Josy Barthel
Olympic athlete
1927 – 1992
Who was Josy Barthel?
Joseph Barthel was a Luxembourgish athlete. He was the surprise winner of the Men's 1500 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the only athlete representing Luxembourg to have won a gold medal at the Olympics. 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 World War II. His first fame came by winning the 800 m at the Military World Championships in Berlin in 1947. The next year at Military World Championships in Brussels he won both 800 m and 1500 m.
At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Barthel finished ninth at the 1500 m final. Then he won Student World Championships in 1949 and 1951. The absolute high point of Barthel's career was the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he surprised the crowd and himself by winning the 1500 m with a very strong finish. He also participated at the 1956 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 the Luxembourg Athletics Federation, then from 1973 to 1977 he was the president of the Luxembourgish Olympic and Sporting Committee. He was also member of the Luxembourg government.
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- Born
- Apr 24, 1927
Mamer - Nationality
- Luxembourg
- Profession
- Education
- Harvard University
- Lived in
- Mamer
- Died
- Jul 7, 1992
Luxembourg
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Josy Barthel." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/josy_barthel>.
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