Track & Field
Track & field — speed, endurance, and immortal legends on the oval.
She Held the Marathon World Record for 16 Years. The Olympics Broke Her Heart.
Paula Radcliffe (December 17, 1973) is a British long-distance runner who holds the women’s marathon world rec…
The Sprinter Who Got a Standing Ovation for Finishing Last
Samia Yusuf Omar (سامية يوسف عمر, March 25, 1991 — April 2, 2012) was a Somali sprinter who represented her…
The Flying Scotsman Who Ran for Glory
Eric Henry Liddell (李爱锐; January 16, 1902 — February 21, 1945) was a Scottish track athlete and Christian miss…
The Boy Who Ran Until He Couldn't Anymore — The Life and Legacy of Steve Prefontaine
On the night of May 30, 1975, a burnt orange 1973 MGB convertible slammed into a stone wall on Skyline…
Bob Beamon: The Jump That Broke the World and Defied the 21st Century
On October 18, 1968, a 22-year-old long jumper from Queens, New York, took off from the board at Mexico City’s…
Four Golds at Thirty: The Unforgettable Story of Fanny Blankers-Koen
In the summer of 1948, a 30-year-old mother of two from the Netherlands stepped onto the track at Wembley Stad…
The Woman Who Ran Through History: Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Switzer – born January 5, 1947 in Amberg, Germany. In 1967, she registered for the Boston Marathon as…
The Race He Could Not Win: Derek Redmond and the Defining Moment of the 1992 Olympics
Derek Redmond – born September 3, 1965 in Bletchley, England. British 400m sprinter. In the 1992 Barcelona Oly…
5 Minutes, 44 Seconds: Gabriela Andersen-Schiess and the Finish That Defined the First Women's Olympic Marathon
Gabriela Andersen-Schiess – born May 20, 1945 in Zurich, Switzerland. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she en…
Dick Fosbury: The Man Who Jumped Backward and Changed Sports Forever
Dick Fosbury (Richard Douglas Fosbury) — born March 6, 1947 in Portland, Oregon. Died March 12, 2023. At the 1…
Before the Final Lap, No One Was Watching Him — Billy Mills
Billy Mills (William Mervin Mills), Oglala Lakota Sioux of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, United States Ma…
Is This Pace Right? The Day Emil Zátopek Chatted Through His First Marathon and Won
Emil Zátopek — the “Human Locomotive” of Czechoslovakia — pulled off the greatest triple in Olympic track hist…
Three Weeks at Sea, One Man for a Nation: Liu Changchun (刘长春), China's First Olympian
Liu Changchun (刘长春) — the name that belongs to China’s first Olympic athlete. On July 30, 1932, a 22-year-old …
The German Long Jumper Who Walked Beside Jesse Owens in Front of Hitler
Carl Ludwig “Luz” Long of Germany was the finest European long jumper of his generation — and on a sweltering…
The Gold That Ended 44 Years of Silence — Naidangiin Tuvshinbayar
Naidangiin Tuvshinbayar — born June 1, 1977 in Saikhan, Selenge, Mongolia. Mongolian judoka. At the 2008 Beiji…
The Only American to Compete in Both the Olympics and Paralympics — Marla Runyan's Story
Marla Runyan does not remember a time when the world looked sharp. By age nine, she was legally blind. Doctors…
The Barefoot King of Rome: Abebe Bikila and the Marathon That Changed Africa
Abebe Bikila — born August 7, 1932 in Jato, Ethiopia. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, he ran the marathon barefoot…
The Barefoot Steeplechase: Etenesh Diro's Unforgettable 2,800 Meters
Etenesh Diro Neda — Ethiopian steeplechase runner, born 1991 in Jeldu, Oromia, Ethiopia. At the Rio 2016 Olymp…