FOR THE RECORD
Titanic survivor who won gold & pistol champion who had his hand BLOWN off… incredible forgotten tales of the Olympics
We also take a look at a sport that's making its Olympic debut for the first time this year
THE COUNTDOWN to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has begun, with less than two months to go.
Families around the world will tune in to watch the official opening ceremony on July 26 in the French capital.
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While many of us recall Usain Bolt’s record-breaking sprint in 2008, how much do your kids know about the Olympics?
Sports commentator Rob Walker, who has been covering the games for 20 years, has authored a new children’s book, Record Breakers of the Olympic Games, with input from Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington.
Aimed at kids between eight and 12, the book is designed to inspire children to overcome their problems and realise their own potential, just as the games have for Rob and Rebecca.
The 35-year-old mum of two said her first vivid memory of watching the Olympics was in 2004, when Athens hosted.
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She said: “I already knew I loved swimming, and seeing how exciting it looked on TV lit a fire inside me.
“Despite having an illness called glandular fever in 2006, with incredible hard work and help from a lot of people, I made it to China for the 2008 Games. I was 19 at the time.”
Rebecca went on to win gold in the 800m freestyle and the 400m freestyle, becoming the first woman in a century to take multiple golds.
Four years later she won bronze in both events and was awarded an OBE in 2009.
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Rob, 49, is well known for his snooker commentary and his love of athletics sees him covering the track and field events in international sporting events, which he was inspired by as a child.
Rob said: “As a young boy I was inspired by Seb Coe and Steve Cram, and I wrote the book so children can be inspired. The Olympics is an incredible celebration of humanity, with people of every background, size, shape and race.
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“I’ll be just as excited this year as when I first watched the games 40 years ago.
“It’s something everyone can be inspired by. The book is packed with interesting sports tales, facts and nuggets of information aimed at children and tested on my 10-year-old son Arthur.
Here are some fun facts from the book to get your kids excited for the main event.
Record Breakers at the Olympic Games by Rob Walker, published by Welbeck Children's Books, is released on June 6
BOLT IS LOVIN’ IT
THE record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt revealed that the only thing he ate during the 2008 Beijing Games was McDonald’s chicken nuggets.
And it seems the diet worked for him.
The Jamaican runner won 100m and 200m gold in world-beating times at the event!
EMPEROR’S BAN
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ROMAN Emperor Theodosius banned the Games in 393 CE, more than 1,000 years after they began.
He didn’t like some of the traditions around the Games and wanted people to focus on religion and faith instead.
LEAGUE TOPPERS
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AMERICA tops the league table when it comes to those all-important medals.
The USA has won a total of 2,629 since records were first kept in 1896.
That includes a whopping 1,061 gold, 830 silver and 738 bronze.
Britain is fourth, behind Russia and Germany.
Our sportsmen and women have bagged 916 medals, comprising 284 gold, 318 silver and 314 bronze.
DEFYING INJURY
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AT 4ft 8in and weighing just over six stone, 18-year-old Kerri Strug became a national hero during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Despite snapping her ankle during her first vault, she put in a second performance that secured the gold medal for the US women’s gymnastics team.
RIDING THE WAVES
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SURFING made its Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.
Competitors – including Leilani McGonagle of Costa Rica – have about 30 minutes to catch the best waves they can, with each ride marked by a panel of judges.
BREAK FROM NORM
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BREAK dancing is the new sport for this year.
Opponents known as B-boys and B-girls go face-to-face in solo dance battles, adapting their moves to the beat of the DJ’s music.
COURTING VICTORY
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TITANIC survivor Dick Williams won gold in mixed doubles tennis for the USA at Paris 1924, 12 years after he leapt from the stricken ship into freezing water, swam to a lifeboat and clung on all night waiting to be rescued.
He nearly had his legs amputated but convinced surgeons that he would recover their use.
SAILING SENSATION
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GREAT Britain’s Ben Ainslie is the greatest Olympic sailor in history with four golds and a silver.
His main motivation for taking up the sport was to overcome bullying.
A SHOT AT GLORY
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In 1938, right-handed Hungarian pistol shooter Károly Takács had his trigger hand blown off by a grenade while serving in the army.
Over the following ten years, he taught himself to shoot with his left hand.
He then broke the world record and beat the favourite to win gold at the 1948 London Games.
JUMPING FOR JOY
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AMONG some peculiar Olympic sports was the long jump for horses, pictured, which was won by Extra Dry in 1900.
More recently, hide-and-seek was put forward for Tokyo 2020.
Yasuo Hazaki, head of a Japan campaigning committee, led the bid.
But, sadly, it was unsuccessful.
HELPED TO FINISH
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AT the 1992 Barcelona Games, British sprinter Derek Redmond collapsed with a hamstring injury in the semi final of the men’s 400m.
His beloved dad Jim clambered onto the track to help him limp to the finish line.
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ON BOARD TO WIN
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SKATEBOARDER Sky Brown was 13 when she won bronze for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
She hopes to compete in Paris and is working to overcome a knee injury.
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