Connolly Gets a Golden Gift

Olga Connolly, who lost a gold medal because of her willingness to share it, received another one from the International Olympic Committee on Sunday night.

At a Beverly Hills dinner honoring Southern California Olympians, IOC executive board member Anita DeFrantz of Los Angeles presented Connolly a duplicate of the gold medal she won for Czechoslovakia in the discus throw in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

Known then as Olga Fikotova, she became a worldwide celebrity for her Olympic Village romance and subsequent marriage with Harold Connolly, who won the gold medal for the United States in 1956 in the hammer throw.

Although later divorced, Olga Connolly, who competed in four Olympics for the United States, has remained in Los Angeles. Much in demand for speaking engagements, she often took the gold medal from 1956 with her and passed it around for the audience to see. During an appearance in 1990, the medal was not returned to her.

Connolly did not know until Sunday night’s dinner, sponsored by the Los Angeles Sports Council and U.S. Olympic Committee, that efforts had been made to award her a duplicate medal.