Paris (AFP) – From Fanny Blankers-Koen in London to Emma McKeon in Tokyo, great figures of sport have marked the 19 editions of the post-war Olympic Games. First chapter from 1948 to 1968.

London-1948: Blankers-Koen’s four gold cards

After her first participation at the 1936 Berlin Games at the age of just 18, Francina Blankers-Koen had a brilliant sporting future ahead of her, but it was partly thwarted by the Second World War.

Once those years (1939-45) in which there were no Games had passed, the Dutchwoman returned to the tracks at the 1948 London Games.

Some doubted her success because of her age, 31, but Blankers-Koen silenced those voices by winning four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and the 4x100m relay.

Dutchwoman Fanny Blankers-Koen crosses the finish line as winner of the 200m at the London Games, at Wembley Stadium on July 8, 1948 © – / INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP/Archives

She could have won as many as six golds if she had competed in the high jump and long jump, where she held the world record.

These successes not only earned her a star status when she returned to the Netherlands, but in 1999 the International Association of Athletics Federation named her the best athlete of the 20th century.

Helsinki-1952: Zatopek shines in the long distance

Czechoslovakian Emil Zapotek dazzled at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Czech Emil Zatopek leads the 5,000m race at the Helsinki Games, ahead of Frenchman Alain Mimoun and German Herbert Schade, at the Olympic stadium in the Finnish capital on July 26, 1952 © STR / AFP/Archives

After winning the 10,000 m four years earlier, he took the Olympic title in the Finnish capital in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m and the marathon.

Despite competing in this famous long-distance race for the first time, he won by up to two minutes over the second-place finisher.

In the history of the Games, no other long-distance runner has achieved the feat of winning the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon in the same edition.

Melbourne-1956: Cuthbert, del 100 al 400

Australian Betty Cuthbert was just 18 when she won the 100m and 200m, as well as the 4x100m relay, at the Melbourne Games.

After triumphing at that event in Australia, the athlete missed the Rome Games four years later due to an injury, but shone again in 1964 in Tokyo with her victory in the 400 m.

Australian Betty Cuthbert (right) wins the 400m final over Britain’s Ann Packer (left) and compatriot Judy Amoore (second from right), at the Tokyo Games, at the Olympic stadium in the Japanese capital on October 17, 1964, her fourth Olympic title after those won in Melbourne-1956 in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay © STR / AFP/Archives

The ‘Golden Girl’ is the only athlete in Olympic history to have won gold in the 100, 200 and 400m.

Four decades after her Melbourne hat-trick, she reappeared at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Games (Australia) in a wheelchair as a result of ALS, and passed the torch to the last relay player, Cathy Freeman.

Rome-1960: Bikila, the barefoot champion READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Virtually unknown until the 1960 Rome Games, Abebe Bikila won the marathon at that edition, despite competing barefoot!

Accustomed to training in this way on the rocky trails of Ethiopia, Bikila had very strong feet and could run barefoot without pain.

Ethiopian Abebe Bikila runs barefoot to victory in the marathon at the Rome Games, 10 September 1960 © STR / EPU/AFP/Archives

The success of this shepherd’s son and member of the family of Emperor Haile Selassie was made possible by the injury of Ethiopian long-distance runner Warim Biratu, which enabled Bikila to qualify for the Rome Games.

Four years later, this time wearing sneakers, the Ethiopian retained his Olympic title at the Tokyo Games.

He died prematurely at the age of 41, four years after suffering a serious road accident that left him in a wheelchair.

Tokyo-1964: Geesink, foreign emperor of judo

Dutch judoka Anton Geesink poses with the gold medal as champion at the Tokyo Games, in October 1964 © STR / AFP/Archives

Judo made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games and, curiously, the gold medal was not won by a wrestler from Japan, the country where the discipline was born.

The first Olympic champion in this discipline was the Dutchman Anton Geesink.

Undefeated in Europe for almost ten years, this giant had already shown his true colors at the 1961 World Judo Championships in Paris by beating three Japanese wrestlers.

Geesink defeated Japanese idol Akio Kaminaga in the Olympic final, causing great disappointment in Japan even though his wrestlers won in three other categories.

Mexico-1968: Beamon, a historic leap

American Bob Beamon arrived at the 1968 Mexico Games with a world record of 8.55 m in the high jump and, although he was the big favourite, he upset the forecasts by winning the event with a jump of 8.90 m, that is, 35 centimetres higher than his previous world record.

American athlete Bob Beamon (centre) on top of the long jump podium at the 1968 Mexico City Games, accompanied by runner-up East German Klaus Beer (right) and bronze medallist American Ralph Boston (left), at the Olympic stadium in Mexico City on 18 October 1968 © – / UPE/AFP/Archives

All the necessary conditions for this record were met: altitude, high humidity, favourable wind right up to the maximum authorised limit (+2 m/s).

“It was a fabulous day. I asked myself, ‘I wasn’t dreaming,’” said the man who set the most memorable time at the Olympic Games years later.

The record stood for nearly 23 years, until American Mike Powell jumped 8.95m at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991… a mark that has stood for exactly 23 years.

© 2024 AFP

2024-07-15 12:12:01
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