The Olympics are the height of sporting competition. It is here that great athletes meet every four years and battle to be the best in their sport. To win a gold medal is more than a recognition of hard work, it is a testament that for a moment in history you were the best in the world. It is a source of national pride and personal achievement. Here are some facts about the incredible competition.
Phelps is a monster.
Michael Phelps has won 23 gold medals in his Olympic career. If Phelps was a country he would rank seventh in the world for Olympic summer gold medals behind the USA, Russia, Great Britain, China, France, and Italy. Phelps is better than Germany and around 150 more nations.
Cheer for the Philippines, Iceland, and Liechtenstein
The Philippines have competed in the most summer Olympics without winning a gold medal. They have competed in 20 summer Olympics and won three silver and 7 bronze. Iceland has competed in 19 Olympics and only won 2 silver and 2 bronze. Liechtenstein has competed in 17 summer Olympics but is yet to win a single medal.
Bob Beamon can jump
Few records go undefeated for a long time. Bob Beamon competed in the 1968 Olympics and won the long jump competition. It was defeated the next year in 1969 by Mike Powell but has never been defeated in the Olympics. In fact, it would have won the 2012 Olympics by over 2 feet. His jump was actually beyond the measurement ability of the technology at the time and a manual tape had to be brought in. He defeated the previous record by over 21 inches.
These are just three interesting facts from the Olympics. There are many more stories to tell from an event that dates back to ancient Greece. No doubt there will be many more stories to tell in the future as the Olympics continues to push athletes to achieve greater and greater feats.
