9781422273678

The Summer Olympics have provided some of the most memorable moments in the history of sports. Gracing the calendar once every four years, amazing athletes from across the globe have gathered to compete on the world’s grandest stage since the first Games of the modern era in 1896 in Athens, Greece, displaying spectacular athleticism, courage, and unbreakable spirit. In Greatest Moments , part of the four-title The Summer Olympics: On the World Stage series, we introduce and take a closer look at the athletes and moments that showcase what the Summer Olympics are all about. There is American sprinter Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Games in Berlin under the gaze of a monstrous dictator; Michael Phelps, who won an impossible-to-believe eight gold medals at the 1988 Games in Seoul; and 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who famously scored seven perfect 10s in Montreal when no one had ever received even one perfect score in any Olympic competition before. There is also Bob Mathias, winner of the decathlon as a 17-year-old in 1948, still the youngest to ever do so; and dynamic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who shot to fame at the 1984 Los Angeles Games by becoming the first American woman to win the all-around title. The Games have been punctuated by plenty of history-richmoments too, reminding us of the true power of sports. There are North and South Korea, two countries that have been split for decades, but whichwalked into the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Games together under one flag; and the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team, featuring 10 unbelievably brave athletes who competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Greatest Moments covers all these stories, plus Usain Bolt, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Mark Spitz, Michael Johnson, Cathy Freeman, Greg Louganis, and many more.

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