NYCD 2012 Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 SYDNEY (AP) - Australia is claiming four new Olympic medals — 105 years after they were awarded to the United States. The Australian Olympic Committee said in statement Friday that Francis Gailey, who won four swimming medals at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, was Australian and not American at the time. Gailey finished second in the 220-, 440- and 880-yard races and third in the one-mile freestyle. The AOC's official historian Harry Gordon says Gailey was Australian — a student at Brisbane Grammar School and was aged 22 when he swam in the St. Louis Olympics. He came home to Australia after the Olympics but emigrated to the United States in 1906. He later became a naturalized U.S. citizen and settled in California, where he died in 1972. Gordon said confirmation of Gailey's identity had come from a group of international historians and statisticians who have been investigating the nationalities of athletes at the 1900 (Paris) and 1904 Olympics. "Both were badly organized attachments to international trade expositions, or world's fairs," Gordon was quoted as saying in an AOC statement. "The records have always been pretty suspect." The AOC said Gailey can now be recognized as winning the most individual medals at a single Olympics of any male Australian swimmer. Ian Thorpe won five individual medals at two Games — two at Sydney 2000 and three at Athens 2004. The committee said Gailey's medals, when credited to Australia, increased the country's total at Summer Games to 449 — 135 gold, 144 silver and 170 bronze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Desperate, pathetic ploy to up their medal count. Tsk, tsk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hmmmm. Now, let's see if we can claim spelling mistakes have denied us all Austria's medals - and then claim we're a winter sports power as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Hmmmm. Now, let's see if we can claim spelling mistakes have denied us all Austria's medals - and then claim we're a winter sports power as well! And of course, Austria could claim likewise and become an overnight swimming power!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 give South Africa some medals!! we need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 give South Africa some medals!! we need it. Well, I think Oz should also be allowed to claim the medals from that rebel breakaway island off our east coast - NZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheal_warren Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 Well, I think Oz should also be allowed to claim the medals from that rebel breakaway island off our east coast - NZ. Hahaha you think so do you! Lol You Aussies could gift us some medals!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.