The Olympic Dictionary B BABASHOFF SHIRLEY FRANCES (swimming, USA, b. Whittier, California, 31/1/1957). Two appearances (1972, 1976), 2 golds (4x100 m freestyle in 1972 and 1976), and 6 silvers (100 m freestyle 1972, 200 m freestyle 1972 and 1976, 400 m freestyle 1976, 800 m freestyle 1976, 4x200 m relay freestyle 1976). 1972 1-2-0, 1976 1-4-0. After the four silvers in 1976, all behind the East Germans, she was the only one to publicly accuse them of having cheated. This earned her the nickname ‘surly Shirley’, but it was confirmed years later, when the state doping in the German Democratic Republic appeared in all its seriousness. She won 2 golds (200 m and 400 m freestyle in 1975), 7 silvers and one bronze in the World Championships, 16 American titles, and she set 11 world records, 3 in the 200 m, 2 in the 400 m, one in the 800 m, and 5 in the 4x100 m freestyle. Her brother Jack won the Olympic silver in the 100 m freestyle in 1976. BADMINTON It has been an Olympic discipline since 1992. Governed by the IBF (www.internationalbadminton.org). Cf. Sports, Section IV. BAHAMAS (Commonwealth of Bahamas, Caribbean, capital Nassau, area 13.939 km2, 331.277 inhabitants). 8 medals: 3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze. Best Olympics: Sydney 2000 with one gold and one silver. Best sport: track & field with 2 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronze medals. Most decorated athlete: Pauline Davis-Thompson, athletics, with one gold (4x100 m in 2000) and 2 silvers (4x100 m in 1996, 200 m in 2000). Since then, only one edition of the Games has been missed in 1980, due to the boycott. Durward Knowles competed in 8 Olympics in the sailing event (winning one gold in 1964 and one bronze in 1956, again in Star), and in the 1948 Games for Great Britain, from whom the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, then the others from 1952 to 1972, and again in 1988 for his country of origin. BAHRAIN (Kingdom of Bahrain, Asia, capital Manama, area 728,3 km2, 752.647 inhabitants). The Olympic Committee was formed in 1978 and recognised the year after by the IOC. Bahrain took part in the Olympics in 1984 and no medals were won. BAILLET LATOUR (de) HENRI Count (IOC president, Belgium, b. Antwerp 1/3/1876, d. Brussels 6/1/1942) He was the third president of the International Olympic Committee after Vikélas (q.v.) and de Coubertin (q.v.), after whom he was nominated successor to the presidency in 1925, when the Baron resigned. He remained in charge until his death in 1942, dealing with, among other things, the delicate issues of amateurism and the Olympic programme. BALAS-SÖTER IOLANDA (track & field, Romania, b. Timisoara 12/12/1936.) Three appearances (1956, 1960, 1964) and 2 golds, (high jump in 1960 and 1964). 1960 1-0-0, 1964 1-0- 0). Born near (q.v.) Johnny Weissmüller’s home (5 golds for swimming between 1924 and 1928), got into athletics through the caretaker, the ex-high jumper Luisa Ernst. Made her debut in 1949, finishing the season at 1.35 (the world record was 1.71). She developed a jumping technique which was not deemed advantageous by the experts which was a variation of the scissors technique but without the rotation of the torso and with the legs opening, instead of coming together towards the bar. In 1955, before the Melbourne games, she jumped 1.75 m performing the first of her 14 world records (plus 4 indoor). She was the favourite at the Australian Olympics, but she only came fifth and the winner, the American Louis Mildred McDaniel, took the record. On the 22 June 1958 in 9 The Olympic Dictionary Clunj, she was the first woman to exceed 1.80 m. She won her first gold at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, reaching 1.85 m, 14 cm more than the second placed Pole Jaroslawa Jozwiakowska. “My first obstacle is the bar. It would be good to have a rival”, she often repeated at the time. In Japan, despite suffering from tendon and knee problems, she won the gold by jumping 1.90 m. The tendon problems forced her to abstain from the European Championships in 1866, but for years she was to be associated with other well-known abstainers, who forfeited to avoid gender checks, which had recently been introduced by the International Federation. She retired officially in 1967, losing a competition after 140 consecutive victories (unbeaten since 1958). During her career she won 2 European golds (1958-62), and one silver (1954), a part from the indoor gold in 1966. Her last world record, 1.91 in 1961, lasts 10 years. After retiring she married her ex-coach Ian Söter, taught physical education in Bucharest, and from 1988 to 2005 ran the Romanian Athletic Federation. BALCZÖ ANDRÁS (modern pentathlon, Hungary, b. Kondoros 16/8/1938). Three appearances (1960, 1968, 1972), 3 golds (team event 1960 and 1968, individual 1972) and 2 silvers (individual 1968, team event 1972). 1960 1-0-0, 1968 1-1-0, 1972 1-1-0. Only 4th in 1960 due to poor performance in shooting (36th scoring), after missing the 1964 Games he came 2nd in 1968 (this time due to the equestrian event: 22nd). He finally won the individual gold in 1972 at 34 years old, recovering 3 positions in the last trial, the 3000 m race. He got on better in the team event (2 golds and one silver in three Games) and especially in the World Championships, where he won 5 individual golds (1963-65-66-67-69), and 5 in the team event (1963-65-66-67-70), plus 7 silvers and 2 bronze medals. BALDINI ERCOLE (cycling, Italy, b. Villanova, Forli-Cesena, 26/1/1933). One appearance (1956) and one gold (road race). He won the gold at Melbourne in the same year that he won the world title in the pursuit, and the record for the all-round gold (46.393 km at Vigorelli in Milan, after setting the amateur record two years previously with 44.870 km). Arnaldo Pambianco went into a sprint at the 5th lap, but the other competitors didn’t follow so they could cover Baldini. At the ninth turning he had an advantage of 2.50 then he slowed down, finishing though with 1.59 on the Frenchman Geyre. During the prize-giving, the disc with the national anthem was missing. “The Italians sang along with journalists, coaches and thousands of immigrants. They sang and cried, so much so that the anthem didn’t reach the end, because it was lost amongst the sobs of those people”. As a professional Baldini came 3rd in the Giro d’Italia in 1957, winning the timed race hands down and rendering about twenty cyclists out of the maximum time, some of which were then re-admitted into the competition after protest. The year after he managed the Giro/world championship double. He won the pink jersey with 4:17 against the Belgian Brankart, and the World Championship of Reims, almost going immediately into a sprint, with 2:09 against the Frenchman Bobet. He also won the Gran Premio delle Nazioni, and 4 Baracchi Trophies (the first along with Fausto Coppi), and was the Italian road race champion twice (1957/58). BALDINI STEFANO (track & field, Italy, b. Castelnovo di Sotto, Reggio Emilia, 25/5/1971). Three appearances (1996, 2000, 2004) and one gold (marathon 2004). 1996 0-0-0, 2000 0-0-0, 2004 1-0-0. After the disappointing results at the Atlanta Games (18th and last in the final of the 10.000 m and eliminated in the semi-finals of the 5000 m), he found his strength was in marathons, a discipline in which he started in Venice in 1995. He wasn’t in top condition at the 2000 Sydney Games and dropped out at the 18th km, whereas in Athens he obtained his greatest accomplishment, becoming the second Italian to win the Olympic marathon after Gelindo Bordin (q.v.) (Seoul 1988). Baldini held back from the other competitors in the main stages of the race, then attacked at the 36th km, closing the gap on the American Mebrathom Keflezighi (silver) and the Brazilian Vanderlei Lima (bronze), reaching the Panathinaiko Stadium in 2h10:55. At the 35th km, while in the lead, Lima lost 7 seconds because he was attacked and shoved to the ground by Cornelius Horan, an ex-Irish priest. ‘Marathon God’ stated La Gazzetta in celebration of the national athlete’s 10 The Olympic Dictionary victory. By 31 December 2007, Baldini had won, in addition to the Olympic gold, 2 European titles (1998-2006) and 2 bronzes (2001-2003) in the marathon, a half-marathon world title (1996), 6 Italian titles in the 10.000 m and 5 in the half-marathon, in addition to winning the marathon in Rome (1998) and Madrid (2001). He has run in 24 marathons beating the Italian record 3 times, the last time in 2h07:22 in London in 2006. BALLANGER FELICIA (cycling, France, b. La Roche-sur-Yon 12/6/1971). Three appearances (1992, 1996, 2000), 3 golds (sprint 1000 m 1996 and 2000, 500 m time trial 2000). 1996 1-0-0, 2000 2-0-0. She lost the bronze in 1992 against the Dutchwoman Haringa and won the next two Olympics in the 1000 m. In 1996 she beat the Estonian Salumäe in the quarter-finals, won 2 golds in 1988/92, also due to using the ‘sur place’ technique for 3 minutes, then struck like lightning in recovery.