Great Olympians

Biographies - BA

Bab - Bac - Bad - Bai - Bal - Ban - Bar - Bas - Bat - Bau - Bax - Bay - Baz

Shirley Babashoff

B. 1957-01-31, USA
Swimming (2 gold, 6 silver)
1972 1976 HP
100 m Free-style silver fifth 5000
200 m Free-style silver silver 8000
400 m Free-style fourth silver 5600
800 m Free-style - silver 4000
4 x 100 m Free-style Relay gold gold 3200
4 x 100 m Medley Relay (qual) silver 1064
26864

In 1976, Shirley Babashoff equalled Mark Spitz's 'endurance' record of swimming 13 races in 8 days, although with less success.
Joint record holder, with Alexander Ditiatin, of the highest number of silver medals (SIX).
World Champion at 200 and 400 m free-style in 1975.

Sorin Babii

B. 1963-11-14, Romania
Shooting (2 gold)

(116 HP)

Louis Bach

Olympic Competitor nr 1607

Steve Backley

B. 1969-02-12, Great Britain
Track and Field (2 silver, 1 bronze)
1992 1996 2000 2004 HP
Javelin Throw bronze silver silver fourth 20064
20064

Josef "Pepi" Bader

Germany
Bobsledding (2 silver)
1968 1972 HP
Two-man silver silver 10000
Four-man fifth fifth 1500
11500

Twice together with Horst Floth

Ernst Baier

B. 1905-09-27,  Zittau, Sachsen, Germany
Figure Skating (1 gold, 1 silver)
1932 1936 HP
Men's Singles fifth silver 7500
Pairs gold 8000
15500

Iolanda Balas

B. 1936-12-12, Timisoara, Romania
Track and Field (2 gold)
1956 1960 1964 HP
High Jump fifth gold gold 31050
31050

The first woman jumper to clear 6 feet (1.83 m). Using the outmoded 'scissors' style, she also won two European titles (58 and 62) and bettered the world record 14 times, bringing it to 1.91 m in 1961, a record that would stand for more than ten years. She married her coach Ion Söter.

Balczó András

B. 1939-08-16, Kodoros, Hungary
Modern Pentathlon (3 gold, 2 silver)
1960 1968 1972 HP
Individual fourth silver gold 18750
Team gold gold silver 6300
25050

Probably the greatest all-rounder in the history of modern pentathlon. He first competed in the Roma Olympics, finishing fourth, only 15 pts behind the silver medal position. In spite of being the reigning World Champion, he was not in the Hungarian team at Tokyo, because of a problem with his state's authorities. He was individual World Champion in 1963, 65, 66, 67 and 69.
He has 11 children.

Felicia Ballanger

B. 1971-06-12, La Roche sur Yon, France
Cycling (3 gold)
1992 1996 2000 HP
Sprint fourth gold gold 32400
500 m Time Trial gold 9600
42000

She won 6 consecutive world sprint titles (including 2 at the Olympics) between 1995 and 2000.
She was named after Felice Gimondi and so really had to take up cycling.

Ivar Ballangrud

B. 1904-03-07, Lunner, Hadeland, Norway; D. 6/6/1969, Trondheim
Speed Skating (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)
1928 1932 1936 HP
5000 m gold fifth gold 20700
10000 m - silver gold 10400
1500 m bronze 11th silver 7515.2
500 m - - gold 6400
45015.2

In his first years, his best distances were the 5000 and 10000 metres. Later he was also an excellent sprinter. He also won the World Championship four times, the European Championship four times and set world records at 1500, 5000 (3 times) and 10000 metres.

Balossier

Olympic Competitor nr 1088

Karin Balzer

born

Karin Richert

B. 1938-06-??, Germany
Track and Field (1 gold, 1 bronze)
1964 1968 1972 HP
80 m Hurdles gold fifth 18675
100 m Hurdles bronze
18675

Emilio Banfi

Olympic Competitor nr 805

Bang Su-Hyeon

B. 1972-09-13, Korea
Badminton (1 gold, 1 silver)
1992 1996 HP
Women's Singles silver gold 15600
15600

Jesper Bank

B. 1957-04-06, Denmark
Sailing (2 gold, 1 bronze)
1988 1992 2000 HP
Soling bronze gold gold 23040
23040

Joseph Baras

Olympic Competitor nr 1261

Aleksey Barkalov

Soviet Union
Waterpolo
1968 1972 1976 1980 HP
Waterpolo silver gold 8th gold 12792
12792

Lee Barnes

USA
Athletics - Pole Vault (1 gold)
1924 1928 HP
Pole Vault gold fifth 11100
11100

Eric Randolph "Randy" Barnes

B. 1966-06-16, Charleston, WV, USA
Athletics (1 gold, 1 silver)
1988 1996 HP
Shot Put silver gold 19500
19500

Barodet

Olympic Competitor nr 1148

Khasan Baroev

B. 1982-12-01, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, fighting for Russia
Wrestling, Greco-Roman (1 gold, 1 silver)
2004 2008 HP
-120 kg gold silver 15600
15600

Hermann Barrelet

Olympic Competitor nr 1419

Robert Bartko

Germany
Cycling - track (2 gold)
1996 2000 2004 HP
Individual Pursuit gold QF 10461
Team Pursuit 9th gold fourth 6120
Madison fourth 1200
17781

Greg Barton

B. 1959-12-??, USA
Canoeing (2 gold, 2 bronze)
1984 1988 1992 HP
K1, 1000 m bronze gold bronze 14400
K2, 1000 m gold fourth 6000
20400

Noël Bas

Olympic Competitor nr 1048

Igor Basinski

Belarus
Shooting (2 silver, 2 bronze)
1988 1996 2000 2004 HP
Free Pistol bronze silver silver 15th 11627
Air Pistol fifth 7th bronze 11th 4426.4
16053.4

The Belarus athlete made it to the Soviet team in 1988, but could not qualify over some Russians for the Unified team in 1992.
(146.4)

Raymond Basset

Olympic Competitor nr 1025

Louis Bastien

Olympic Competitor nr 644

Waldemar Baszanowski

B. 1935-08-15, Poland
Weight-Lifting (2 gold)
1960 1964 1968 1972 HP
-67.5 kg fifth gold gold fourth 34650
34650

Walter Bathe

B. 1892-12-01, Germany; D. 1959-09-21
Swimming (2 gold)
1912 HP
200 m Breaststroke gold 6400
400 m Breaststroke gold 6400
12800

Mavlet Batirov

B. 1983-12-12, Khasavyurt, then in the Soviet Union, Daghestan, Russian Federation
Wrestling - Freestyle
2004 2008 HP
-55 kg gold 19200
-60 kg gold
19200

Edward Battel

Olympic Competitor nr 102

Sabine Bau

Germany
Fencing (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
1988 1992 1996 2000 HP
Foil, individual silver 7th 12th 9th 5750
Foil, team gold silver bronze bronze 4850
10600

L. Baudoin

Olympic Competitor nr 1383

Jacques Baudrier

Olympic Competitor nr 398

Louis-Lucien Baudrier

Olympic Competitor nr 399

Bauer Rudolf

Olympic Competitor nr 781

Herma Bauma

B. 1915-01-23, Wien, Austria, D. 2003-02-09
Athletics (1 gold)
1936 1948 1952 HP
Javelin Throw fourth gold ninth 15300
15300

Albert Baumann

Olympic Competitor nr 64

Alex Baumann

Canada
Swimming (2 gold)
1984 HP
200 m Individual Medley gold 6400
400 m Individual Medley gold 6400
4 x 100 m Free-style Relay 7th 100
4 x 200 m Free-style Relay fifth 250
13150

Dieter Baumann

B. 1965-02-09, Blaubeuren, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Athletics (1 gold, 1 silver)
1988 1992 1996 HP
5000 m silver gold fourth 15000
15000

Bruce Baumgartner

B. 1960-11-??, USA
Wrestling, free-style (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
1984 1988 1992 1996 HP
+100 kg gold gold 43560
+130 kg silver
-130 kg bronze
43560

Hans-Jürgen Bäumler

Germany
Figure Skating (2 silver)
1960 1964 HP
Pairs silver silver 10000
10000

Twice with Marika Kilius.

Irving Knott "Irv" Baxter

B. 1876-03-25, Utica, NY, USA; D. 1957-06-13
Track and Field (2 gold, 3 silver)
1900 HP
High Jump gold 9600
Pole Vault gold 9600
Standing High Jump silver 6000
Standing Long Jump silver 6000
Standing Triple Jump silver 6000
37200

The first 'native' American (a Sioux) to win Olympic medals. He had three silvers behind Ray Ewry, and won the Pole Vault only because three other Americans refused to jump in the final which was held on a sunday. In a second competition, on monday, Orton and Dvorak succeeded in higher jumps, but alas gained no medals.

Olympic Competitor nr 879

Bayer

Olympic Competitor nr 1175

Ryan Bayley

B. 1982-03-09, Perth, Australia
Cycling - track (2 gold)
2004 2008 HP
Sprint gold 11th 6464
Keirin gold 8th 6256
Olympic Sprint fourth fourth 2400
15520

F. C. Baylis

Olympic Competitor nr 1678

Mithat Bayrak

B. 1929-03-03, Turkey
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (2 gold)
1956 1960 HP
-73 kg gold gold 19200
19200

Bazin

Olympic Competitor nr 567

last modified 2002-10-27

This page is part of the site "Full Olympians" by Herman De Wael. See here for a full Introduction.