Great Olympians

Biographies - MA

Vitezlav Mácha

Czech Republic
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (1 gold, 1 silver)
1972 1976 1980 HP
-74 kg gold silver sixth 20700
20700

Eugen Mack

B. 1907, Switzerland; D. 1978
Gymnastics (2 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)

(114 HP)

Cyril Mackworth-Praed

Great Britain
Shooting (1 gold, 2 silver)
1924 HP
Running Target, double shot silver 4000
Running Deer, double shot, team gold 1600
Running Target, single shot silver 4000
Running Target, single shot, team fourth 400
Clay Pigeon, trap aband. 0.00002
Clay Pigeon, trap, team 8th 64
10064

Lars Jørgen Madsen

B. 1871-07-19, Denmark; D. 1925-04-01
Shooting (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)
1900 1908 1912 1920 1924 HP
Free Rifle, combined fifth 14th silver 16th 5520
Free Rifle, standing gold 3250
Military Rifle, 300m, standing silver
Free Rifle, kneeling 8th 64
Free Rifle, prone 16th 24th 1.8
Free Rifle, team fourth fourth bronze fifth sixth 1925
Military Rifle, 300m, prone 12th 10
Military Rifle, 600m, prone 14th 4
Military Rifle, team 8th 465.6
Military Rifle, 300m, standing, team gold
Military Rifle, 300m, prone, team 13th
Small-Bore Rifle 7th 24th 400.2
Small-Bore Rifle, team fifth fourth 715
Free Pistol 14th 16th 22.4
Free Pistol, team 8th 64
12442.0

(12058)

Hideko Maehata

Japan
Swimming (1 silver, 1 gold)
1932 1936 HP
200 m Breaststroke silver gold 15600

Vicenzo Maenza

Italy
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (2 gold, 1 silver)
1984 1988 1992 HP
-48 kg gold gold silver 37800
37800

Michele Maffei

Italy
Fencing (1 gold, 3 silver)
1968 1972 1976 1980 HP
Sabre, individual - fourth sixth sixth 5060
Sabre, team silver gold silver silver 5750
10810

Hermann Maier

Austria
Alpine Skiing (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
1998 2006 HP
Downhill dnf sixth 640
Super-G gold silver 13000
Giant Slalom gold bronze 11200
24840

People who watched his spectacular fall in the Nagano downhill thought he would never walk again. But he got up and won two gold medals afterwards. Absent in Salt Lake City due to illness, he returned to Torino with reasonable success. Nicknamed "the Herminator".

Luigi Maiocco

B. 1892-10-11, Italy; D. 1965-12-11
Gymnastics (3 gold)
1912 1920 1924 HP
Team combined, European system gold gold gold 9600
Individual combined (5 events) 7th 500
Individual combined (7 events) 33rd 0.0026
Horizontal Bar 40th -
Parallel Bars 47th -
Rings 22nd 0.1
Rope Climbing 39th -
Vault 21st 0.16
Sidehorse Vault 50th -
Pommeled Horse 20th 0.25
10100.513

Although the names of the event have changed in the early years of the Olympics, the team gymnastics event has been held since 1904. In 1912, there were three team events, but the one the Italians won was composed of Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar, Vaults and Rings, much as today. In 1920 there were still two types of gymnastics (Swedish and European - including a Steeple Chase !) but from 1924, the European system was the only type. Maiocco, and Giorgio Zampori were part of the Italian team at Stockholm, Antwerpen and Paris.
Luigi Maiocco is not mentioned in most sources as a member of the team in 1912, but Roberto Maiocco has a site devoted to his grandfather (http://www.freeweb.org/personali/MaioPage/grandfa.html) and confirms that his mother has a certificate for first place from Stockholm.
(96 HP)

Sergey Makarov

Soviet Union
Ice Hockey (2 gold, 1 silver)
1980 1984 1988 HP
Team silver gold gold 12600
12600

Kaarlo Edvin Mäkinen

B. 1892-05-14, Finland; D. 1980-05-11
Freestyle Wrestling (1 gold, 1 silver)
1920 1924 1928 HP
Featherweight (-60 kg) rd 1 15762
Bantamweight (-56 kg) silver gold
15762

Tom Malchow

USA
Swimming
1996 2000 2004 HP
200 m Butterfly silver gold 8th 10656
10656

(104)

Bronislaw Malinowski

B. 1951-06-04, Grudziadz, Poland, D. 1981-09-26 in a car crash near his home town.
Track and Field (1 gold, 1 silver)
1972 1976 1980 HP
3000 m Steeple-chase fourth silver gold 22500
22500

Kenya' boycott of the Moskva Games finally gave one of the best technicians of the steeple chase a gold medal.

Harry Mallin

B. 1892-06-01, London, Great Britain; D. 1969-11-08, Lewisham
Boxing (2 gold)
1920 1924 HP
Middleweight (-72.6 kg) gold gold 19200
19200

Mallin never lost an amateur contest and was British Champion for five years (1919-23). He never turned professional.
At Paris, he figured in one of the most unusual boxing controversies. In a contest with Roger Brousse (FRA), he seemed to have done enough to have won on points. But as soon as the last round had ended, Mallin tried to complain to the referee that he had been bitten in the shoulder. Before he could make himself understood, the bout was awarded to the French boxer on points. An appeal launched by a Swedish official brought forward medical evidence that Mallin had been bitten, and Brousse was disqualified - even though the jury declared that the foul had not been intentional.

Erik Malmberg

Sweden
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
1924 1928 1932 HP
Featherweight (-62 kg) bronze silver 24300
-66 kg gold
24300

Håkan Malmrot

B. 1900-11-29, Sweden; D. 1987-01-10
Swimming (2 gold)
1920 HP
200 m Breaststroke gold 6400
400 m Breaststroke gold 6400
12800

(128 HP)

Aleksandr Maltsev

Soviet Union
Ice Hockey (2 gold, 1 silver)
1972 1976 1980 HP
Team gold gold silver 12600
12600

Adam Malysz

B. 1977-12-03, Poland
Ski Jumping (3 silver, 1 bronze)
2002 2006 2010 HP
Normal Hill bronze 7th silver 7656
Large Hill silver 14th silver 8817.6
Large Hill - Team sixth fifth sixth 616
17089.6

Laure Manaudou

France
Swimming (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
2004 2008 HP
400 m Free-style gold 8th 6656
800 m Free-style silver 4000
100 m Backstroke bronze 7th 2960
200 m Backstroke 15th 10
13626

Julia Mancuso

B 1984-03-09, USA
Alpine Skiing (1 gold, 2 silver)
2006 2010 HP
Downhill 7th silver 4400
Super-G 11th 9th 224
Giant Slalom gold 8th 6656
Combined 9th silver 4160
15440

Edoardo Mangiarotti

B. 1919-04-07, Renate Veduggio (Milano)
Fencing (6 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze)
1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 HP
Epée, team gold silver gold gold gold 14800
Epée, individual - bronze gold bronze - 18000
Foil, team - silver silver gold silver 5750
Foil, individual - - silver rd1:5th - 5002.8
43553

The passion which some Italians show towards fencing is shown through Mangiarotti; his father Giuseppe, having already one son (Dario, individual silver and team gold in '52 and team silver in 1948 ) who showed the skills which were to make him a World Champion, changed Edoardo to a left-handed fencer in order that he would be the best-ever left-handed fencer. The ploy worked. Edoardo began winning world titles in Paris in 1937 and, in spite of the interruption of World War II, was still in winning teams until the Games of 1960. His main weapon was the Epee, but he also competed in the foil.
Mangiarotti (whose speciality was Epee) and Gerevich (Sabre) competed against each other in the Foil in '52. Italy beat Hungary 13:3, but I have not been able to find out the individual result against each other.
He was the youngest male winner at Berlin.

Tamara Manina

Russia, Soviet Union
Gymnastics (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)

This contemporary of Larissa Latynina and Polina Astakhova was also in the Soviet teams of Melbourne and Tokyo, but she missed Roma.
(76 HP)

Valentyn Mankyn

B. 1938-08-19, Belokorovichi, near Zhitomir, Ukraine
Sailing (3 gold, 1 silver)
1968 1972 1976 1980 HP
Finn gold 19200
Tempest gold silver 26000
Star gold 16000
61200

A military man and one of the best sailors in the Finn and Tempest classes in the 60's and 70's. The oldest gold medallist in 1980.

Shelley Mann

USA
Swimming (1 gold, 1 silver)
1956 HP
100 m Butterfly gold 9600
100 m Free-Style sixth 640
4 x 100 m Free-Style Relay silver 1000
11240

Lia Manoliu

B. 1932-04-25, Romania, D. 1998-01-09
Track and Field (1 gold, 2 bronze)
1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 HP
Discus Throw sixth 9th bronze bronze gold 9th 23400
23400

She is the record female athletics participant. Her ninth place at München was with a further throw than her gold medal performance at Mexico.

Eero Antero Mäntyranta

B. 1937-11-20, Pello, Lappland, Finland
Nordic Skiing (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
1960 1964 1968 1972 HP
15 km sixth gold silver - 13800
30 km - gold bronze 19th 8961.6
4 x 10 km gold silver bronze - 4050
50 km - 9th 15th dnf 170
26981.6

The outstanding Nordic skier of the 1960's still took part at Sapporo and placed nineteenth in the 30 km. He also won two World Championships at 30 km, and the Holmenkollen 15 km in 62,64 and 68.

Marcroix

a horse
Equestrianism - Military (3 gold, 1 silver)
1928 1932 HP
Three-day event, individual gold gold 16000
Three-day event, team gold silver 2600
18600

Twice ridden by Charles Ferdinand Pahud de Mortanges.

Juan Luis Marén Delís

Cuba
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (2 silver, 1 bronze)
1992 1996 2000 HP
-62 kg bronze silver 17424
-63 kg silver
17424

Maksim Marinin

Russia
Figure Skating (1 gold)
2002 2006 HP
Pairs fourth gold 10000
10000

Twice together with Tatyana Totmyanina.

Charles Marion

B. 1887-01-14, Saint-Germain-en Laye, France
Equestrianism - dressage (1 gold, 2 silver)
1928 1932 HP
Dressage, Individual silver silver 10000
Dressage, Team fourth gold 2000
12000

Twice on Linon

Russell Mark

Australia
Shooting (1 gold, 1 silver)
1996 2000 2008 HP
Double Trap gold silver fifth 21375
Trap 15th 13th 53.6
21428.6

Markovits Kálmán

Hungary
Waterpolo (2 gold, 1 bronze)
1952 1956 1960 HP
Waterpolo gold gold bronze 11520
11520

Michal Martikan

Slovakia
Canoeing - Wild Water (2 gold, 2 silver)
1996 2000 2004 2008 HP
C1 gold silver silver gold 46800
46800

Patrick Martin

USA
Bobsledding (1 gold, 2 silver)
1948 1952 HP
Two-man silver 5000
Four-man gold silver 7800
12800

Steffi Martin

competed in 1988 as

Steffi Walter

Germany
Luge (2 gold)
1984 1988 HP
Ladies' Singles gold gold 19200
19200

Nicolae Martinescu

Romania
Wrestling - Greco-Roman (1 gold, 1 bronze)
1964 1968 1972 HP
-97 kg fourth bronze 19800
-100 kg gold
19800

Iker Martinez de Lizarduy

B. 1977-06-16, San Sebastian, Spain
Sailing (1 gold, 1 silver)
2004 2008 HP
49er gold silver 13000
13000

Twice together with Xabier Fernandez.

Angel Martino, née Myers

B. 1967, USA
Swimming (3 gold, 3 bronze)
1992 1996 HP
50 m Free-style bronze fourth 4160
100 m Free-style - bronze 2560
100 m Butterfly - bronze 2560
4 x 100 m Free-style Relay gold gold 3200
4 x 100 m Medley Relay - gold 1600
14080

Bente Martinsen

competed in 2002 as

Bente Skari

B. 1972, Norway
Cross-Country Skiing (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
1998 2002 HP
5 km Classical Style bronze 8960
10 km Classical Style gold
Combined Pursuit 9th 8th 416
15 km Classical Style sixth 3200
30 km Classical Style bronze
4 x 5 km silver silver 2000
14576

Her father, Odd Martinsen, won gold in 1968 in the relay, and was the president of the Cross-Country section of the FIS.

Gustavo Marzi

Italy
Fencing (2 gold, 5 silver)
1928 1932 1936 HP
Sabre, individual fourth - silver 7700
Sabre, team silver silver silver 3300
Foil, individual - gold - 8000
Foil, team - silver gold 2600
21600

Armand Émile Massart

B. 1884-12-01, France; D. 1971-04-08
Fencing (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
1920 1924 1928 HP
Épée, individual gold fifth SF:6 9315
Épée, team bronze silver 1804
11119

(111 HP)

Paul Masson

B. 1874, France; D. 1945
Cycling (3 gold)
1896 HP
Time Trial, 333m gold 6400
Sprint gold 6400
10000 m gold 6400
19200

Nicolas Massu

Chile
Tennis (2 gold)
2000 2004 2008 HP
Singles R2 gold R2 8001.70
Doubles R1 gold R1 4801.02
12002.72

The surprise winner of the Doubles tennis at Athina brought Chile their first ever gold medal. A day later ha added a second gold in the singles.

Carlo Massullo

Italy
Modern Pentathlon (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

(120 HP)

Hendrika Wilhelmina "Rie" Mastenbroek

Netherlands
Swimming (3 gold, 1 silver)
1936 HP
100 m Free-style gold 6400
400 m Free-style gold 6400
100 m Backstroke silver 6000
4 x 100 m Free-style gold 1600
20400

Robert Mathias

B. 1930-11-17, Tulare, Cal, USA
Track and Field (2 gold)
1948 1952 HP
Decathlon gold gold 19200
19200

In winning the decathlon at London, he was the youngest ever athletics gold medal winner (17 years and 263 days). At the end of the competition he told his father, never again, never again. But in 1950 he broke the world record and again in 1952, in retaining his title at Helsinki. He was never beaten in the 10 dacathlons he contested from 1948 until 1956. But he had already forfeited his amateur status in 1953, by appearing in a film about his career, so he was prevented from going for a third Olympic title.
In 1966, he was elected to the house of representatives, being reelected until 1972, but he was defeated in the 1974 election.

Randy Matson

B. 1945-03-05 in Kilgore, TX, USA
Athletics (1 gold, 1 silver)
1964 1968 HP
Shot Put silver gold 15600
15600

Roland Matthes

B. 1950-11-17, Pössneck, Germany
Swimming (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
1968 1972 1976 HP
100 m Backstroke gold gold bronze 23040
200 m Backstroke gold gold - 12800
100 m Butterfly fourth fifth 2600
4 x 100 m Free-style Relay - bronze - 640
4 x 100 m Medley Relay silver silver - 2000
41080

Between april 1967 and 1974-08-31, he was undefeated in backstroke events. During that time, he scored doubles in two Olympics and the inaugural World Championships in 1973, and a third World Championship title at 100 m in 1975. He lowered the 100 m world record six times and brought the 200 metres record down seven seconds. Higly versatile, he also held the European 100 m butterfly and 200 m medley records.
He was married to Kornelia Ender. They have a daughter but divorced in 1982

Renata Mauer

competed in 2000 and 2004 as

Renata Mauer-Rozanska

Poland
Shooting (2 gold, 1 bronze)
1996 2000 2004 HP
Small-bore Rifle, Combined bronze gold 17th 8964
Air Rifle gold 15th 9th 6570
15534

Fiona May

B. Great Britain, competed from 1996 for Italy
Athletics (2 silver)
1992 1996 2000 2004 HP
Long Jump NM silver silver 28th 12000.04
12000.04

Misty May

competed in 2008 as

Misty May-Treanor

B. 1977-07-30, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Beach Volleyball (2 gold)
2000 2004 2008 HP
Beach Volleyball QF gold gold 25076.25
25076.25

The two gold medal were together with Kerri Walsh

Charles Mayer

USA
Boxing (1 gold, 1 silver)
1904 HP
Middleweight (-71.7 kg) gold 7200
Heavyweight (unlimited) silver 4500
11700

Helene Mayer

B. 1910, Germany; D. 1953
Fencing (1 gold, 1 silver)
1928 1932 1936 HP
Foil, individual gold fifth silver 21375
21375

She was asked to come back from America for the Berlin Games and promised a citizenship with full "Arian" rights, as the token Jew in the German team. Ironically, she lost to another Jewess, Ilona Elek of Hungary.

Mayer Mihály

Hungary
Waterpolo (2 gold, 2 bronze)
1956 1960 1964 1968 HP
Waterpolo gold bronze gold bronze 13440
13440

Written 2000-11-29 - last modified 2002-10-30

This page is part of the site "Full Olympians" by Herman De Wael. See here for a full Introduction.