Olympic facts you might not know

Sports feature

By Misty Gale Aquino

Conducted every four years, the Olympics wishes to promote understanding, peace and friendship through sports. This year, London hosted the world famous event. We know that its iconic figure is composed of rings in different colors that represent different nations joining together. And we are familiar with some history makers in the past Olympics, but there are some facts you might still not know in the game run.

These are some of the interesting highlighted Olympic trivia in the past leap years:

·   A world record holder did not win the gold. Robert LeGendre beat the world’s longest jump record in 1924 with a leap of 25 feet, four inches. But, the jump was part of the pentathlon competition and he only finished third place. The long jump competition was won with a 24 feet-five-inch-hop.

·   A man won the 1932 women’s 100-meter race at the LA Olympics. Polish Stella Walsh, “Stella the Fella,” achieved gold in the women's 100-meter dash during the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. She was the first female runner who broke the 12 second-barrier. But in 1980, Stella was killed in a robbery attempt, and her body had undergone an autopsy which declared her to be a male.

·   An American runner-up for long jump punched the eventual gold-medalist. Syracuse University’s Myer Prinstein was instructed not to join the finals on a Sunday which is the Sabbath day. Since qualifying jumps were counted back then, he finished  a runner-up position. He, however, was so angry with the eventual gold-medal winning jumper Alvin Kraenzlein that he punched him in the face.

·   A poliomyelitis victim got silver in an equestrian race. Danish rider Lis Hartel was suffering from an inflammation of the spinal cord known as poliomyelitis and was required to be lifted on and off her horse each time. Despite her situation, she still managed to grab silver in the equestrian event in Helsinki in 1952.

·   A male gymnast who broke his kneecap won the gold. Japan's male gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, broke his knee cap while he performing in the floor exercise that was held during the 1976 Olympics. To maintain the gold for Japan, he needed a top-notch gymnastics entry for the next day. With no pain killers, he was able to tolerate the pain, performing a flawless routine and stuck in the landing that caused a large amount of pressure on his knee. That pressure made him grimace in pain as he remained in position for the judges. The amazing Fujimoto of Japan won the team gold by just four tenths gap over the Soviet Union.

·   The Olympic flame before was relighted by the use of the sun and a mirror. They didn’t use a matchstick! Traditionally, the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece was rekindled every two years using the sun's rays and a concave reflective mirror.

·   Six out of eight participants in the Olympic women’s race collapsed upon reaching the finish line. In 1928, reportedly six of the eight entrants in the women's 800-meter race collapsed on the finish line. Poor training methods and the brutal Amsterdam sun were the two major causes of distress. The event was subsequently cancelled until 1960.

·   Summer and Winter Olympic games are not held on the same year. Though both held every four years, the summer and winter Olympic Games do not fall on the same year to create more interest.

·   When the modern games were introduced, only amateurs were allowed to compete. Regulations were changed in 1981 seeing professional athletes must be given an opportunity to participate, although they must meet the international standards and to follow all the rules and regulation of the IOC.

·   The colors of the rings in the Olympic icon are present in the flags of all countries. Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin claimed that at least one of the rings' colors (blue, yellow, black, green, and red, along with the white background) was present in each country's national flag.

 

There are lots of things about the Olympics that inspire, amaze or leave us in a complete shock. This friendly game must be settled with all fairness, and we must remember that its core essence is to unite. So, let’s enjoy the entertainment and solidarity it brings!

Sources: squido.com, infoplease.com, factmonster.com

Explosion of light marks the end of a spectacular ceremony

Fireworks explode over the Stadium during the Closing Ceremony to mark the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games. (http://www.london2012.com)