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1896 Athens Greece. Thomas Burke, the first U.S. athlete to compete in the Olymipc games. He won gold in the 100 and 400 meter events.
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St. Louis Missouri home of the 1904 worlds fair and the first Olympic games held on US soil. Archie Hahn known as the Milwaukee won the 60m, 100m, and 200m. His Olympic record of 21.6 seconds stood for 28 years.
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Thorpe was the first person ever to win gold in the pectatholon and the decatholon witch were introduced at the 1912 games. He was praised by the king of Sweeden as the best athlete in the world.
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In 1913 the olimpic comittie striped Thorpe of all his medals because it was discvered that he played minor leage basball and was paid for it. At the time olnly anmature athletes were alowed in the Olympics. His medals were given back to in 1982 after his family had fought to have his medals returned to his name.
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The first winter games took place in Chamonix, France. Anders Haugen won bronze in ski jumping at the '24 games he is the olnly U.S. athlete to win a medal in ski jumping.
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African American track star Jesse Owens stunded the Nazi crowd as he beat the "superior aryan race" and won four gold medals.
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For the first time ever a US skater wins gold medals in figure skateing. Dick Button wins gold in the '48 and '52 Olympics. His recolutionary new jump the tripple loop he attemped in '52 changed the sport forever. Dick still comentates for Olympic figure skating on T.V.
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Bob Mathias 17 USA. Won the decatholon in the '48 London Olympics 4 months after he started compeating in the decathonlon.
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Lead by Hayes Allen Jenkins the US figure skateing team sweeps the medal stand in the Cortina D'ampezzo, Italy games.
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Cassius Marcellus Clay later known as Muhammed Ali wins gold as a light-hevey weight.
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Bob Beamon set a world record in the long jump (8.9m) that stood for 22 years.
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Wyomia Tyus was the first athlete ever to win the 100m dash twice. The Mexico games were the first time when the winners had to under go doping tests.
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Fosburys new jumping style the "fosbury flop" helped him win the high jump and change the sport.
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Swimmer Mark Spitz wins a record breaking seven gold medals at the '72 Munich games.
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In 1976 the people of Colorado prohibited the use of public funds to fund the Olympic games. After Colorado refused to host the Olympics Innsbruck, Austria gladly took over to host the 1976 games.
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In the semi-finals of the 1980 Olympics the US hockey team beat the unstoppible USSR team and went on the win the gold. A team who had been playing together for under a year the US team beat the Soviets who had been playing together for many Olympics.
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USA lead a 61-nation boycott of the summer Olympics in Russia. The US boycotted the games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afganistan.
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Speed skater Heiden wins all five speed skateing events at the '80 Lake Placid games. He also set an Olympic record in everyone of his wins. He became the first person in Olympic history to win five gold medals in individual events at the same games.
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Claming that their athletes will not be safe from the anti-soviet protesters. Dispite this statement it was ovious that it was payback for the US boycotting the moscow games four years earlyier. In the following days simular communist contries summited simular statements as for their reson not to participate in the Olympic games.
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First time ever an American women won the all around compititon in gymnastics. She recived the most medals (5) at the '84 Los Angales games.
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For the first time women were able to compete in the marathon. American Joan Benoit was the first women ever to win the matathon at the Olympics.
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Wisconsin skater Bonnie Blair wins gold in the 5000m and the 1000m at the Elberville, France games.
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The American basketball team dominated the games beating there oppenets by an average of 44 points. This was the first time the US basketball team allowed NBA players to play in the Olympics. This phenomenon spread the popularity of basketball around the world, challenging soccer as the most popular sport in the world.
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A terrorist bomb exploded in centenial park killing two people and injering 110.
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On a broken ankel Kerri Strug lifted the US gymnatic team to there first ever team gold. With her score the team beat the dominating Soviet team.
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After losing three straight games the softball team cameback to beat all three of the teams they already lost too on there way to the gold medal.
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USA bob sledder Vonntta Flowers first person ever to win a gold medal in the winter Olympics.
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Winning eight total medals through out three Olympics Ohno is the most successful athlete in winter game history.
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American snowboarder Shawn White completes his career by winning gold medals at the Olympic games in Italy. White had won everyother snowboarding event other than the Olympics until 2006.
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By winning eight gold medals in swimming Phelps broke fellow swimmer Mark Spitz' record of seven. He shattered seven world records in the prosess. Phelps has won 16 medals in two Olympics 14 of them are gold.
