Died: Marcel Duriez, 82
On February 02, in Clermont-Ferrand, France. A finalist in the 110H at the ’64 (6th) and ’68 (7th) Olympics after not advancing from the ’60 heats, the first French sub-14 performer World Ranked 4 times, with a high of No. 7 in ’63.
Died: Dick Fosbury, 76
On March 12, in Salt Lake City; of lymphoma. The ’68 Olympic high jump gold medalist revolutionized the event with his trademark Fosbury Flop, which quickly became the world’s dominant technique. The NCAA champion in ’68 & ’69 for Oregon State, he was a 2-time World Ranker, No. 1 in ’68.
Died: Valentin Gavrilov, 57
On December 23, 2003 (although not known by Olympic historians until now), in Moscow. The ’68 Olympic HJ bronze medalist was a 5-time World Ranker, succeeding Fosbury as No. 1 in ’69.
Died: Karoline Käfer, 68
On March 10. A 45-time Austrian sprint champion, she still holds the national record in the 400 with the 50.62 she ran in ’77. An Olympian in ’72 and ’76, she World Ranked No. 9 in ’75.
Died: Argentina Menis, 74
On March 03. The Romanian discus thrower won silver in the ’72 Olympics and 4 years later was 6th. In ’72 she set a World Record 220-10 (67.32) that lasted 8 months. In all, she World Ranked 7 times, with No. 2s 1972–74.
Died: Ken Money, 88
On March 06, in Toronto. The 5th-placer in the ’56 Olympic high jump for Canada, he was later an alternate astronaut, qualified to fly a Spacelab mission in ’92 if needed.
Died: César Moreno Bravo, 88
On March 12. A respected IAAF Council member 1991–2011, Moreno was also a president of the Mexican federation. A longtime member of the IAAF’s Technical Committee, he served as the director of track at the ’68 Olympics. ◻︎