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Topic: The London Olympics and Micheline Ostermeyer, the ultimate pianist-athlete  (Read 2283 times)

Offline starlady

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The London Olympics and Micheline Ostermeyer, the ultimate pianist-athlete
on: July 25, 2012, 06:42:15 AM

There's a chronic discussion on this board about sports: are they good, bad or indifferent for musicians?   Here for your consideration is a pianist-athlete, Micheline Ostermeyer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micheline_Ostermeyer
At the last London Olympics (1948) she won 2 golds and a bronze, and played Beethoven for her team after the ceremony. She medalled in shot-put and discus, which it seems to me would be bad for the hands, but apparently not: she toured as a concert pianist for 15 years and later taught.   

What a story!  I heard about her from my piano technician: his father, as a high school student, competed against her in a shot-put exhibition.

--s.
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