Josy Barthel

Luxembourgish athlete (1927–1992) Josy BarthelBarthel c. 1951Personal informationBorn(1927-04-24)24 April 1927Mamer, LuxembourgDied7 July 1992(1992-07-07) (aged 65)Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Medal record Men's Athletics Representing Luxembourg Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki 1500 metres Joseph "Josy" Barthel (24 April 1927 – 7 July 1992) was a Luxembourgish athlete and politician. 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. Biography Born in Mamer, Josy Barthel's abilities as a middle-distance runner were 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 (1500 m) and 1951 (800 m and 1500 m). The absolute high point of Barthel's career was the 1952 Summer Olympics, where he surprised