Australia & Oceania
Did you know... From 1960 to 1971, Ron Clarke (Australia) set 19 world records in the 5000m, 10,000m and other long-distance races. Unfortunately, Ron has never won an Olympic gold medal. In the mid-1960s, he said, "The effort is not continuous as it has to be in a race. By running fast lap times and then allowing himself time to recover, an athlete is deceiving himself as to his fitness". He is author of two books: "The Unforgiving Minute" (1966) and "The Lonely Breed" (1967).
The United States of America
Did you know... The state of Hawaii has won ten gold medals at the Summer Olympics(1896-2008). It has more Olympic gold medals than Thailand, Venezuela, and Lithuania. The Olympic champions are: Tommy Kono ( weightlifting/ two golds,1952 & 1956), Warren Kealoha (swimming/two golds,1920 & 1924 ), Duke Paoa Kahanamouku (aquatics/ three golds, 1912 & 1920), Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay (track & field/ one gold medal, 2008), Buster Crabbe (swimming/ one gold medal, 1932), Herman Ronald Frazier (athletics/ one gold medal, 1976).
At the Winter Olympic volleyball drills in New York in 1980, the United States men's ice hockey team won the gold medal. During the final match, the U.S. team scored a major upset over the Soviet Union (or USSR), which had won the gold medal in Austria '64, France '68, Japan '72 and Austria'76.
American boxer Muhammad Ali -formerly known as Cassius Clay- failed in the Pan American Games trials in 1959, but he won the gold medal in the light heavyweight (81kg/178 lbs) category at the Games of the XVII Olympiad in Italy in 1960.
South America
Did you know... The Uruguayan men's basketball team qualified to represent the Western Hemisphere in the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1984. A year ago, Uruguay did not compete at the Pan American Games in Venezuela.
At the 1976 Montreal Games, Brazil won only two bronze medals. Joao Carlos de Oliveira, a world-class sportsman, could not win the gold medal in the triple jump. The South American men's soccer team finished 4th place-Brazil won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Venezuela's Rafael Vidal -who spent several years as a student in the United States and was graduated from Florida volleyball drills earned the bronze medal in the men's 200m butterfly at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.
Europe
Did you know... Kosovo -it is the youngest country on earth- will compete in London 2008. For political reasons, Kosovo could not participate in the 2008 Olympic Games in China. This new nation could participate in at least ten sports: athletics, boxing, Kayak/canoeing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling...
The British basketball teams have qualified for the London 2012. Since 1952, the United Kingdom has never played in the Olympic Games, European tournaments, world championships.The British men's basketball team finished 20th place at the London Summer Olympic Games in 1948.
In Athens 1896, Paul Neumann became the first swimmer from Austria to win a gold medal.
Three Swiss sportswomen participated in the Olympic Games in 1924. It was the first time Switzerland sent sportswomen to the Summer Olympics...
At the 1896 Olympic Games, Greece -host country- won 10 gold medals and took second place in the unofficial team championships.
Central America
Did you know... Guatemala -an anti-Communist state in the 20th century- did not decline to send an Olympic team to the Olympic Games in the USSR (currently Russia) in 1980. Honduras, Belize and El Salvador -the other anti-Communist nations in Central America- boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics...
North America
Did you know... During the 1904 Olympic Games, the Canadian men's soccer team won the global title. The Olympic winners were: Ernest Linton, John Gourley, Albert Johnston, Thomas Taylor, Alexander Hall, William Twaits, Georges Ducker, Robert Lane, John Fraser, Frederick Steep, Gordon McDonald, Albert Henderson.
Caribbean
Did you know... At the Summer Olympic Games in 1904 in Missouri(USA), Cuba finished third in the unofficial team standings, behind the United States and Germany. Ramn Fonst earned three gold medals in fencing events.
In 1975, Hasely Crawford -a sprinter from Trinidad & Tobago- earned silver in the 100m at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. Nine months, at the Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal (Canada), Hasely won the 100m event.
Africa
Did you know... Cameroon -a tropical country on the African continent- sent one competitor to the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Isaac Menyoli said, "Everything is wonderful. It's like being in a fantasy. I'm happy to represent my country".
In Athens 2004, Kirsty Coventry, a practically unknown swimmer from Zimbabwe, won the gold medal in the women's 200m backstroke. Curiously, she is an American-educated athlete.
Women's 200m backstroke final:
1.Coventry, Kirsty ( Zimbabwe ) gold medal
2.Hoelzer, Margaret ( USA ) silver medal
3.Nakamura, Rieko ( Japan ) bronze medal
4.Zueva, Anastasia ( Russia )
5.Beisel, Elisabeth ( USA )
6.Simmonds, Elizabeth ( United Kingdom )
7.Nay, Meagen ( Australia )
8.Hocking, Belinda ( Australia )
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.
He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jos Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "
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