The day a Latvian woman won gold

  • 2006-11-08
  • Interview by Elizabeth Celms
On Nov. 28, 1956 Inese Jaunzeme, then 24, became the first Latvian to win an Olympic gold medal, though she won it under the Soviet flag. Her 53.86-meter javelin throw at the Melbourne Games went down in history for another reason: Jaunzeme was the first Latvian woman to compete in the Olympics. As Vilis Cika wrote in his book "Gold, Silver and Bronze": "Many Latvians didn't show up at work that day, arguing that 'they had to watch [on television] as a Latvian woman, for the first time ever, receives an Olympic gold medal.'" In honor of the Melbourne Games' 50th anniversary next week, Jaunz...
 
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