Tuesday, January 07, 2020

Blind Item #7 - Reader Blind

At a recent film festival, during a Q and A after the showing of this action film that came out several decades ago and has had a number of sequels, a story was told that was one of the inspirations for the original novel. This story has bounced around for awhile but it was the first time it was confirmed publicly as true.

The decade before the film came out, there were a number of terrorist activities on this continent. This small tax haven had been spared so far but one day gunmen from this group with two names seized control of a luxury hotel which happened to be full at the time.

Staying at the hotel was this foreign born A+ athlete who at the time was the best in the world in his sport.  He was also responsible for a boom in his sport that would carry over to the next decade as he had become a bit of a sex symbol .He was there to compete in an annual event.

This athlete was known for his unemotional calm demeanor when competing which he showed as he opened the cover of the vent in his room and crawled through the ventilation system down to the ground floor where he escaped and alerted the police. A team was able to disarm the terrorists without anyone being hurt.  The athlete did not want any attention focused on this as he was very focused on event which he did end up winning that year.

A number of years later, the athlete, now retired, had financial troubles. He was helped with his debts by some of the other people who were staying in the hotel that day.

51 comments:

Clur said...

tiger woods

Brayson87 said...

Was that freakin' Die Hard?

MontanaMarriott said...

Die Hard was a novel and it seems somewhat similar in story.

Christina said...

Monaco? Maybe Ayrton Senna?

gauloise said...

According to Wikipedia, the Die Hard novel was inspired by a dream the author had after watching the Towering Inferno

MontanaMarriott said...

Is this PELLE, the Brazilian soccer player?

Tricia13 said...

Was thinking Geneva,Switzerland... maybe a race car driver?

cheesegrater15 said...

Ivan Lendl? Was he involved in anything?

cheesegrater15 said...

Or Bjorn Borg? He was a sex symbol in the 80s, wasn't he?

cheesegrater15 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Redcaz said...

Michael Schumacher

Boldblonde said...

Pelle or Maradona.

Mark said...

Bjorn Borg sounds right. Not sure about the movie, though.

Swinfa said...

Bruce Lee

Anonymous said...

If the movie was “several decades ago” and the athlete was the inspiration, I guess it’s gotta be someone from earlier than the 50s?

Tricia13 said...

Thought of Shumacher but he would’ve been too young when this happened I think
Maybe Bjorg...in Switzerland,Monaco... ?

cheesegrater15 said...

Bjorg won a WCT event in Monte Carlo in 1977. Did anything happen in Monte Carlo in 77?

kelli grrrl said...

What about Mark Spitz. The 1972 Olympics were in Munich.

cheesegrater15 said...

Yeah, but the Israeli team was killed.

dummypants said...

I watched a Borg vs McEnroe sports doc that talked a bit about Borg's financial troubles. He even had to sell some of his prized trophies. I would bet this was him.

J said...

Joey Chestnut?

gauloise said...

Bjorn Borg popularizing tennis in Monte Carlo with the candlestick

sandybrook said...

Borg/French Open/Monte Carlo/Die Hard

Clark Green said...

This one is easy. Bjorn Borg. He had troubles with his brand and was helped out of those troubles. Actually met him a few times back in the day. Cool dude.

longtimereader said...

Can't be Grand Prix because it's always been popular, just not in the US where they have Nascar.

T. W. said...

Why did I think of Chuck Norris and Jean Claude van Damme?

Lo Key says stop with the censorship already! said...

Grand Prix would be WAY more interesting to have here than cars driving in endless circles.

Brayson87 said...

@Low Key, I'd rather watch Dukes of Hazzard reruns than that boring circle sh!t, ain't no hill hoppin' at the track.

Huckleberry said...

I don't know about the athlete, but the movie sure does sound like Die Hard.

Gator said...

"In the US where they have NASCAR?" Really? Many Americans do watch Formula One races, I've been to two of them myself, and many of us don't watch NASCAR.

HouellebecqGurl said...

Sandybrook got them all.

HouellebecqGurl said...

Are you for real, lol? Formula One has never had a tenth of the fans/popularity as NASCAR.. I say that as someone who lives 2 min from a huge Formula One track & grew up 20 mi from Talladega, AL

Max Power said...

I watch both... but saying that Formula 1 is more exciting than NASCAR is retarded. F1 is Ferrari vs Mercedes, the only two with a legitimate shot to win every race... and with almost zero passes on the track. Even the pit stops aren't an opportunity to make up ground. So the teams with the most money win. Almost every single race.

Vita said...

Sounds like Bjorn Borg was a genuine badass! Did he fashion a bungee from his signature headband? Truly, this is amazing, genuine heroics, and I'm happy that people remembered when he needed it.
Is there a Swedish version of YipeeKi-yay?😃

Robyn S said...

Borg - know for his unemotional demeanor: https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3381429

Brayson87 said...

Okay for future reference, if anything bad goes down, cram a tennis player into an air vent.

MrFusion said...

I always thought ventilation systems big enough to crawl through were only found in movies.

Bradford said...

Die Hard / Boris Becker / Monaco

zero83 said...

joe montana?

Brayson87 said...

+1 Bradford

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Becker

momo said...

I have to brag here. I not only got to meet Borg, I got to hit with him! I was a ball girl for the USTA back in the day so I met everyone. Conner, McEnroe, Nastase, Bjorn. Bjorn was very mild mannered and kind to all of the young people. McEnroe was a prick long before he was famous. He once blew up at me when I was tossing him the balls to serve. I was 14 I think/ Jerk. I also counted laps for NASCAR when I was young. THey probably don't even do that anymore. No drama there, just all the hot dogs and peanuts I could eat. We had to watch a particular car, each of us, and write down the number that clicked or literally flapped in front of us when they crossed a certain line. Pretty boring. Back in the days of Richard Petty et al. I am old. lol

Reverberation said...

When I was young I had the biggest crush on Bjorn Borg. I'd love to meet him, but I am not sure I could speak.
I think this is clearly Borg.

Diana said...

Math is hard. LOL

Vita said...

Momo-- You've got so many great stories and experiences! Please keep the stories coming!

Morninglorri said...

My teen crush, 1973 Monte Carlo Open. Terrorist org.... Black September?

Alf Landon said...

This is Borg, but the story is BS

Kansa said...

No idea who the athlete was. Small tax haven: Liechtenstein or Andorra? Two-named Terrorist Group: Bader-Meinhoff? That's all I can think of.

Anonymous said...

the 50's were 70 years ago. several would be the 80's-90's.

GoodGodYall said...

Death Wish
Bjorn Borg
Monaco
Baader Meinhoff

rv65 said...

Perhaps a WRC (World Rally Championship) driver? Event being the Monte Carlo Rally?

rv65 said...

Tricia13,

Switzerland is not really known for racing due to a ban on racing other than Hill Climbs. Though they do seem to allow Formula E.

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