In the early Olympic Games, only free, male Greek citizens could compete. After Rome conquered Greece, Romans participated as well. Which Roman emperor competed at Olympia in a ten-horse chariot race?
The emperor created a spectacle when he visited Greece with his retinue of soldiers, officials, and musicians. Nero raced a chariot pulled by ten horses, and although he fell and could not complete the race, he was still declared the victor.
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2. Keeping one’s distance
The earliest recorded Olympic footrace was one stade in length. Which modern race would be the nearest equivalent?
A stade was about 190 metres, the length of the stadium. The Games of 776 BC consisted of a single event: the one stade footrace, won by Coroibos of Elis.
3. Stopping the rot
The principal founder of the modern Olympic Games, which began in Athens in 1896, was a French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. One reason for his interest in the Olympics was that he hoped to counter the tendency toward:
The concept of “amateurism” was the principal topic at the conference in Paris where de Coubertin first proposed the modern Games, and has been a central theme of the Olympic movement ever since.
4. Gold medal dropout
Twenty-seven-year old James Connelly withdrew from Harvard University to compete in the Olympics in Athens in 1896, and went on to become the first victor in modern Olympic competition. What was his event?
Despite missing training due to an injury and organizational problems, Connolly won with a jump of 13.71 metres, more than a metre beyond his nearest rival.
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5. Making do
The 1900 Games in Paris suffered from organizational confusion and facilities were makeshift. Proper hurdles were unavailable, for example, so competitors improvised hurdles from available materials. What did they use?
The French government’s preparation for the Olympics had been so casual that only a last-ditch organizing effort by Baron de Coubertin himself allowed many events to be conducted at all.
6. Paavo the Great
Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, the “Flying Finn”, made his début at the 1920 Games in Antwerp. Nurmi developed his legendary stamina by:
Nurmi claimed that he had built his endurance by chasing the morning mail train in his home town. He dominated distance running throughout the twenties, taking gold medals and breaking world records in most long-distance events.
7. Women on track
From 1900 on, women competed in some Olympic events, but track and field events were not included until the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. Several participants in the 800-metre event collapsed after the race. As a result:
The women’s exhaustion was seen as proof that such exertions were a health risk for women. All women’s races over 200 metres were withdrawn, and were not held again until 1960.
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8. What is it?
The first Olympic Games to be held in Asia took place in Tokyo in 1964. The “yamashita”, named for Japanese athlete Haruhiro Yamashita, was popularized at these Games. It is:
After each session in the cemetery, the judokas were required to return to the dormitory and watch potential opponents on videotape. The team picked up two medals, both gold, in seven weight classes.
10. Double diminutive
In the 1970s, 17-year-old Olga Korbut of Belarus and 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci of Romania captivated audiences with gymnastic feats, launching the era of “pixie” gymnasts. In later years, both of these highly-accomplished gymnasts:
After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Korbut moved to the USA and became a gym coach in Arizona. Comaneci defected from Romania in 1989, married gymnast Bart Connor, and began a new career running a gym in Oklahoma.
