D is Kotkas, who was the first in Europe overcome 2.00 and was EuroChamp in 1934.
So, athlete D - Kotkas(FIN).
And event C is HJ.

[LopenUupunut]

Correct, athlete D is Kalevi Kotkas

Athlete E, Marlow, Bill Miller, Ward Edmonds, Ben Eastman...

[gennady]

Yes, yes,…yes! Finally the grace came down on me.
Of course the athlete E is Eric Krens, who first man over 50m in DT.

[LopenUupunut]

Yes, athlete E is Eric Krenz, the first man to break the 50m barrier Only two athletes left to go.

[gennady]

All I understood correctly?
Athlete F WR-holder in SP won Oly Gold in SP(olympic event of Eric Krens) and broke unofficial NR.
I am confused by your previous tip about a windy record.

[LopenUupunut]

Sounds correct

[gennady]

Sounds correct

It is obvious that the athlete F Leo Sexton OlyChamp 1932. I know that he was WR-holder, but whose "windy record" he broke, I do not know.
So, athlethe F Leo Sexton.
c) What does athlete D Kalevi Kotkas have in common with both Dan Ahearn and Oscar Zallhagen? - I do not know.
d) What does athlete E Eric Krenz have in common with both Marlow and the '32 Olympic pole vault champion? - The obvious answer one alma mater, but the name of the university, I do not know.
My game is over on this, thank you for your patience.

[LopenUupunut]

Leo Sexton won the shot put in 1932 (and was a WR holder), yet he's not athlete F. Remember, 1932 was the games it couldn't possibly be (Douda was 3rd, which is not allowed!)

It's true that athlete G is much more obscure than the first six, though the baseball fans here have recognized him in the past

[gennady]

(brought to you by the author of the Evil Quiz and the "Nice" Quiz...)

Athlete F, a world record holder who won the gold in athlete E's only Olympic appearance, broke athlete G's only national best. ("National best" as it wasn't officially ratified, even though it had been achieved at the national championships.)

I do not understand where in you question there are limitations to athlete C.

[gennady]

If "... won the gold in athlete E's only Olympic appearantse ..." means that athlete F beat athlete E in Olympic tournament, then I'm wrong and the athlete F John Kuck.
I'm and Google have translated "... won the gold in athlete E's only Olympic appearantse ..." as the name of olympic event (Event C) in which athlete E competed , which led me to the error.
But your questions have been a good puzzle for me.

[LopenUupunut]

Yes, athlete F is John Kuck. Don't worry, English can be a tricky language and Google-translated English doubly so

Even if you're unfamiliar with athlete G, knowing that athlete F is Johnny Kuck may help clear up the "confusing" windy record tip - can you recall his other strong event? Obviously, wind has never made shot put marks ineligible

[gennady]

Your clues suggest that John Kuck have been successfully performed at another event.
If you recall the "windy record" that come to mind are two events where the wind can provide substantial assistance -DT & JT.
My knowledge to those years is limited the Olympic podiums and world records in all throws.
I think that I have never read anything about athlete G.
Of course I can find his name, but it will be a different game.
Thanks again for your patience.

[LopenUupunut]

It was a nice showing from you Athlete G is Henry "Zeke" Bonura, who won the AAU championship in men's javelin throw in 1925 at age 16! His winning mark of 65.19 was an American best but not an official record due to wind assistance. Johnny Kuck improved the official record to 65.28 and 65.63 in 1926, while Bonura went on to have a reasonably successful career in major league baseball...

[LopenUupunut]

OK, to tie up the loose ends:

c) They're all members of the "men who never competed at the Olympics under their birth name" club. (Kalevi Kotkas was born Kalev Kotkas; Dan Ahearn was born Dan Ahearne; Oscar Zallhagen was Oscar Andersson and Edvin Wide was Edvin Hermansson.)

d) As gennady suspected (without naming the university), they all went to Stanford, who were a real powerhouse during the Dink Templeton era