Family watches Olympics in Paris 100 years after grandfather won gold

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Two grandsons of an Olympic athlete from Central Illinois are heading to Paris to watch the games, a century after their grandfather won gold there.

Susan Jones says her father, Harold Osborn, kept meticulous hand-written notes in a notebook of his records, including his gold medals in the 1924 Paris games.

However, she says he didn’t really talk about them around their home in Champaign.

“There were these beautiful big diplomas from the 1924 Olympics for winning the gold in the high jump in the decathlon. Those were hanging in his office. And so we knew about it,” Jones said.

Osborn remains the only olympian to win decathlon gold and an individual event gold at the same games.

Harold’s two oldest grandchildren - Susan’s nephews - are going to the games that start on Friday.

She says one from west suburban La Grange Park and his family will be wearing t-shirts honoring his grandfather’s legacy.

“And I know that they're hoping people will stop them and ask them, who’s that?”

The discussion about that – including Osborn’s remaining world record for the standing high jump – will continue Thursday when Susan and one of her sisters host a zoom at noon. Click here to access that webinar .

On Friday, the sisters will host an in-person talk at the University of Illinois’ Archives.

That’s where Osborn’s gold medals are on display, as well as his running shoes from the 1924 Games and his wool jersey from the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

Osborn ran track and field at U of I, where he graduated from in 1922.

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