1912

Jim Thorpe wins the pentathlon and the decathlon and becomes the world’s greatest all-round athlete. The medals are taken away from him after it is discovered that he has played baseball before the Olympics. In 1982 the IOC gave the medals back to Thorpe’s family.

1924

Paavo Nurmi , the „Flying Finn“ , wins five gold medals in track and field.

1936

The African American Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in track and field at the Berlin games. This is embarrassing to Adolf Hitler , who wants to prove that the German people are better than all the rest.

1956

Austrian skier Toni Sailer wins all races in the Olympic skiing events —French skier Jean Claude Killy does the same in 1968.

1960

Abebe Biklia of Ethiopia runs the fastest marathon ever—wearing no shoes . It is the third marathon he has ever run and he is the first African to win an Olympic gold medal.

1968

Bob Beamon leaps 8.9 metres in the long jump. This world record holds for over 20 years.

1972

The USA’s Mark Spitz becomes the world’s most successful swimmer—winning seven gold medals.

1976

Romanian-born Nadia Comaneci gets the first perfect score in gymnastics : 10.0.

1980

Dutch speed skater Eric Heiden becomes the first athlete to win five gold medals in a single Olympic Games. The United States ice hockey team wins the gold medal for the first time after the sport has been dominated by the Russians for the past years.

1988

Ben Johnson sets a new world record in the 100 metre dash, but is then disqualified after the IOC discovers that he has taken steroids.

1992

For the first time, professional basketball players are allowed to compete at the Olympics. America’s “Dream Team” with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan win easily.

2016

Usain Bolt becomes the only sprinter to win Olympic gold medals at three Olympic Games  in a row (2008, 2012 and 2016)



Jesse Owens wins the long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Image: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R96374 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE,
via Wikimedia Commons

Nadia Comăneci at the 1980 Olympics
Image: Unknown (Comitetul Olimpic si Sportiv Roman),
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
   

US basketball "Dream Team" at the 1992 Olympic Games
Image: National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Usain Bolt at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
Image: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR,
via Wikimedia Commons