#1908 Summer Olympics

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Les Jeux Olympiques en 1908. 🥇🥈🥉

—

The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908.

The 1908 Games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome but were relocated on financial grounds following the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, which claimed over 100 lives.

Rome eventually hosted the Games in 1960.

[goatsandgangsters]

timely AML fun fact!

in 1908, the summer Olympics were held in London from April through the end of October

which means the Olympics are happening in the background during the entirety of A Marvellous Light

now I'm thinking about the headache that a flock of international magician-athletes would be, and poor Edwin and Adelaide like REGGIE, PLEASE COME BACK AND DO YOUR JOB, WE'RE FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT POLE-VAULTER JUST FLEW

[chompinatthebit]

Thanks for the fun, Paris

The two and a half weeks that were the Paris Olympic games are now in the books, it was a great event with a lot of elite athletes competing at the highest level. No matter what your itch is, the olympics will scratch it, I watched everything from table tennis to water polo. Obviously living in the USA, I root for the American athletes to do well but it's fun watching other nations celebrate medals. It's time to reflect on the games, taking a look at what these games will be remembered for as we are on the road to 2028.

I think we can all agree that the idea of breaking or break dancing being involved in the Olympics was going to be intriguing. I can say that it will be remembered for a while, probably not for the best reasons, it was defined by a woman from Australia earning a zero. I'm sure that you've seen the routine, if not, please check it out. As of right now it seems like breaking will be one and done as it won't be returning for the 2028 games.

This was a redemption tour for Simone Biles, re-establishing her dominance after a rough performance in Tokyo back in 2020. In Tokyo she pulled out after citing her mental health, she didn't look like her normal self at all. She medaled in Tokyo but you could tell something was off, didn't want to make it seem like she did nothing. In Paris, Simone earned gold medals for the individual all around, team all around and vault. She added a silver medal for floor exercise, 4 total medals with her expressing joy and confidence that seemed to be missing in Tokyo.

This is 16 year old Quincy Wilson who made his Olympic debut in Paris and earned a gold medal as part of the 4x400 meter relay team. The coolest part of his winning a gold is the fact that he became the youngest ever to win a gold medal, now he becomes someone that I will be looking out for in 2028.

There were many more moments but that's every Olympics, whether it's summer or winter. The 2028 Olympics will be in Los Angeles as was introduced during the closing ceremonies with Tom Cruise lowering in to the arena and taking the flag to LA.

LA will see the return and introduction of 5 sports that weren't part of the Paris games. Baseball and Softball will be making a return, they were last played back in 2008. Lacrosse and Cricket are also making a return, but they haven't been in the Olympics since 1908 and 1900, respectively. Squash and Flag Football will be brand new to the Olympics. I'm excited to see them all in 2028, are you?

Make sure to follow me both @chompinatthebit and @passionandprecision with my co-host who you can also follow @jorissportsstories. Let me know what you think.

Until next time...

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 24 April:

1718 – Birth of portrait painter, Nathaniel Hone, in Dublin. 1764 – Birth of Thomas Emmet, nationalist and brother of Robert Emmet, in Dublin. 1857 – William Thompson, journalist, is born in Derry. 1885 – Birth of athlete, Con Walsh, in Carriganimma, He represented Canada at the 1908 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the hammer throw, finishing third behind fellow Irishmen John Flanagan…

[lboogie1906]

Thomas Edward “Eddie” Tolan (September 29, 1908 – January 31, 1967) nicknamed the “Midnight Express”, was a track and field athlete who competed in sprints. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100-meter events and Olympic records in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. He was the first non-Euro-American to receive the title of the “world’s fastest human” after winning gold medals in the 100 and 200-meter events at the 1932 Summer Olympics. In March 1935, he won the 75, 100, and 220-yard events at the World Professional Sprint Championships in Melbourne to become the first man to win both the amateur and professional World Sprint championships. In his full career as a sprinter, he won 300 races and lost only 7.

He was born in Denver, one of four children. His father was Thomas Tolan. The family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when he was young and moved again to Detroit.

He graduated from Cass High School. He was recruited by several major universities as a football player, but he chose the University of Michigan. There are differing accounts as to why he never played on the varsity football team at Michigan. According to a published account in The Detroit News in 2002, he joined the freshman football team as a freshman in 1927. No African American had played on Michigan’s varsity football team since George Jewett in the 1890s. He was allowed to play, but on the third day of practice, the freshman football coach told him, “Some of the coaches are disagreeing on your chances. Some of them think that you shouldn’t be allowed to play football. I’d be tickled to have you but I’m afraid I’m going to be outvoted.” The Detroit News noted, that the freshman coach was outvoted: “They took away his football uniform and handed him a tracksuit in exchange.”

Other accounts indicate it was an injury that prevented him from playing football at Michigan. An Associated Press story on him in 1958 stated: “He would have been a football great as a quarterback, had a knee injury in his junior year in high school not forced him to channel all his energies to track.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[the-olympics-olympics]

After the IOC awarded the Games of the XVIth Olympiad to Melbourne in Victoria, Australia they learned that Australian quarantine laws required a six-month quarantine period for horses entering the country. As the six-month quarantine made it impractical for competitors’ horses to be transported to Australia, this precluded Melbourne from being able to host the equestrian events at the 1956 Olympic Games. It was decided, actually in violation of the Olympic Charter, to contest separate Equestrian Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.

Figure skating was first contested as an Olympic sport at the 1908 Summer Olympics, in London, United Kingdom. As this traditional winter sport could be conducted indoors, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved its inclusion in the Summer Olympics program. It was featured a second time at the 1920 Antwerp Games, after which it was permanently transferred to the program of the Winter Olympic Games, first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

[brandongenovesi]

Baseball's Long Road at the Olympics

The invention of the American sport of baseball is often credited to Abner Doubleday in 1839, though the game can be traced back as far as the 18th century. By the 1860s, baseball had taken on the title of the “nation’s pastime.” Major League Baseball formed in 1876 and the sport has spread throughout the country, and the world, ever since. While the sport has a long, rich history in the United States, baseball’s inclusion at the Olympics has been sporadic.

Baseball was first featured on the Olympic stage during the 1904 Summer Olympics in Saint Louis, Missouri, the first modern Olympics held on American soil. However, the sport’s inclusion was unofficial, not even constituting a demonstration sport, and there is little recorded information about what games were played.

Baseball was not included during the 1908 games in London, but was featured as an official demonstration sport in Stockholm at the following summer games. The program consisted of a single game played between the US and Sweden at Stockholm’s Ostermalm Athletic Grounds. America raced out to a 5-0 lead after two innings and sealed the game, which lasted six innings, with 8 runs in the fifth inning for a 13-3 victory.

Baseball did not feature at the Olympics again until 1936, again appearing as a demonstration event. This time the US Olympic team faced the “World Champions,” who were in fact a second team of American players. The World Champions broke a tie in the bottom of the seventh inning, winning 6-5 in front of 90,000 spectators at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Once again, Olympic officials and host nations elected not to continue or expand the baseball program. Pesäpallo, a Finnish variant of baseball, was featured as a demonstration sport at the 1952 games in Helsinki, and host nation Australia chose baseball as a demonstration event in 1956. The game between the US and Australia, an 11-5 win for the Americans, was the first baseball game between international teams in 44 years. The 1964 Olympics in Tokyo represented the fifth and final time the Olympic baseball program would consist of a single demonstration game.

Two decades later, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles brought baseball back as a demonstration sport, but this time with a full program. Baseball was a full demonstration sport again in 1988 before joining the Olympic program as an official sport in 1992.

The Barcelona Olympics saw Cuba become the first ever gold medalists in baseball, defeating Chinese Taipei 11-1 in the final game. Japan defeated the US 8-3 to win bronze. Cuba defended its gold medal at the Atlanta games in 1996 and placed first for a third time in 2004. Gold medals went to the US and South Korea in 2000 and 2008, respectively.

Baseball was not featured at the 2012 London or 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but returned in 2020. Host nation Japan defeated America 2-0 to win gold, while the Dominican Republic secured bronze.

There is no women’s baseball program at the Olympics. However, softball joined baseball as an Olympic event during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The US women’s team won three consecutive gold medals before losing 3-1 to Japan during the 2008 gold medal game in China. Japan again defeated the US, by a score of 2-0, to win gold in 2020.

The International Olympic Committee has announced that neither baseball nor softball will feature at the 2024 games in Paris. The 2028 games have been scheduled for Los Angeles.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday.

Most women prefer to have sex in the dark.

There’s a fountain in Italy that dispenses free wine 24/7.

Smiling is 70% more attractive than wearing make-up.

The average man has 11 erections a day and nine at night.

Other people are not having as much sex as you think they are.

Leonardo da Vinci could draw with one hand and write with the other.

Every Pixar movie contains a reference to the Pixar movie that comes after it.

For every $1000 a record company makes, the average musician gets $23.40.

Women are more influenced by how a man smells rather than how he looks.

Sex acts as a tranquilizer and can be up to ten times more effective than Valium!

Volkswagen's best-selling product isn't a car, it's their Currywurst Pork Sausages.

Singing helps form and strengthen the emotional bond between a group of people.

The Russians arrived 12 days late to the 1908 Olympics because they were using the wrong calendar.

The penis has about 4,000 nerve endings. The clitoris has between 8,000 and 15,000 nerve endings.

In 1932, a 56-year-old man named Thomas Earl was fired, mauled by a bear, and shot by the police, all on the same day.

Lonely people take longer, hotter showers or baths to replace the warmth they're lacking socially or emotionally.

No relationship is ever a waste of time. If it didn't bring you what you want, it taught you what you don't want.

Shakira was rejected for her school choir in the second grade because her music teacher thought she sounded "like a goat".

You have a second brain in your gut called the Enteric Nervous System. This is where the term 'gut feeling' comes from.

The actor John Cazale acted only in five films, all of which either won or were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Respect people who find time in their schedule to see you. Love people who never look at their schedule when you need them.

In 2018, Munafri Arifuddin ran unopposed for mayor of Makassar, Indonesia. He lost the election to "None of the above".

The word ‘vulva’ and the brand name ‘Volvo’ come from the same Latin word ‘volvere’, meaning ‘to turn, twist, roll, revolve’.

A statue of Hercules in Arcachon, France, has had its penis stolen so often it’s been given a detachable one for ‘special occasions’.

Vaginas are only 3-5 inches deep. Anything more than that presses on other organs like your bladder, which can make you pee during sex.

You are under no obligation to be the same person you were a year, month, or even 15 minutes ago. You have the right to grow. No apologies.

Researchers at the University of California confirmed that when you are in love, everyone other than your beloved really does seem less attractive.

Masturbating regularly can improve focus and concentration by increasing neurotransmitters involved in learning, memory and motivation.

Studies show that slow music makes people shop leisurely and spend more, while classical music encourages people to buy more expensive items.

A study of Swedish jackpot lottery winners has found that, after a win, men are more likely to get married and women are more likely to get divorced.

In the 1990s, Denzel Washington stepped in and paid the fees for a kid who couldn't afford to attend Oxford's summer theatre program. That student was Chadwick Boseman.

It takes about 50 hours of socializing to go from acquaintance to casual friend, an extra 40 hours to become a real friend, and 200 hours in total to become a close friend.

In 2006, Croatian band Let 3 were fined for performing nude in public. Their defence that they weren’t naked because they had cork plugs in their anuses was not accepted by a judge.

In 1987, sales of Corona dropped because of a rumour that Mexican brewers were peeing in the beer before shipping it to the U.S. Against the odds, Corona was able to trace the rumour back to its source, a Heineken distributor.

George Miller had his wife Margaret Sixel edit ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. She had never cut an action film before and Miller said, if it were edited by the usual guys, it would look like "every other action movie we see". She went on to win an Oscar for ‘Best Film Editing’.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[lost-carcosa]

The 1908 Olympic Games were originally awarded to Rome, but were reassigned to London when it became apparent that Rome would not be ready. Despite the short notice, the Games were exceptionally well organised. For the first time, a stadium was specially prepared for the Games, and swimming events did not take place in the open water.

The Olympic Games in 1908.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

FUN FACT:

The gold medals at the 1904, 1908, and 1912 Olympic Games were all made of solid gold.

Today, gold medals aren't actual gold.

The International Olympic Committee requires that gold medals must be made of at least 92.5% silver but also have about six grams of gold. 🥇

[nbevis]

Published: The Evolution of Hockey

A sport with a rich history, hockey traces its origins back nearly 4,000 years, with early references in ancient Iran, Egypt, and Greece. The modern form of the game emerged in the United Kingdom in 1876, following the establishment of the first hockey clubs. Hockey made its Olympic debut in 1908 in London, England, and has been a staple of the Summer Games since then...

Read full article

[mateushonrado]

Major international football championships

Status Post #11300: The Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.

Summer Olympics (men's)

1900 - Great Britain / France / Belgium

1904 - Canada / United States (Christian Brothers College) / United States (St. Rose Parish)

1908 - Great Britain / Denmark / Netherlands / Sweden

1912 - Great Britain / Denmark / Netherlands / Finland

1916 - No event due to WWI

1920 - Belgium / Spain / Netherlands / Italy

1924 - Uruguay / Switzerland / Sweden / Netherlands

1928 - Uruguay / Argentina / Italy / Egypt

1932 - No event

1936 - Italy / Austria / Norway / Poland

1940 - No event due to WWII

1944 - No event due to WWII

1948 - Sweden / Yugoslavia / Denmark / Great Britain

1952 - Hungary / Yugoslavia / Sweden / West Germany

1956 - Soviet Union / Yugoslavia / Bulgaria / India

1960 - Yugoslavia / Denmark / Hungary / Italy

1964 - Hungary / Czechoslovakia / United Team of Germany / Egypt

1968 - Hungary / Bulgaria / Japan / Mexico

1972 - Poland / Hungary / East Germany and Soviet Union

1976 - East Germany / Poland / Soviet Union / Brazil

1980 - Czechoslovakia / East Germany / Soviet Union / Yugoslavia

1984 - France / Brazil / Yugoslavia / Italy

1988 - Soviet Union / Brazil / West Germany / Italy

1992 - Spain / Poland / Ghana / Australia

1996 - Nigeria / Argentina / Brazil / Portugal

2000 - Cameroon / Spain / Chile / United States

2004 - Argentina / Paraguay / Italy / Iraq

2008 - Argentina / Nigeria / Brazil / Belgium

2012 - Mexico / Brazil / South Korea / Japan

2016 - Brazil / Germany / Nigeria / Honduras

2020 - Brazil / Spain / Mexico / Japan

2024 - Spain / France / Morocco / Egypt

FIFA World Cup

1930 - Uruguay / Argentina / United States / Yugoslavia

1934 - Italy / Czechoslovakia / Germany / Austria

1938 - Italy / Hungary / Brazil / Sweden

1942 - No event due to WWII

1946 - No event due to WWII

1950 - Uruguay / Brazil / Sweden / Spain

1954 - West Germany / Hungary / Australia / Uruguay

1958 - Brazil / Sweden / France / West Germany

1962 - Brazil / Czechoslovakia / Chile / Yugoslavia

1966 - England / West Germany / Portugal / Soviet Union

1970 - Brazil / Italy / West Germany / Uruguay

1974 - West Germany / Netherlands / Poland / Brazil

1978 - Argentina / Netherlands / Brazil / Italy

1982 - Italy / West Germany / Poland / France

1986 - Argentina / West Germany / France / Belgium

1990 - West Germany / Argentina / Italy / England

1994 - Brazil / Italy / Sweden / Bulgaria

1998 - France / Brazil / Croatia / Netherlands

2002 - Brazil / Germany / Turkey / South Korea

2006 - Italy / France / Germany / Portugal

2010 - Spain / Netherlands / Germany / Uruguay

2014 - Germany / Argentina / Netherlands / Brazil

2018 - France / Croatia / Belgium / England

2022 - Argentina / France / Croatia / Morocco

FIFA Women's World Cup

1991 - United States / Norway / Sweden / Germany

1995 - Norway / Germany / United States / China

1999 - United States / China / Brazil / Norway

2003 - Germany / Sweden / United States / Canada

2007 - Germany / Brazil / United States / Norway

2011 - Japan / United States / Sweden / France

2015 - United States / Japan / England / Germany

2019 - United States / Netherlands / Sweden / England

2023 - Spain / England / Sweden / Australia

Summer Olympics (women's)

1996 - United States / China / Norway / Brazil

2000 - Norway / United States / Germany / Brazil

2004 - United States / Brazil / Germany / Sweden

2008 - United States / Brazil / Germany / Japan

2012 - United States / Japan / Canada / France

2016 - Germany / Sweden / Canada / Brazil

2020 - Canada / Sweden / United States / Australia

2024 - United States / Brazil / Germany / Spain

[1900scartoons]

An Early Start For 1912

July 18, 1908

The Democrat Donkey and Minnesota Gopher cheer for a racing John A. Johnson. The Gopher says "Keep a goin' John you're ok."

The caption reads "the Donk: 'Hey, John, Stop; What's the Use Of Runnin' Now Bryan's Got It!' John A.: 'That's All Right ; I'm Goin' To Keep Right On Runnin' And Be Sure To Be Started On Time For the Next Race.'"

On July 11, the Minneapolis Tribune reported that John Johnson was the most promising candidate for the nomination to the Democratic ticket in 1912. During this time, results from the 1908 Summer Olympics were reported regularly in the Minneapolis Tribune.

See Also: William Jennings Bryan; John A. Johnson

From Hennepin County Library

Original available at: https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/5666/rec/2018

[theultimatefan]

National Lacrosse League welcomes Powell Lacrosse as the first Foundational Partner of NLL UnBOXed

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced Powell Lacrosse as the first Foundational Partner of NLL UnBOXed™, the League’s new, multi-national grassroots campaign unveiled last November.

Powell’s high-quality lacrosse sticks, balls, goals, and assortment of accessories will be packaged as core components of the League’s endowment to participating elementary and middle schools across North America, providing young boys and girls with new opportunities to play lacrosse as part of their school’s physical education curriculum.

“We’re thrilled to work with a world-class organization like the NLL on an initiative that puts lacrosse sticks in the hands of kids all over North America,” said Ryan Powell, president of Powell Lacrosse. “My brother, Casey, and I first discovered the game of lacrosse as young kids when it was introduced in one of our elementary school gym classes. We were moved by the history of the game and quickly developed a deep love for playing.

“That moment changed the trajectory of our lives and those sticks really made us feel like we were part of something special,” Powell continued. “We know firsthand what a program like NLL UnBOXed can do for a kid, and the thought of a Powell Lacrosse stick making a difference in the lives of kids really hits home.”

NLL UnBOXed expands the League’s multi-national activation footprint to include emerging lacrosse markets and key growth areas throughout North America in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when sixes lacrosse, similar to the NLL’s 6-on-6 box lacrosse game play style, returns as a medal sport for the first time since 1908.

“As we aspire to become ‘The Next Major League’ in North America, we know that amplifying lacrosse’s participation growth among young boys and girls is fundamental to the short- and long-term success of every aspect of our business,” said Kurt Hunzeker, NLL Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations. “Over the years, the legendary Powell family has demonstrated a clearly passionate commitment to growing lacrosse’s stature worldwide, and we are proud to add the renowned Powell Lacrosse brand as the first Foundational Partner of NLL UnBOXed.”

The NLL previously announced its partnership with NLL Hall of Famer Casey Powell, who is building the NLL UnBOXed school curriculum based on the successful SPEED Lacrosse® platform Casey developed after he retired from the NLL.

The first wave of “NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities” – Baltimore Ghost Crabs™, Charlotte Cobras™, Minnesota Lake Dragons™, Montréal Castors™, Seattle Shipwrecks™, St. Louis Howlers™, Tampa Bay Snowbirds™ presented by Tampa General Hospital, and Utah Spikes™ – will begin in-school activations this fall. The second class of new NLL UnBOXed activation markets will be unveiled in October as the NLL continues to expand its multi-national activation footprint to include approximately 60 North American communities and key international markets by 2028.

In addition to the official partnership with NLL UnBOXed, Powell Lacrosse will also become an official NLL Authentics licensee, with plans to produce NLL-branded equipment and lifestyle apparel currently in development.

About the National Lacrosse League

[lboogie1906]

Dr. John Baxter Taylor Jr. (November 3, 1882 – December 2, 1908) was a track and field athlete, notable as the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal.

He spent a year at Brown Preparatory School in Philadelphia, where he was the fastest high school quarter-miler in the country. As a freshman at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, he was the IC4A Inter-Collegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America champion in the quarter mile. He bested his time in 1907 and again was the ICAAAA quarter mile champion. He transferred to and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1908, and was a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He was recruited by the Irish American Athletic Club in New York and was its most prominent African American member.

He was a member of the gold medal-winning men’s medley relay team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. He ran the third leg, performing the 400 meters. In both the first round and the final, he received a lead and passed one on. The team won both races, with times of 3:27.2 and 3:29.4. He was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal. His split for the final was 49.8 seconds.

He advanced to the finals in the men’s 400-meter race at the 1908 Summer Olympics, winning his preliminary heat with a time of 50.8 seconds and his semifinal with 49.8 seconds. In the first running of the race, he came in last place out of the four runners. His teammate John Carpenter was disqualified after being accused of obstructing British runner Wyndham Halswelle and the race was ordered to be repeated without Carpenter. In protest at Carpenter’s disqualification, he and fellow a fellow teammate refused to compete in the second final. Wyndham Halswelle ran the second final alone, with a time of 50 seconds, and was awarded the gold medal in the only walkover in Olympic history.

He died of typhoid fever. In his obituary, The New York Times called him “the world’s greatest Negro runner.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmapiphi

[mirokamenik]

The Most Successful Tennis Players at the Summer Olympics

Winning an Olympic medal is a monumental achievement for any athlete. Various factors can increase the difficulty of winning a medal in certain sports. For instance, the average professional tennis player has a career of between nine and 10 years, meaning they have about two opportunities to compete for Olympic medals. The tennis program is small, with singles, doubles, and mixed competitions. Despite these challenges, several tennis players have won multiple Olympic and gold medals.

Tennis made its Olympic debut at the first Olympics in 1896 and was a recurring event through 1924. It returned to the Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984 before the International Olympic Committee recognized tennis as a medal sport once again in 1988.

Venus and Serena Williams are the most decorated Olympic tennis players of all time. They have each earned medals in singles and have enjoyed considerable success as a doubles team representing the United States. Venus Williams won the gold medal in the women’s singles event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. It marked the third consecutive gold for the US in the event. Williams earned the gold over Russian’s Elena Dementieva, who would win the event eight years later. American Monica Seles rounded out the podium.

American women did not medal in singles competitions at the 2004 Athens or 2008 Beijing events, but Serena Williams returned the gold to the US at the 2012 London Olympics. She defeated long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the gold medal match, which was held on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. It was a dream event for Williams, who teamed with her sister Venus to win the gold medal in doubles. In the final, they defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.

The London victory was the third gold medal for the Williams sisters. They also earned gold at the Sydney Games, giving Venus two golds at the event and in Beijing. Venus earned an additional silver medal in the 2016 mixed doubles event in Rio de Janeiro, partnering with Rajeev Ram. They lost the gold medal match to the American team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock.

Kathleen McMake Godfree of Great Britain also holds five Olympic medals, including a gold medal in doubles at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. She also has two bronze and two silver medals.

Great Britain’s Reginald Doherty won four Olympic medals between 1900 and 1908, more than any other man. However, Andy Murray, also representing Great Britain, has won three medals and holds the unique distinction of being the only singles player to win multiple gold medals.

Murray’s first gold medal came dramatically. Carrying the burden of England’s long drought at Wimbledon, Murray reached the 2012 Wimbledon final and faced Roger Federer, who won the match over four tough sets. Less than two months later, Murray would find himself standing on the same court, again staring across the net at Federer, who was often regarded as the greatest Wimbledon player of all time. Murray had more than recovered from the Wimbledon defeat, routing the grass court legend 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to win the gold.

Murray partnered with Laura Robson during the London Olympics and won a silver medal in mixed doubles. He returned to Wimbledon in 2013, winning the title, and later defended his gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.