With over billion people having their eyes constantly on television screens to watch thrilling moments of London 2012 Olympic, here are some reviews from past Olympic all times great performances in history.
Roger Bannister
The Mile, 1954
The former English athlete was born on 23 March 1929. On May 6, 1954, Bannister stepped onto the track at Oxford where he accomplished one of the greatest feats in history. He had run 3min 59.4 secondand won the gold medal.
Bob Beamon
Long jump, 1968
The former American Athlete was born on 29 August 1946. In 1968 at the Mexico Olympics, American long jumper Bob Beamon had leapt straight into the record books with a mammoth jump of 8.90 meters.
Jesse Owens
Four world records in 45minutes, 1935
The former American track and field athlete was born on 12 September 1913. In 1936 Berlin Olympics, he had set three world records and tied a fourth, all in a span of about 45 minutes. Owens had a backache but persuaded the coach to allow him to run the 100-yards where he tied the world record of 9.4. This convinced Owens’ coach to allow him to participate in his other events.
A mere fifteen minutes later, he took part in the long jump. Prior to jumping, Jesse put a handkerchief at 26 feet 21/2 inches, the distance of the world record. After such a bold gesture, he soared to a distance of 26 feet 81/4 inches, shattering the old world record by nearly 6 inches. Disregarding the pain, Owens proceeded to set a new world record in the 220 yards in 20.3, beating the old record by three-tenths of a second. Within the next 15 minutes, Owens was ready to compete in another event, this one being the 220 yards low hurdles. In his final event, Owens’ official time was 22.6 seconds. This time would set yet another world record, beating the old record by four-tenths of a second
Florence Griffith Joyner
100 m, 1988.
The former American track and field athlete was born on 21 December 1959. In 1988 the defining moment came at the US Olympic trials in Indianapolis when, wearing a dazzling one-legged running suit, she ran 10.49 for 100m.
Ben Johnson
100m, 1988
The former Canada sprinter was born on 30 December 1960. In September 24, 1988 – With his finger stuck up in the air and a disdainful look at his opponents, Ben Johnson has just easily beaten the greatest sprint field in the history of athletics. The digital clock reads ‘9.79’. Johnson has not just destroyed his opponents – he has humiliated them. Even people of that time can remember of shock that echoed the Olympic Stadium in Seoul and on millions of television sets around the world that day.
Emil Zatopek
Triple Olympic gold, 1952
The former Czech athlete was born on 19 September 1922. In 1954 he was the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10 km run. In 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods.
Fanny Blankers-Koen
Four gold medals, 1948
The former Dutch athlete was born on 26 April 1918. She was best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 summer Olympics in London. She accomplished this as a 30 year old mother of two, during a time when many disregarded women’s athletics. Her background and performances earned her the nickname “the Flying Housewife.” She was the most successful athlete at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Uwe Hohn
Javelin, 1984
The former German athlete was born on 16 July 1962. In 1984 he threw the javelin a staggering 104.80 meters, almost the full length of a stadium, putting the lives of spectators at risk. The International Amateur Athletic Federation decided quickly that the javelin had to be redesigned to under-perform.
Michael Johnson
200m, 1996
The former American athlete who Four nights after winning 400 meter gold in Olympic record time, Michael Johnson clocked a 19.32 to capture the 200 meter gold medal. With his blistering world record win, the gold-shoed Johnson became the first man to claim Olympic titles at 200 and 400 meters.
Wang Junxia
10,000m, 1993
The former Chinese athlete in 1993 Wang Junxia set times that most top-class male runners would be happy to call personal bests. Her 10,000m time of 29min 31.78sec, set during China’s national games, was front-page news around the world. A few days later Wang also set a world record for the 3000m that still stands.
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