CONTENTS Introduction 4 A Pioneer and Pillar 6 Japan’s Hard-Won Medals 8 The Great Bomber 12 Illegal Spike 15 King Karch 19 Peru’s Silver Lining 22 Clash of the Archrivals 25 The Rise of the Cubans 29 Afternoons at the Beach 33 Misty with a Chance of Sunshine 39 Made in China 42 The Games of 2012 44 Endnotes 46 Resources 47 Index 48 SUMMER OLYMPIC LEGENDS
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
In 1895 volleyball was invented in Holyoke Massachusetts by William G Morgan a YMCA physical education instructor It did not take long for the sport a fast-paced game involving powerful ball striking agile defense and tight-knit teamwork to grow in popularity throughout the United States In the first quarter of the 20th century the game gained international interest as well especially in Brazil China Japan the Philippines Poland and Russia Teenage athletes played volleyball as a demonstration event at the Olympic Games of 1924 but it wasn’t until 1964 in Tokyo Japan that volleyball was introduced as an official Olympic sport Played at the Olympic level by both men and women volleyball was first dominated by teams from Japan with squads from the Soviet Union and the U S soon rising to capture their own shares of glory In recent years the sport has ascended to new levels of popularity due largely to beach volleyball a modified form that gained Olympic status in 1996 While stars such as the Soviet Union’s Yuri Chesnokov and Cuba’s Regla Torres did their countries proud on indoor courts volleyball standouts such as Americans Karch Kiraly and Kerri Walsh have made history under the sun Whether it is played on an indoor surface or sand or in teams of six or two the high-leaping ball-smashing game of volleyball has earned a place as one of the Olympics most thrilling competitions INTRODUCTION 5
