The opening of this year’s Olympic Games in Rio, on August 5, marked another chapter in a long and recognized history of pomp, athletic magnificence—and trivia.
Here are some Jaw Dropping facts you never knew about Olympics:
8) A record in Sports which will never be Broken.
Think of one record in Sports which will forever live on and never be broken. Well many names knock the doors of our mind, right? Perhaps, Usain Bolt time of 9.58 seconds in 100 meters sprint, Michael Phelps 21 (and counting) overhaul of Olympics Gold medals or maybe Don Bradman’s Batting average of 99.94 in Test cricket etc. Well, all these athletes are undisputed legends in their own right but the one record which comes closest to reigning in basks of invisibility belongs to an unknown Swede. Oscar Swahn won his sixth Medal at Olympics at the age of 72. Yes, you read it right, 72!! During the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, Oscar won a Silver Medal in the double shot running deer contest. A comprehensive list of his achievements is mentioned below:
- Oscar has a tally of six Olympic medals overall- 3 Golds, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze medals awarded during 1908, 1912 and 1920 Olympics. The overhaul could have been higher but 1916 Olympics in Berlin was canceled due to an outbreak of First World War.
- Not only Olympics but Oscar is the oldest medalist of all time
- Oscar is the oldest athlete to ever compete in Olympics.
- His record of winning an Olympic Gold at age 64 is also unbroken.
Pic: Oscar Swahn during the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden
7) Get the name right.
Well, it is not correct to call the games currently being held in Rio as ‘Olympics’. To be precise, the correct name of the events is ‘Summer Olympics’. Its sister, as we may call is ‘Winter Olympics’ which was last held in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Together they form the most hallowed term in sports-Olympics.
Now here is a Trivia fact- Ever wondered if there are athletes who have won medals in both summer and Winter Olympics. It seems unlikely considering the fact that Winter Olympics is mostly played on ice and well, summer Olympics is played on anything but ice. However, there have been 4 athletes who have won medals in both Summer and Winter Olympics. Here are their names:
- Eddie Eagan (United States),
- Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway),
- Christa Luding-Rothenburger (East Germany)
- Clara Hughes (Canada).
Pic: The five rings of Olympics. These rings represent 5 world continents, Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania.
