August 16, 2016

On Saturday, August 13, the United States became the first nation to win 1,000 gold medals since the modern Summer Olympic Games began in 1896. Hundreds of athletes have contributed to that gold medal count over the years, but during this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attention has focused on three stars of Team USA’s roster of 555 extraordinary athletes. Over the first week and a half of competition, gymnast Simone Biles and swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have left the competition largely behind, winning a total of 13 gold medals between them. To this point, the rest of Team USA has 15 golds in Rio.

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles performs the floor exercise during the women’s all-around final at the world gymnastics championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oct. 29, 2015. Credit: © Kyodo/AP Photo

Biles, competing in her first Olympics, led her talented teammates to gold in the Women’s team all-around—a tough combined test of the balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars, and vault. Biles scored highest on the vault with an “Amanar,” a demanding vault consisting of a roundoff onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, 2½ twists in the air, and a blind landing. Team USA’s Aly Raisman—who scored second highest in the vault—also executed a difficult Amanar. Biles scored highest on the balance beam and floor exercise, as well. Together with Team USA’s Madison Kocian (who won the uneven bars) and Laurie Hernandez (who had consistently high scores and dazzled on the beam), the women crushed the competition, winning gold by more than 8 points (teams are often separated by tenths of a point) over silver medal-winning Russia. Simone Biles followed the team performance by dominating the individual all-around competition, winning gold over silver medalist Raisman. Biles went on to take individual gold in both the vault and floor exercise as well.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the butterfly leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Credit: © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

Michael Phelps, already the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, came out of retirement to compete in his fifth Olympic Games in 2016. Unwilling to loosen his grip on that “greatest” title, he added 5 gold medals to his already massive haul (23 now in his career—the most for any athlete ever). Phelps helped his teammates win gold in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter freestyle relays, as well as in the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also took individual gold in the 200-meter medley and the 200-meter butterfly—a grudge match against rival Chad le Clos of South Africa. Le Clos narrowly beat Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2012 Olympics, and the two had since developed a somewhat contentious rivalry.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 800-meter freestyle race during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Credit: © Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Katie Ledecky, competing in her second Olympics, dominated her opponents in Rio, taking individual gold in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter freestyle races. She also earned team gold in the 4×100-meter relay. Ledecky burst onto the international swimming stage at the 2012 games, winning a surprise gold in the 800-meter freestyle at just 15 years of age. Look for Ledecky to add to her medal count at the 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan.

If you’re wondering what national team has the second-most gold medals in Summer Olympic Games history, it’s the Russians. Including games when they competed as part of the Soviet Union, the Russians have won 582 golds (as of today). The next three in order (all with fewer than 300) are Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

August 5, 2016

Tonight, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Millions of people around the world will tune in to watch the pomp and circumstance of the parade of the national teams as they enter Rio’s famous Maracanã Stadium. More than 11,000 athletes from 206 nations will carry flags, sport the latest fashions, and wave to the cameras and the roughly 80,000 people watching from the stands. (If you’re counting, there are 196 independent countries in the world, but some dependencies such as Bermuda and Puerto Rico have their own teams.) To the rhythms of bossa nova (a Brazilian mix of samba and jazz), people will dance and fireworks will boom, but there will be one presence quite literally above all others: Christ the Redeemer. The famous statue, which portrays Jesus Christ with arms outstretched, stands atop Mount Corcovado, 2,330 feet (710 meters) above the city and the sparkling blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay. Pay attention, and you’ll probably see the statue, oh, 30 or 40 times. And that will be in just the first few minutes.

Christ the Redeemer surveys the teeming city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the blue waters of Guanabara Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: © Marchello74, Shutterstock

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor in Portuguese) deserves attention. It stands 100 feet (30 meters) tall atop a 25-foot (7.5-meter) base. The distance between the figure’s fingertips is about 92 feet (28 meters). The sculpture is made of reinforced concrete with an exterior made of soapstone. Christ the Redeemer is one of the major tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro. Views from the statue (you can take escalators, elevators, or 222 stairs to the top of the base) are nothing short of magnificent.

The idea of erecting a statue on Mount Corcovado dates back to 1859. In 1921, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro began a campaign to build the monument. French sculptor Paul Landowski designed the statue. Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa supervised the project. Work on the statue began in 1927, and the monument was officially inaugurated on Oct. 12, 1931.

Christ the Redeemer may be the most famous statue of Jesus Christ in the world, but it is not the largest. Christ of Peace (Cristo de la Concordia) atop San Pedro Hill near Cochabamba, Bolivia, is taller at 112 feet (34 meters) with a 20-foot (6-meter) pedestal. Christ the King (Pomnik Chrystusa Król) in Świebodzin, Poland, reaches higher than the rest, however, if you count the 108-foot (33-meter) tall figure, its 10-foot (3-meter) crown, and a mound that stands some 60 feet (18 meters) high.

August 3, 2016

On Aug. 3, 1936—80 years ago today—African American track and field star Jesse Owens won the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. It was the first of four gold medals that Owens would win over the next week—a remarkable performance by a remarkable athlete. Owens’s accomplishment transcended the sports world, however, and took on a much greater importance. The Nazis controlled Germany in 1936, and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler hoped the Olympics would help prove—athletically, anyway—his theory of Aryan racial superiority. Aryan was a term the Nazis used for Germans and certain other white peoples of northern Europe. Owens (and his American teammates) disappointed Hitler, but he won the admiration of the crowds watching in Berlin. Owens’s Olympic performance made him one of the most famous athletes in sports history.

Jesse Owens races in a preliminary heat of the 200-meter dash at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
Credit: © AP Photo

In the 100-meter dash, Owens edged out his African American teammate Ralph Metcalf by 1/10^th of a second to win gold. German runner Erich Borchmeyer finished a “distant” fifth (4/10^th of a second behind Owens). The next day, August 4, Owens set an Olympic record in the broad jump (now called the long jump), winning gold over German jumper Luz Long. On August 5, Owens set a world record in the 200-meter dash, nosing out another African American teammate, Mack Robinson (older brother of baseball legend Jackie Robinson). Four days later, Owens and Metcalfe joined American teammates Foy Draper and Frank Wykoff in the 400-meter relay, setting a world record and winning gold over the second-place Italian team and third-place Germans.

Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, near Danville, on Sept. 12, 1913. His given and family name was James Cleveland Owens. His nickname, Jesse, came from his initials, J. C. Owens was the son of a sharecropper. At the age of 9, he moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio. Owens excelled in track and field while attending Ohio State University from 1933 to 1936. At a college meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1935, he broke three world records and tied a fourth within 45 minutes. Owens set seven world records during his career.

Owens eventually went into the public relations business. He worked in community service, especially youth work. He traveled widely, giving many speeches that supported clean living, fair play, and patriotism. Owens believed that athletic competition could help solve racial and political problems. He died on March 31, 1980. Owens’s many honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. In Berlin, a street near the Olympiastadion (Olympic Satdium) is named for Owens, as is a nearby school.

See Back in Time Olympic Games (1936)

March 14, 2016

The world’s great mania for soccer—which is called football in most countries—has taken root and thrived in the United States. Professional leagues for both men and women are more popular than ever, and Americans watched in record numbers as the U.S. Men’s National Team battled to a tough knockout round loss to Belgium in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. But it is the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT)—Team USA—which has earned the title megastar.

The United States Women’s National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. Credit: © AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

The USWNT began humbly in 1985, losing badly to more traditional soccer powers from Europe and South America. But U.S. women’s soccer gained momentum in spectacular fashion as the team won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup held in China in 1991. That first World Cup began humbly, too. In fact, the sport’s governing body refused to call it a World Cup. Few remember that early tournament’s official title: 1st FIFA World Championship for Women’s Football for the M&M’s Cup. That title doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, say, like an M&M.

Women’s soccer gained great popularity following the M&M’s Cup, and the next global tournament, held in Sweden in 1995, was graced with the World Cup title. The USWNT finished third that year, but won the World Cup again in 1999 as the tournament was played on American soil. The USWNT crept into mainstream U.S. sports talk, and soon people began to recognize such stars as Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, and Mia Hamm.

The USWNT blossomed in the 2000’s, cultivating such stars as Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Christie Rampone, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo, and Abby Wambach. Team USA fell short, however, in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Women’s World Cups, finishing second or third in all three tournaments. The team returned to greatness in 2015, however, dominating the Women’s World Cup in Canada for their third world championship. That year, U.S. head coach Jill Ellis was named FIFA’s World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football. Lloyd, who famously scored three goals in the World Cup Final, won the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award. Two other Team USA players had previously won that award: Hamm (2001 and 2002) and Wambach (2012).

The USWNT has dominated the Olympic Games since women’s soccer became an official sport in 1996. In five Olympics, Team USA has won four gold medals and one silver. With the Summer Olympics just a few months away in Brazil, expect another dazzling medal run for the American megastars.

Other World Book articles

• Soccer (1998) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (1999) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2002) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2004) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2006) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2008) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2012) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2013) – A Back in Time article
• Soccer (2014) – A Back in Time article

July 16, 2014

Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games, has died at age 90. Coachman won the women’s high jump at the 1948 summer games in London, setting an Olympic record of 5 feet 6 1/8 inches (1.68 meters). She succeeded despite facing racism and sex discrimination. During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Coachman was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympic athletes in history.

Coachman was born on November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia. She showed athletic ability as a child, but because of the racial segregation of the time, she was barred from using public sports facilities. She also faced prejudice against women participating in organized sports. Her father sometimes beat her for refusing to quit playing sports. However, she received encouragement from her fifth-grade teacher and from her aunt.

Coachman enrolled in Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1939, where she broke both the collegiate and national women’s high jump records. She also ran on the 4×100–meter relay team that won the national championship in 1941 and 1942. Coachman won the national 50–meter dash five times and the 100–meter dash three times. During her career, she held 25 national titles. She also played on the Tuskegee women’s basketball team that won three national championships.

The official flag of the International Olympic Committee displays the Olympic symbol. The symbol consists of five interlocking rings that represent Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. (World Book illustration)

Because of World War II (1939–1945), the Olympic Games were canceled in 1940 and 1944, so Coachman could not compete in the Olympics until 1948. On her return home after the Games, Coachman rode in a celebratory motorcade for nearly 200 miles (322 kilometers) through Georgia. However, at her official welcoming ceremony in Albany, African Americans were required to sit apart from white attendees. The mayor of Albany also refused to shake her hand.

Coachman retired as a competitor after the 1948 Olympics and became a teacher and coach. She also formed the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to provide assistance to former Olympic athletes.

Additional World Book articles:

• Jackie Joyner-Kersee
• Wilma Rudolph
• Olympic Games (1948) (a Back in Time article)

February 18, 2014

Despite fierce competition from Canadian and Russian figure skaters, Meryl Davis and Charlie White became the first Americans to win a gold medal in ice dancing. Ice dancing combines skating with ballroom dancing. The two University of Michigan students captured the top prize at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, with their energetic and fluid performance to the music Scheherazade (1888) by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Davis and White had led going into the free dance part of the competition, after the compulsory dance and original dance segments. In all, White and Davis earned the highest point total ever in ice dancing. The two have been skating together for 17 years.

The official flag of the International Olympic Committee displays the Olympic symbol. The symbol consists of five interlocking rings that represent Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. (World Book illustration)

August 15, 2012

Pessimistic notes were being sounded throughout the United Kingdom in the weeks before the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. The media carried stories about inadequate security and the threat of terrorism. Some people predicted gridlock traffic congestion complicated by fears of bad weather that would ruin the Olympic experience. But the Games turned out to be a triumph, from the extravagant opening ceremonies on July 27 to the even more spectacular closing ceremonies on August 12.

In-between these spectacles, the world was treated to more than two weeks of dazzling athletic competition in 302 events, led by memorable performances from sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica and swimmer Michael Phelps of the United States. Phelps ended the Games with four gold medals, making him the all-time recordholder of Olympic gold–with a total of 18 medals from the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Games. Gabby Douglas of the United States won gold medals in both the individual and team all-around gymnastic competitions. She is the first African-American and the first woman of color to become the Olympic champion in the individual all-around event.

Usain Bolt (© Kyodo/Landov)

The United States and China led in medals, as they did in the 2008 Olympics, but other countries had glorious victories as well. Host United Kingdom outdid itself in medal accumulation, with 65 total and 29 gold compared with 47 total and 19 gold in the last Summer Games in 2008. The individual stars of the Australian team were gold medal winners Sally Pearson in the 100-meter hurdles and cyclist Anna Meares in the women’s sprint. Rosie MacLennan was the star of the Canadian team with her gold-medal performance in the women’s individual trampoline event. The Games were more than satisfying for Team New Zealand, which captured 13 medals, including 6 gold, the country’s best showing since the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea. Five of the six gold medals were won on the water, in rowing and canoeing. Valerie Adams took the women’s gold medal in the shot-put. Adams was awarded the medal after the announced winner, Nadezhda Ostapchuck of Belarus, was disqualified for failing a drug test.

Additional World Book Article:

• The Winning Edge (a special report)