- Josy Barthel
Joseph ("Josy") Barthel (
April 24 ,1927 –July 7 ,1992 ) was aLuxembourg ian athlete. He was the surprise winner of the Men's1500 metres at the1952 Summer Olympics , and the only athlete from Luxembourg to have won agold medal at the Olympics. [LuxembourgerMichel Théato won themarathon in 1900, but the IOC officially credits him as having represented France, despite later research proving his nationality.] Besides athletics, Barthel also led successful careers in both chemistry and politics.Born in
Mamer , Josy Barthel's abilities as a middle-distance runner was discovered during theWorld War II . His first fame came by winning the 800 m at the Military World Championships inBerlin in 1947. The next year at Military World Championships inBrussels he won both 800 m and 1500 m.At the
1948 Summer Olympics inLondon , Barthel finished ninth at the 1500 m final. Then he won Student World Championships in 1949 (1500 m) and 1951 (800 m and 1500 m). The absolute high point of Barthel's career was the1952 Summer Olympics , where he surprised the crowd and himself by winning the 1500 m by a very strong finish. He also participated at the1956 Summer Olympics , after which he retired from running. He was also Luxembourg champion in 800 m and 1500 m from 1946 to 1956.In 1962 Barthel became the president of
Luxembourg Athletics Federation , then from 1973 to 1977 he was the president of theLuxembourgian Olympic and Sporting Committee . He was also member of the Luxembourg government.Josy Barthel died in Luxembourg City after severe illness.
The national stadium of Luxembourg, home to the
Luxembourg national football team , was namedStade Josy Barthel in his honor. TheLycée Technique Josy Barthel in Mamer also bears his name.In 2006, Barthel was accused of doping by sports journalist Erik Eggers in the German newspaper "
Der Tagesspiegel ." [cite news |author=Erik Eggers |title=Mit der Kraft der Panzerschokolade |url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/;art272,2229157 |publisher="Der Tagesspiegel " |location= |date=2006-11-26 |accessdate=2007-12-30 |language = German] Eggers cited German physician Oskar Wegener who did research onmethamphetamine and other doping substances in the 1950s. Wegener strongly denied saying Barthel had any connection with doping. [cite news |title=Enkelin verteidigt Barthel gegen Vorwürfe |url=http://www.wort.lu/articles/5768386.html |work= |publisher="Luxemburger Wort " |date=2006-11-29 |accessdate=2008-08-05 |language = German] Anyway, the use of such substances was neither prohibited nor controlled until the 1960s. [cite news |title=(«Es gibt keinen Dopingfall Barthel» |url=http://www.wort.lu/articles/5768388.html |work= |publisher="Luxemburger Wort " |date=2006-11-28 |accessdate=2008-08-05 |language = German]Footnotes
External links
* [http://101olympians.blogspot.com/2008/07/josy-barthel-tears-for-luxembourg.html Josy Barthel: Tears for Luxembourg] from [http://101olympians.blogspot.com 101 Greatest Olympic Moments]
s-ttl|title=Minister for Energy
years=1977 – 1984
-s-ttl|title=Minister for the Environment
years=1977 – 1984
-s-ttl|title=Minister for Transport
years=1977 – 1984
-s-ttl|title=President of the FLA
years=1962 – 1972
-s-ttl|title=President of the COSL
years=1973 – 1977
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