This day in Olympic history: August 11

By DPA,

Beijing : This day in Olympic history: August 11.


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1988 — Tickets for the Seoul Olympics, which sports fans had started ordering months ahead of the start of the Games, were finally distributed from August 11.

Seoul had been chosen in 1981 to host the event, beating the Japanese city of Nagoya. South Korea became the second Asian country to host the Olympic Games after Japan in 1964.

1936 — Marjorie Gestring wins the 3m springboard event at the Olympics in Berlin, becoming the youngest person — at the time — to have won an Olympic gold medal. Gestring was 13 years old at the time. She was denied an opportunity to defend her title in 1940 and 1944 as the World War caused the cancellation of the Olympics.

1936 — Danish swimmer Inge Sorensen wins the bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke aged 12 years, 24 days. She remains the youngest- ever competitor to win an Olympic medal in an individual event.

1936 — The fencing competition is held at the Berlin Olympics. Ilona Elek of Hungary wins the women’s foil event and is one of only two athletes who goes on to successfully defend their title at the 1948 games in London. The other is Czechoslovakian Jan Brzak, who wins the canoeing Canadian pairs’ 1,000m.

1932 — The Olympic rowing competition is held in Los Angeles. Henry Pearce, who won gold in the men’s single sculls four years earlier in Amsterdam, stopped halfway through a race during the heats to allow a family of ducks to pass in front of his boat. The Australian still goes on to win his heat and qualify for the final, which he wins.

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