l she was 11 years old, but she developed into a star athlete and at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games became the first American women to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.
Wilma Rudolph had beaten the odds to qualify for the Melbourne 1956 Olympics Games, where as a 16-year-old she won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter relay.
Rudolph was often sick as a child, suffering from double pneumonia and scarlet fever. She contracted polio. Her left leg was paralyzed. She was fitted for a metal brace that she wore for several years to help her get around. She wore a specially-made shoe to give her foot added support. It was not until age 11 that Rudolph could run.
While Rudolph developed into a star athlete in high school, she missed her senior year basketball season after becoming pregnant. That did not derail her Olympic dreams, though: Rudolph returned to the track and at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games, she won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter races and the 4×100-meter relay, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games.
Bob Beamon’s gold medal-winning long jump at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games still stands as an Olympic record more than 50 years later.
They might be the most famous six seconds in Olympic Games history.
When Bob Beamon sprinted down the runway and planted his feet before jumping into the air at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games, there was no way to know that this would be such a memorable event.
But then Beamon soared further and further. When he came down in the sand, it was too far for the optical rail — installed to measure how far each competitor leaped in the long jump – to measure. It took a tape measure for officials to manually record Beamon’s jump: 29 feet 2 ½ inches, a world record that would stand for nearly 23 years and an Olympic record that remains today.
Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in eight days — setting a new world record in each event — at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games.
It is down in the record books as the most impressive eight-day stretch in Olympic Games history.
During that span, Mark Spitz competed in four individual races and three relay races at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Spitz not only left with seven gold medals – he established new world records in every event!
Spitz won gold in the 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 4×100-meter medley relay and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Bruce Jenner smashed the world record en route to winning a gold medal in the decathlon at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.
Bruce Jenner arrived at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games as the world record holder, having won 12 of 13 previous competitions. While one of the favorites, Jenner somehow managed to smash expectations.
On the first day of the decathlon, Jenner set personal bests in each of the five events: the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter run. The next day, Jenner set three more personal bests, in the pole vault, javelin and the concluding 1,500-meter run.
Having established a new world record in the decathlon, Jenner took a victory lap while waving an American flag and circling the track.
Gymnast Mary Lou Retton was perfect in the floor exercise and on the vault at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games to become the first American woman to win a gold medal in the women’s all-around competition.
Mary Lou Retton sprinted down the runway, hit the springboard and vaulted into the air at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games.
When Retton landed, she had a second consecutive perfect 10, following up on her score on the floor exercise to become the first American woman to win the gold medal in the women’s all-around competition.
But even though she could not improve her score – a change in the scoring system allowed gymnasts to count their highest score out of two vaults – Retton took her second attempt. And she delivered another perfect 10.
Florence Griffith Joyner won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and added a relay gold and ano