QuickCheck: Is there an Olympic gold medalist who has won an Oscar?

Getting a medal in the Olympics is one thing, but winning and Oscar after doing so is another. Did this really happen?

PETALING JAYA: Skilled individuals take years to master a skill or trade, and make an achievement and win awards in their respective fields.It is usually an achievement that is within the person's field of expertise.

But what if one pursues a different scope of interest, and won an award in that field as well. Could that be possible?

Like, is there an Olympic gold medalist who has won an Oscar?

Verdict:

TRUE

US basketball player Kobe Bryant has made such an achievement, being both an Olympic gold medalist and an Oscar award winner.

Byrant won his first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where he was part of the American team that won the event. Team America repeated the feat again at the 2012 London Olympics, earning him his second gold medal.

However, in 2015, Bryant announced his retirement from professional basketball with a poem he wrote in The Players' Tribune titled "Dear Basketball," where he expressed his profound love for his sport.

In 2017, the Black Mamba, adapted it into a short film, which he wrote and narrated. which was directed by Disney animated movie director Glen Keane and had the music score by composer John Williams.

In 2018, Bryant won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

(From left) Kobe Bryant with team mates Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony after receiving their basketball gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing, China.

Speaking about his collaboration with Bryant and his triumph at the Academy Awards, Keane was quoted saying: “He (Byrant) never expected it…I mean, he should have. But I think the reality of it completely blindsided him.

"So, I just remember that moment—getting him going and walking up there together—and being so proud that I got to have a part in such an incredible career.”

This achievement also placed Bryant in the Guinness World Records as the first person to win an Olympic medal and an Oscar in March 2018.

Unfortunately, the former Bryant passed away on Jan 26, 2020, at the age of 41, when the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Until today, Byrant is the sportsman who has made such an achievement.

The 98th Academy Awards will take place March 16, and while waiting to find out who will be wining the Oscars, check out which actots and movies won at the recent Actor Awards here: https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/2026/03/02/039sinners039-takes-top-prize-at-the-actor-awards-setting-up-an-oscar-showdown

Source:

1. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/person-to-win-an-olympic-gold-medal-and-an-oscar/

2. https://screenrant.com/oscars-kobe-bryant-history-records-factoid/

3. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nba/kobe-bryant-has-an-oscar-and-an-olympic-gold-medal/

4. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/556708-first-person-to-win-an-olympic-