Not only could she throw the shot put and discus, she also played the piano: Who is Micheline Ostermeyer?

The year is 1948, the venue is the Royal Albert Hall in London... Although the hall is used to crowds, tonight's concert is, admittedly, a little out of the ordinary. Still, the guests were dressed appropriately for the event and were enthralled by the magic of the venue, and they were in great spirits. It is impossible not to be fascinated anyway! This is a temple of art built in the name of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert. So much so that the majesty of the building is enough to make the guests dizzy even before the music starts.

The time comes and a young woman steps on stage. She sits down at the piano. Rumor has it that she starts improvising the Hammerklavier, one of Beethoven's most difficult works to play. The young woman is obviously a successful pianist, but as mentioned before, this is not an ordinary concert. More of a celebration... The young woman is celebrating another success she has achieved with the guests. However, the success in question is not the kind achieved in concert halls.

Micheline Ostermeyer (23 December 1922 – 17 October 2001) was a French athlete and concert pianist. She won three medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in shot put, discus throw, and high jump. After retiring from sports in 1950, she became a full-time pianist for fifteen years and then turned to teaching afterwards.

Bottom line; The young pianist celebrates the two Olympic gold medals she has just won in discus and shot put with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Micheline was born in Berck, a town on the northwestern coast of France. The town with a history full of art; It had the distinction of being a place that responded to the search for inspiration of many painters such as Edouard Manet, Eugene Bodin, and Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic. In this case, it would have been inevitable for Micheline to develop an interest in art.

To tell the truth, Micheline's passion for art had no equivalent on canvas. Because her passion would be revealed among the piano tones. Her mother, who was a classical music fan, also had a big share in this. Thanks to her talent, she would make rapid progress in the piano lessons she started taking when she was only four years old.

On the other hand, Micheline's father was a sports enthusiast. She was of the opinion that physical exercise was indispensable for having a healthy body and maintaining mental discipline. Her daughter would also show interest in this field, to which she was inclined, and would add sports to art. While Micheline was still young, her family moved to Tunisia. Although she went to Paris to study at the conservatory when she was 13, she would return to Tunisia four years later due to the Second World War.

Some of Micheline's Tunisian days were spent in radio studios and some on basketball courts. While she was performing weekly piano recitals on Radio Tunis, she played basketball at Oriental Tunis Sports Club to relax. Basketball was also very useful for her all-around physical development. As a matter of fact, this development would give her a great advantage in her athletics career.

“Sports taught me to be relaxed. Thanks to the piano, I gained strong biceps as well as a sense of movement and rhythm.”

Micheline returned to France after the war was over and the dust had settled. Her new favorites in the sports field were discus and shot put. She was not against the high jump either. Without having to wait long, she would prove her success in the shot put and become the French champion in 1945. In the same year, she would graduate from the conservatory by entering the honor roll and obtaining the title of concert pianist. However, like many athletes, there was an organization she was looking forward to.

A high level of dedication and discipline are the minimum characteristics required for success in both sports and music. Micheline's presence in both lanes is an element that clearly reveals how strong this aspect of her is. Before the Olympics, she focused on the high jump, a branch in which she was not very successful, and her rise to the Olympic level in a short time deserves great appreciation.

Micheline knew she could win something as she headed to the 1948 London Olympics. But she probably couldn't have predicted that it would go further than she expected. First, she went to the grass of Wembley Stadium for the discus throwing competition. She wasn't giving a bad performance. She was in third place when she came to the final right. It looked like Italian Edera Gentile, who was in the first row, would take first place comfortably. But when Micheline made her final shot, the reaction of the audience in the stands showed that the situation had changed. Her opponent Gentile's surprise was visible on her face. The gold medal went to Micheline.

After her performance exceeded expectations in the discus throw, it was now her turn for a branch in which she was more comfortable. Micheline was much more successful in the shot put. Frankly, she would complete the competition without much difficulty. Of course, with a gold medal around her neck...

Three days later, she showed off her skills in another branch. The high jump is something she started taking seriously not long ago. Therefore, she had difficulty setting a realistic goal. However, it would achieve a goal by itself. With intense work in a short time, she would again achieve great success and win a silver medal in the high jump.

The way she chose to celebrate success was very flashy. This time, she fascinated a different audience with the concert she gave at the Royal Albert Hall. However, it should also be said that she did not get the full respect she deserved in the music circles because she was an athlete. People thought that the elegance at the piano of someone who appeared on the sports pages would not be enough. Micheline's response to this situation would be both brave and magnificent. At a concert; She was going to show off by playing Brahms' D minor concerto, Cesar Franck's Symphonic Variations, and Liszt's E flat concerto one after the other.

Whether in the stadium or the concert hall, her determination to succeed had no chance of inspiring admiration. Her talent was not limited to a single branch but spread to all ten fingers.

Micheline Ostermeyer's story, which started on one side of the English Channel, reached its peak on the opposite shore.