- Farid Simaika
Farid Simaika (
June 18 ,1907 – 1944) was an Olympic diver who was born inAlexandria ,Egypt [http://www.ishof.org FARID SIMAIKA (EGY)] . International Swimming Hall of Fame.]Egyptian Farid Simaika was accepting his gold medal for platform diving at the 1928 Olympics, as the Egyptian national anthem was playing, when suddenly the music stopped and the votes were re-counted. He was then given a silver medal.Sprawson, Charles;Haunts of the black masseur : the swimmer as hero Pantheon Books, 1992.] He had initially won on "total" points, however the judges' high and low scores were thrown out while points for degree of difficulty were figured in.
Later, he performed in the famous Billy Rose Aquacades, which made swimming stars of
Esther Williams ,Eleanor Holm andJohnny Weissmuller . In Hollywood he was a stunt double in the 1931 film "Seas Beneath" and performed in an MGM Pete Smith Special. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022353/fullcredits#cast Full cast and crew for Seas Beneath] . The Internet Movie Database.]Simaika became a U.S. pilot during World War II, and was shot down over New Guinea and killed by head-hunters. Eventually, his head was found suspended by strings through each ear. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
References
External links
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SIMAIFAR01 profile]
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