The Olympic Dictionary P PACE DARRELL (archery, USA, b. Cincinnati, Ohio, 23/10/1956). Three appearances (1976, 1984, 1988), 2 gold medals (individual 1976 and 1984) and one silver (team 1988). 1976 1-0-0, 1984 1-0-0, 1988 0-1-0. When he was 13 he bought a bow: the pack included a coupon for a free lesson. He went for the lesson, and continued, paying for more, and at the age of 16 he was the youngest member of the US team at the World Championships, where he came 23rd. He won his first gold medal with the massive lead of 69 points over Japanese Michinaga and, after USA’s boycott of Moscow 1980, he won another gold medal in Los Angeles, 52 points ahead of his long- time rival, McKinney (also USA). He came 9th, just missing the final, in Seoul 1988, where he won silver behind South Korea in the first Olympic team contest; he was a reserve at Barcelona 1992, and an injury prevented him from attempting to qualify for Atlanta 1996. In the World Championships he won 2 gold medals (1975-79) and 2 individual silvers, plus 5 gold medals and 2 silver medals for team events; he won 7 national titles. His world records include a score of 1.341 points set in 1979, beaten by one point by Ukrainian Zabrodsky 10 years later. His displays included a William Tell type performance in New York’s Central Park: he asked a volunteer to hold an apple in his hand, Josh Howell from the ABC TV channel stepped forwards, and Pace hit the apple from 30 yards (27 metres), and then the arrow centred the bull’s eye of the target behind the journalist. Right after, the cameraman went up to Howell and said: “Sorry Josh, I didn’t manage to film the scene. Would you mind doing it again?” In 2004, Pace was elected president of the US Federation. PAHUD DES MORTANGES CHARLES FERDINAND (equestrian, Netherlands, b. The Hague 13/5/1896, d. Leiden 8/4/1971). Four appearances (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936), 4 gold medals (individual 3 day event 1928 and 1932, team 3 day event 1924 and 1928) and one silver (team 3 day event 1932). 1924 1-0-0, 1928 2-0-0, 1932 1-1-0. A lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Hussars, he won his first medal riding Johnny Walker in the team event in 1924, and the other 4 riding Marcroix. He continued his military career, reaching the rank of general. He was captured by the Nazis in 1942, escaped, and became second in command of the Dutch Army during the Second World War. Later he was president of the Netherlands Olympic Committee (1946-51 and 1958-61) and member of the IOC (1946-64). PAKISTAN (Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asia, capital Islamabad, area 796.096 km2, population 163.902.407). 10 medals: 3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze. Best Olympics: Rome 1960, one gold and one bronze. Best sport: field hockey, with 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. Most decorated athlete: 7 players have won one gold and 2 silver medals in field hockey: Munir Ahmad Dar, Abdul Hamid, Anwar Ahmad Khan, Hussain Atif Mansoor and Mutih Ullah (gold in 1960, silver in 1956 and 1964), and Mohammad Asad Malik and Anwar Saeed (gold in 1968, silver in 1964 and 1972). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1948, received IOC recognition in the same year: from then on it has taken part in all the Olympics except 1980. PALAU (Republic of Palau, Oceania, capital Melekeok, area 488 km2, population 20.314). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1997, received IOC recognition in 1999. It took part in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Yet to win a medal. 154 The Olympic Dictionary PALESTINE (Asia, theoretical area about 6.200 km2, population 4.017.496). An Olympic Committee, preceding that of Israel, was formed in 1933 and recognised the following year by the IOC, but Palestine did not take part in the Olympics until the 1990s. In 1993, immediately after the agreements with Israel, the IOC granted new temporary recognition of Palestine’s O.C., and the country took part (with a total of 6 athletes) in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games, without winning any medals. PALUSALU KRISTJAN JURI (wrestling, Estonia, b. Saulepi 10/3/1908, d. Tallinn 17/7/1987). One appearance (1936) and 2 gold medals (freestyle 87 kg and Greco-Roman 87 kg). Four years after Ivar Johansson (q.v.), he repeated the Swede’s feat by winning a gold medal in freestyle (on 3 August, in the first round, he won the deciding match against the Czechoslovakian Klapuch, silver, followed by four more victories on 4 August) and another in Greco-Roman (one victory on 6 August, one on the 7th, one on the 8th which was the deciding match against Swede Nyman, silver, and the last two matches on 9 August) in the same Olympics (which in his case was his first competition abroad). Therefore, Palusalu shares with Ivar Johansson and Källe Anttila the distinction of having won Olympic gold in both styles of wrestling. Born as Trossmann, he changed his surname in 1935. In 1937 he won a European gold in Greco-Roman, and in 1938 he injured a shoulder, putting an end to his competition career. A year after the Soviet Union’s occupation of Estonia, in 1941, he was sent to a labour camp in Kotlas, Russia. He escaped, was recaptured and sentenced to death: the sentence was repealed, but Palusalu was sent to the front to fight the Finnish forces. He crossed the enemy lines, shouting, according to some reports, “Finnish boys do not shoot Estonians”. He was imprisoned again, this time in Finland, and was then allowed to return to Estonia, where he was arrested by the Germans, who then freed him in an exchange of prisoners. In 1991 he was voted best Estonian athlete of the 20th century. PAMICH ABDON (track & field, Italy, b. Fiume, Istria, now Rijeka, Croatia, 3/10/1933). Five appearances (1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972), one gold medal (50 km walk 1964) and one bronze (50 km walk 1960). 1960 0-0-1, 1964 1-0-0. After his 4th place in Melbourne 1956 (“Up until 2 days before it was 16°, but the day of the race it was 42° in the shade. It was a sort of grill, and we were the kebabs”) and the bronze medal that he won in 1960 in Rome, he won the gold in Tokyo in 4h11:12.4, 18.8 ahead of the British athlete Nihill, even though he had had to pause at the 38 km mark due to stomach problems: “At 25 km I took an ice-cold drink, the organisers hadn’t supplied thermoses, I drank that cold tea and my stomach seized up. After relieving myself behind a hedge, I was a new man”. In his very long career, in which he took part in two other Olympics (retired in 1968, disqualified in 1972), he won 2 gold medals (1962-66) and a silver (1958) in the European Championships, again in the 50 km walk, and 40 Italian titles (13 in the 10 km, 13 in the 20 km, 14 in the 50 km). In 1961 he set the best world performance for the 50 km walk, in 4h14:02.4. “In the 50 km you start young and finish old. It’s like crossing all the seasons of life”. PANAMA (Republic of Panama, Central America, capital Panama, area 75.001 km2, population 3.343.374). 2 medals (the bronzes won by Lloyd LaBeach in the 100 and 200 metres in 1948). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1934, received IOC recognition in 1947. Panama sent one athlete to the 1928, 1948 and 1952 Games, and then from 1960, it missed just the 1980 Games. PAPP LÁSZLÓ (boxing, Hungary, b. Angyalföld 25/3/1926, d. Budapest 16/10/2003). Three appearances (1948, 1952, 1956) and 3 gold medals (middleweight 73 kg 1948, light middleweight 71 kg 1952 and 1956). 1948 1-0-0, 1952 1-0-0, 1956 1-0-0. He was the first boxer to win 3 Olympic gold medals: in 1948 he beat British boxer Wright on points in the final; moving down one category, in 1952, in the decisive match he beat van Schalkwyk (the turning point was a left hook in the 3rd round, which sent the South African down for an 8 count); and in 1956, winning again on points but this time with a split decision, he beat the American Torres (future professional middle 155 The Olympic Dictionary heavyweight world champion). As an amateur he also won 2 gold medals in the European Championships (middleweight 1949, light middleweight 1951) and 11 Hungarian titles. The year after his third Olympic gold, he was the first Eastern European boxer to turn professional, and in 1962 he won the European middleweight title (Christensen TKO 7); but after successfully defending the title six times, in 1965 the Hungarian authorities denied him the chance of fighting Dick Tiger for the world title. He ended his pro career unbeaten, with 27 victories (15 KO) and 2 draws. He went on to coach the Hungarian national team for over 20 years. PAPUA NEW GUINEA (Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Oceania, capital Port Moresby, area 462.840 km2, population 6.331.017). The Olympic Committee, formed in 1973, received IOC recognition the following year: from 1976, it has taken part in all the Olympics except 1980.