INTRODUCTION Throughout human history people have always sought to challenge themselves to compete against others and to discover the limits of their capabilities Such desires can turn destructive leading to war But the ancient Greeks also recognized the good in these human traits and it was because of them that the Olympic Games featuring running races jumping contests throwing competitions and wrestling and boxing matches began more than 2,700 years ago The ancient Olympics ended in a d 393 but the Games were revived in 1896 in hopes of promoting world peace through sports Fittingly the first modern Olympics were held in Athens Greece but they moved around the world every four years after that In 2009 it was announced that the Games would be held in South America for the first time going to Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 2016 Every 1896 Olympian received a medal reading International Olympic Games Athens 1896 4
One of the most exciting sports in the Olympics has always been track and field otherwise known as athletics The history of athletics dates back to the original Greek Games Many of the same events have carried over from ancient times to today from sprinting and distance running on the track to long and high jumping to the throwing of discuses shots and javelins During the 1896 Summer Games there were only a dozen events in track and field and 63 men no women from 11 countries competed against each other But 112 years later during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing China more than 2,000 men and women from 200 countries were running leaping or throwing for gold in 47 athletics events Throughout the history of the Olympics some of the most exciting and memorable moments have taken place inside the giant jam-packed stadiums built around the world for track and field This is where Wilma Rudolph Bob Beamon and Usain Bolt stunned big crowds by shattering world records It’s where Al Oerter Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee showed off their mighty arms and fleet feet and collected numerous medals And it’s where Dorando Pietri Rafer Johnson and Derek Redmond demonstrated that sometimes a big heart is the most important muscle an Olympian can have INTRODUCTION 5 The ancient Greeks celebrated human achievement and the human form with athletes competing nude
THE GREAT RACE 1908 LONDON ENGLAND The first three modern Olympic Games were not very successful They took place in Athens Greece Paris France and St Louis Missouri But getting the best athletes in the world together in those great cities proved to be difficult before the age of air travel and fans were not very interested in the new competition Dorando Pietri was disqualified from the 1908 marathon but his effort made him an international star 6 1 8 9 6 A T H E N S G R E E C E 1 9 0 0 P A R I S F R A N C E 1 9 0 4 S T L O U I S M I S S O U R I 1 9 0 8 L O N D O N E N G L A N D 1 9 1 2 S T O C K H O L M S W E D E N 1 9 2 0 A N T W E R P B E L G I U M 1 9 2 4 P A R I S F R A N C E 1 9 2 8 A M S T E R D A M N E T H E R L A N D S 1 9 3 2 L O S A N G E L E S C A L I F O R N I A 1 9 3 6 B E R L I N G E R M A N Y 1 9 4 8 L O N D O N E N G L A N D 1 9 5 2 H E L S I N K I F I N L A N D 1 9 5 6 M E L B O U R N E A U S T R A L I A 1 9 6 0 R O M E I T A L Y 1 9 6 4 T O K Y O J A P A N 1 9 6 8 M E X I C O C I T Y M E X I C O 1 9 7 2 M U N I C H W E S T G E R M A N Y 1 9 7 6 M O N T R E A L Q U E B E C 1 9 8 0 M O S C O W S O V I E T U N I O N 1 9 8 4 L O S A N G E L E S C A L I F O R N I A 1 9 8 8 S E O U L S O U T H K O R E A 1 9 9 2 B A R C E L O N A S P A I N 1 9 9 6 A T L A N T A G E O R G I A 2 0 0 0 S Y D N E Y A U S T R A L I A 2 0 0 4 A T H E N S G R E E C E 2 0 0 8 B E I J I N G C H I N A 2 0 1 2 L O N D O N E N G L A N D
THE GREAT RACE World-Record Marathon Times 1908 John J Hayes 2 55 18 2011 Patrick Makau 2 03 38 7 That all changed in 1908 in London England The excitement and drama that people have come to expect in the Olympics every four years can be traced back to those Games and to specifically the men’s marathon there was no women’s race Athletes ran the long distance race in the first three Olympics but the London Games established what would become the official distance of 26 2 miles that still is used today On a hot July 24 1908 crowds gathered in the streets from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium to witness the 55 runners from around the world who took on the demanding course Inside the stadium nearly 100,000 waited for the dramatic finish Once the competitors entered the arena they had to run 385 yards the extra two-tenths of a mile to the finish line which was placed in front of the British royal family’s viewing box Dorando Pietri of Italy was the first to enter the stadium He had a one-minute lead on his closest competitor American John J Hayes But the Italian was exhausted due to the heat and took a wrong turn on the track After realizing his error and turning around Pietri could barely run and he collapsed five times The man was practically delirious one reporter wrote He staggered along the cinder path like a man in a dream his gait being neither a walk nor a run but simply a flounder with arms shaking and legs tottering Each time Pietri fell Olympic officials helped him back to his feet They assisted him to the finish line making sure that he was on his feet as he hit the line just as Hayes was entering the stadium The American circled the track and finished the marathon 32 seconds behind Pietri The United States protested the outcome arguing that Pietri received help which was against the rules Pietri was disqualified and Hayes received the gold medal as the winner The Italian who was taken to a hospital after the race didn’t leave the Olympics empty-handed however His determination to finish the race won him many fans including Britain’s Queen Alexandra who presented him with a silver cup as a reward for his gallant effort
