Bob Van Osdel (''Robert Logan Van Osdel;'' April 1, 1910 – April 6, 1987) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the high jump. He competed for the United States in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the high jump where he won the silver medal. A teammate from the University of Southern California,

Duncan McNaughton Duncan Anderson McNaughton (December 7, 1910 – January 15, 1998) was a Canadian athlete, who competed mainly in the high jump. He went on to a career in petroleum geology. Biography McNaughton was born in Cornwall, Ontario, and grew up in V ...

, won the gold medal representing Canada. According to the International Olympic Committee's website:

In the Olympic final, the battle for gold came down to a duel between the two friends. With the bar at 1.97m, Van Osdel approached McNaughton and advised him on improving his technique. "Get your kick working," he concluded, "and you will be over". That piece of advice and encouragement did the trick. McNaughton cleared the bar and won the gold medal, while Van Osdel missed and won the silver medal. In 1933, McNaughton's gold medal was stolen from his car. Van Osdel, now a dentist, made a mold from his own silver medal, poured gold into the mold, and sent the replica gold medal to McNaughton. Van Osdel and McNaughton remained friends for life.

Van Osdel served in Europe in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the Army Corps of Dentists. He and his wife, Ruth, had two daughters, the elder of whom, Virginia, now owns the dentistry practice.

External links

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Beijing 2008: Robert Van Osdel
American male high jumpers Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics 1910 births 1987 deaths Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub