Whistler British Columbia Canada

The following is part two in our three part Summer and Winter Olympic Games history trivia. We are posting this in celebration of the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic Games which are sure to make all Canadians proud!

Despite the telegenic reputation of the USA’s powerhouse gymnast Mary Lou Retton, it was Romanian Ecaterina Szabo who was the most successful competitor in the 1984 Summer Games for Ladie’s Gymnastics. The well-regarded Szabo won four gold medals and a silver, including a perfect 10 score in the floor exercises.

The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City featured the twilight of gymnast Vera Caslavska, known to diehard fans as the blonde bun in the black wide-collared leotard. This would be the last Olympic games where mature proportioned female forms predominated the teams. Caslavska won four golds in Mexico City, a good showing even by today’s pixie weight gymnastic stars.

16 year old USA swimmer Debbie Meyer hat tricked three golds in Mexico City , the first ever to medal gold in three individual events.

Mexico City challenged athletes with high altitude, yet American Jim Hines double his gold medal take in the 100 meter sprint and the 400 meter team relay.

Mexican authorities in 1968 authorized sums to be spent on Olympic facilities that outraged economically challenged Mexican citizens. Actual riots were led against these expenditures by Mexican students.

Social pressure on the International Olympic Committee by black African countries forced a withdrawal of the invitation to South Africa to compete. The then-national South African policy of apartheid drove native South Africans athletes to compete under other flags. This was tempered by the iconic raised black-glove fist of American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the sprinters’ podium. The athletes were banned and sent home.

Track and field sensation Bob Beamon flattered American fans with his all around prowess. Mexico City in 1968 was a place where Beamon’s long jump and the Fosbury Flop (high jump) competed for sensationalized discussion. Dick Fosbury pioneered the shoulders-first clearance of the high bar, rather than the conventional straddle method.

The grueling 5,000 meter track run concluded in a dramatic horse race reshuffle that finished Tunisian Mohamed Gammoudi in the gold after a surprise sprint past nearing winner Kipchoge Keigo of Kenya.

Borscht belt nations continued to rule in 1968 in all weightlifting divisions.

Japan continued its gymnastic fervor with Akinori Nakayama’s flair. Mexico City’s 1968 gymnastic competition is one of the heritage Olympic games the later generational teams would refer to for inspiration.

Host nation Mexico erupted in enthusiasm in 1968 when seventeen year old Felipe Munoz won the breaststroke final ahead of the Russian and the American close behind. The gold was Mexico’s first for the Games.

Sapporo Japan in 1972 hosted the Olympic Games and organizers netted 2/3 of $8.4 million in television rights. Alpine athlete Karl Schranz was banned for breach of amateur status for monetary compensation.

Canada’s 1972 Sapporo ice hockey team suffered from the de facto professional classification of many of its players. Protesting the “state” sponsorship of many other teams, Canada removed itself from Olympic competition in this event.

In the Winter games of Sapporo Japan in 1972, Asians dominated all three spaces of the small hill ski jump medals podium despite a field of talented Europeans, Balkans and Americans.

Italy’s Gustavo Thoni picked up gold and silver, the first showing of an Italian in Olympic skiing for giant slalom in 20 years.

Russian cross country skier Galina Kulakova tripled her gold medal count in Sapporo. A Dutch speed skater named Ardo Schenk would have won four gold medals, but he fell opening the 500 meter skate race.

West Germany’s Erhard Keller defended his 500 meter speed skating title in Sapporo’s Winter games in 1972. This would be the name to beat for many competitions to come.

Poland and Spain captured their first gold Olympic medals in Sapporo in 1972, small hill jump for Poland and slalom victory for Spain.

Munich’s 1972 phenomenon of gymnast pixie Olga Korbut would evolve into a lasting domination of the sport by Russian and Eastern bloc countries like Romania for several decades.

World enthusiasm for the Olympic games in Munich was arrested by despicable violence of terrorist kidnapping and murder against the Israel team.

16 year old West German Ulrike Meyfarth stunned judges in 1972 Munich with her 1.92 metres high jump.

in Munich 1972 American Mark Spitz defined the medal take to beat for many decades after with his swimming assortment of seven gold medals.

Slalom canoeing since Munich 1972 was discontinued until the Olympics of 1992.

Sawao Kato of Japan defended many of his 1968 individual gymnastic titles in Munich, the only country to robustly continue contesting Russian dominance in gymnastics for the men’s teams.

The water polo final draw between Russian and Hungary in 1972 Munich was given to the USSR due to :better goal difference”.

Popularity: 7%