We dug up this fun bit of fun Olympics trivia: At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Ann Packer was thisclose to missing out on her gold medal for the 800-meter race. The reason? She was going shopping.
Ann, then a PE teacher, was a favorite going into the 400 a few days earlier, but nabbed the silver. Disheartened, she planned to skip the 800 in favor of some retail therapy. But when her fiancé, Robbie Brightwell, placed fourth in his own races, she felt motivated to compete…and win.
