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Josy Barthel

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Josy Barthel
Barthel in 1952
Personal information
Born(1927-04-24)24 April 1927
Mamer, Luxembourg
Died7 July 1992(1992-07-07) (aged 65)
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  Luxembourg
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki 1500 metres

Joseph ("Josy") Barthel (24 April 1927 – 7 July 1992) 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.[1][2] Besides athletics, Barthel also led successful careers in both chemistry and politics.

Biography

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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 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 from 1977 to 1984.

Josy Barthel died in Luxembourg City after a severe illness.

The former national stadium of Luxembourg, home until September 2021, to the Luxembourg national football team, was named Stade Josy Barthel in his honor. The Lycée Technique Josy Barthel in Mamer also bears his name.

In 2006, Barthel was accused of doping by sports journalist Erik Eggers in the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.[3] Eggers cited German physician Oskar Wegener who did research on methamphetamine and other doping substances in the 1950s. Wegener strongly denied saying Barthel had any connection with doping.[4] The use of such substances was neither prohibited nor controlled until the 1960s.[5]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Luxembourger Michel Théato won the marathon in 1900, but the IOC officially credits him as having represented France, despite later research proving his nationality.
  2. ^ "Barthel emerges from under middle-distance radar". Olympics.com. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  3. ^ Erik Eggers (26 November 2006). "Mit der Kraft der Panzerschokolade". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Enkelin verteidigt Barthel gegen Vorwürfe" (in German). Luxemburger Wort. 29 November 2006. Archived from the original on 29 January 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  5. ^ "("Es gibt keinen Dopingfall Barthel"" (in German). Luxemburger Wort. 28 November 2006. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Energy
1977 – 1984 		Succeeded by
Minister for Transport
1977 – 1984
Preceded by Minister for the Environment
1977 – 1984 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by President of the FLA
1962 – 1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the COSL
1973 – 1977 		Succeeded by
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