Great Olympians
Profiles of the world's greatest Olympic athletes across track, field, swimming and combat sports. Articles examine champion sprinters, distance runners, swimmers, boxers and decathletes who dominated their events.
Great Olympic Boxers
Muhammad Ali won Olympic gold as an 18-year-old in 1960, outboxing his opponents with footwork and combinations despite early struggles.
Great Olympic Decathletes
Bob Mathias won Olympic gold in the decathlon at 17, just weeks after his first competition, before becoming a Hollywood star and congressman.
Great Olympic Distance Runners
Paavo Nurmi and Lasse Virén made Finland a powerhouse in Olympic distance running, with Nurmi winning nine gold medals across multiple events.
Great Olympic Divers
Greg Louganis hit his head on the springboard at the 1988 Olympics, then revealed years later he was HIV positive at the time.
Great Olympic Field Athletes
Bob Beamon's 1968 Olympic long jump of 8.90m remained unmatched for 23 years and still stands as an Olympic record.
Great Olympic Gymnasts
Nadia Comaneci made history as the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 at the 1976 Olympics, winning five gold medals across two Games.
Great Olympic Hurdlers
Ed Moses won 122 straight races over nine years in the 400m hurdles, one of sport's greatest streaks despite missing Olympic gold due to the 1980 boycott.
Great Olympic Middle Distance Runners
Kipchoge Keino won Olympic 1,500m gold in 1968 despite a gall bladder infection, traffic jam and running 20m clear of world record holder Jim Ryun.
Great Olympic Sprinters
Michael Johnson's five Olympic golds and unbroken world records show why he's one of the greatest sprinters ever.
Great Olympic Sprinters/Long Jumpers
Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics while facing racism and breaking multiple world records in sprinting and long jump.
Great Olympic Swimmers
Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, each with a world record, a feat no swimmer has matched at a single Games.