# Know any Olympic medalists? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690 "2006-02-15T21:28:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/21 "2006-02-16T04:23:38Z")
Not at the moment, but sometime in the future I bet I will. A friend of mine is touted to be in the Olympics one day, and more than likely will be. He routinely sets records and breaks them, sometimes at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/22 "2006-02-16T04:32:02Z")
Not an Olympic medalist, but I play golf occasionally with Mark Plaatjes, the 1993 World Champion marathoner. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/23 "2006-02-16T04:48:35Z")
I’ve known Mike Modano, silver medalist with USA hockey at SLC, for about 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/24 "2006-02-16T05:11:02Z")
A math teacher at a middle schoo I attended is a Paralympian and, I believe, a medalist in at least one event. Didn’t know him well but we excchanged a few words a few times. A former TKD instructor I trained under had a decent shot at making the US team for Athens. His father would have competed in fencing in Moscow, had the US not boycotted in whatever year that was. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/25 "2006-02-16T05:42:16Z")
I knew three, all close enough to be on a first-name basis, but not close enough to socialize with or anything. Two were fellow fencers who trained at the fencing club I belonged to. The third was my bitch boss at a Club Med I worked at. I won’t give her name or sport to protect the guilty. The woman was dumb as a post, but I guess she could really [fill in Olympic sport here] – she was a gold medalist. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/26 "2006-02-16T10:20:24Z")
My mom’s side of the family has long been friends with the family of the late [Archie Williams.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Williams) Fine, fine man. I met him at least once, as a little kid, but I don’t remember much, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/27 "2006-02-16T10:50:46Z")
I was a wee, small child when [this bloke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesh_Patel) was my nanas neighbour. We knew him and his family “over the fence”, mostly because of the shared grape vine. When he won the gold I remember asking my nana if we could see it. She told us in no uncertain terms that Olympic gold medalists NEVER EVER show medals through fences and is we wanted to see it we would need to ask politely. My brother and I knocked on the door and said pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease. Mr Patel was ever so gracious. I will always remember the teensy thrill I got holding the gold medal, it was much heavier then I thought it would be. I still don’t know a single thing about field hockey but Mr Patel was my hero. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/28 "2006-02-16T11:38:33Z")
Bill Johnson, '84 gold for skiing, was the cousin of a friend. Kind of full of himself. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/29 "2006-02-16T17:48:25Z")
Oh, another one! My uncle Chan used to be on the ski patrol somewhere in Colorado back i the day, where he knew Bode Miller “before he was famous.” Apparently Bode was kind of a jerk then, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/30 "2006-02-16T20:06:59Z")
I just remembered to look this up – one of my Russian classmates was Kim Ratushny, who later earned a medal as part of Canada’s 2d-place women’s hockey team in Nagano. We wern’t friends, but we were pals and I expect she might remember who I am were we ever to cross paths again. Her brother, who I never met but did see play, also won a silver in men’s hockey several years before. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/31 "2006-02-16T20:25:59Z")
I’ve had brief conversations with several women’s basketball players, including Michele Timms (bronze for Australia in 1996) as well as these USA team members: Janice Lawrence (now Janice Braxton) – gold, 1984 Suzie McConnell (Serio) – gold in 1988, bronze in 1992 Katie Smith – gold in 2000 and 2004 My second cousin, Lisa Kozak, was a top martial arts competitor and might have been an Olympian had tae kwon do been part of the Games while she was at her peak. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/32 "2006-02-16T22:34:53Z")
A guy I went to high school with was on the rowing team that took the bronze in Seoul in 1988. He was always twitching. Ask him to stop tapping his pencil on the table, and pretty soon his foot would be tapping on the floor. Glad he found a use for all that energy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/33 "2006-02-16T23:01:52Z")
One of my coworkers is the coxswain for the USA rowing team that took the gold in the Men’s Eight two years ago. Yes, he did wear the medal around the office for awhile. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/34 "2006-02-16T23:15:57Z")
One summer I was invited by a friend of mine to play in a co-ed softball league here in town (small town, definitely lower league stuff). One woman stood out in a number of ways. For one, she was _really_ good… quite athletic. For another, she is 6-5. Turns out she won gold on the USA basketball team. She played for a couple of years in the softball leagues. I never had a clue she was an olympic athlete until my friend told me mid-way through the second season. When I asked her about it, she wasn’t very forthcoming so didn’t press it. It was still cool knowing I was standing in the outfield next to an Olympic Gold Medalist, though. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/35 "2006-02-16T23:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > By **ZebraShaSha** > He routinely sets records and breaks them, sometimes at the same time. The only way it is possible to NOT set and break a record at the same time is if the record doesn’t previously exist. What sport is your friend playing in which the records don’t previously exist? Or is there another way for this to not happen that I’m missing? ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/36 "2006-02-16T23:37:38Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > One of my coworkers is the coxswain for the USA rowing team that took the gold in the Men’s Eight two years ago. > > Yes, he did wear the medal around the office for awhile. 🙂 Huh. Didn’t he also have a really bad skin cancer scare? There was big for sunscreen and skin safety because of it at the Charles this year. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/37 "2006-02-16T23:51:30Z")
Back in 1985, I was on a swim team with Thom Jager, who was an Olympian in '84, '88, and '92 (50 Free). He was kind of an ass; the rest of the team weren’t supposed to talk to him, because it would “disrupt his concentration”. I might have thought that merely our coach being overprotective of her golden boy, but he was also pretty rude to some of my teammates and friends on other teams. So, when we watched the Olympics, I cheered on Alexander Popov. 😃 After college, one of my coworkers turned out to have dated Jager in high school; she had pretty much the same opinion. We used to laugh at how early he’d lost his hair. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/38 "2006-02-17T02:16:05Z")
Yes. [Sara Renner](http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/athletes/athletesnamebio.shtml?sara_renner.html), Canadian cross-country skiier. She just won Silver at these games. I met her husband, Thomas Grandi (Alpine skiier for Team Canada), just once. I was her insurance broker and her dad was one of the nicest people I ever met in my entire career. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/39 "2006-02-17T12:33:42Z")
> [@cmosdes](#): > > The only way it is possible to NOT set and break a record at the same time is if the record doesn’t previously exist. What sport is your friend playing in which the records don’t previously exist? > > Or is there another way for this to not happen that I’m missing? I was being facetious, since it feels rather odd to name drop a friend in this manner. Oh, and he is a swimmer. I seemed to miss that the first time around. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690/40 "2006-02-17T13:43:02Z")
Not myself, but my mother knows someone who won a gold medal in the '92 games on the Canadian women’s rowing team. She is the daughter of one of my mom’s friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-olympic-medalists/344690.md?page=3)