Birthdays on 15 August

A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Kosuke Hagino is a Japanese competitive swimmer born on August 15, 1994, who specializes in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle.

His achievements so far:-

• Winner of gold, silver and a bronze in the 400m medley, 200m medley, and 4*200m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics
• Secured bronze at the 2012 London Olympics
• Won two silver medals each in the 4200m freestyle and 200m medley at the 2013 World Championships (LC) held in Barcelona
• Secured two gold and three silver medals at the 2014 Gold Coast Pan Pacific Games
• Secured a gold and silver at the 2014 Doha World Championships (SC)
• Also won four gold medals, a silver medal and two bronze at the Asian Games of 2014 held in Incheon
• Acquired the World Swimmer of the Year and is the first and only Japanese to be honored with this award

Kalayathumkuzhi Mathews Beenamol, born on 15th August 1975 in Kerala, is an international track and field athlete who is the third woman to reach in the Olympics semi-finals after P.T. Usha and Shiny Wilson. She achieved this feat in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She made history in the 2002 Busan Asian Games when she and her brother K.M. Binu became the first Indian siblings to win medals at the same international competition. Binu won the silver medal in men’s 800m, and Beenamol won the gold in the women’s 800m event.

A glimpse of some of her career achievements:

• Clinched two gold and one silver medal in 1992 and one silver and two bronze medals at the 1994 Asian Junior Athletics Championships
• Won the gold medal in 4 x 400m relay and silver medal in 400m event at the 2000 Asian Athletics Championships
• Bagged gold medals in 800m and 4 x 400m relay and silver medal in women’s 400m event at the 2002 Busan Asian Games
• Conferred with the Arjuna award in 2000 for her exceptional achievements in athletics
• Honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2002-03 along with Anjali Bhagwat
• Bestowed with India’s 4th highest civilian honour, Padma Shri award in 2004

Born on 15^th August 1978, Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings is a highly regarded beach volleyball player from America. She has set high records with her performances in major international events.

Her achievements are:-

• Kerri has won three gold medals and one bronze medal in the Olympic Games of year 2004, 2008 and 2012. She is regarded as the greatest volleyball women player of all the time.
• Kerri was twice honored as the "Sportswoman of the Year" in 2004 and 2006.
• 2004- At the Summer Olympics, Walsh won a gold medal in women’s beach volleyball.
• 2016- Jennings along with April Ross came to the runner-up position at Rio Olympics
• Her four gold medals made her a perfect volleyball player in the history of the Olympic Games.
• She along with Misty May-Treanor won the AVP Crocs Cup Champion consecutively in 2006, 2007 and 2008 

Born on August 15, 1978, Lilia Alexandrivna Podkopayeva is a former Artistic Gymnast from Ukraine. She is known as one of the complete athletes and has many achievements under her belt.

Some of her career achievements are:-

• In 1995, Lilia became the World All-Round Champion the title which she conquered again in the following year.
• She won the "European Championship" in 1996 for the first time in her career.
• At the Summer Olympics of the year 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, she gave her sincere efforts to the Ukraine team which spotted the third place in the event.
• Lilia's major contributions made Ukraine team won the 1997 "World Championship".
• She became the "United Nation Good Will Ambassador" on HIV in 2005 in Ukraine.