THE SUMMER OLYMPICS: ON THE WORLD STAGE

by Greg Bach & Scott McDonald

Some, like five-time Olympic medalist and four-time all-around World champion Simone Biles, are household names. Others, like holder of 10 world junior records Kliment Kolesnikov, have yet to enter the spotlight. Be they veteran or rookie Olympians, find out who are the Athletes to Watch for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. For athletes like Biles, Adam Peaty or Jordan Burroughs, Tokyo will be about cementing a legacy. For Kolesnikov, Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin, Tokyo is expected to be their coming out party. Both the veterans and the first timers have a lot to prove. The established stars of the Olympic stage meet the next generation of champions on the pages of Athletes to Watch. Every title in The Summer Olympics: On the World Stage explores the athletes and the episodes that combine to make the Games the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.

by Greg Bach

The Summer Olympics have featured some of the greatest performances in all of sports, and some of the most unusual and bizarre moments ever seen in competition, too. Did you know that painting used to be an Olympic event? And plunging, too. Or how about that a 10-year-old competed in gymnastics and a 72-year-old won an Olympic medal in a shooting event to become the oldest to ever do so? In Fascinating Facts, we take you back to some of the most intriguing moments in the history of the Summer Olympics. There is the gymnast who competed with a broken kneecap; a boxing referee who was assaulted in the ring and much more. Every title in The Summer Olympics: On the World Stage explores the athletes and the episodes that combine to make the Games the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.

by Greg Bach

Great athletes, amazing performances, and unforgettable displays of the human spirit are what make the Summer Olympics so special, while providing sports fans with memorable moments to savor for a lifetime. Greatest Moments explores some of the very best feats of unprecedented greatness and remarkable courage that have defined what the modern Olympic Games have been all about from their beginnings in Athens, Greece. From thrilling record-breaking performances to crushing disappointment and stories of selfless humanity, the Olympic Games have it all. Iconic athletes like Michael Phelps, Muhammad Ali, Mary Lou Retton, Usain Bolt, Nadia Comaneci, Bob Beamon, Greg Louganis, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and Bob Mathias, among many others, are featured. Greatest Moments celebrates what makes the Summer Olympic Games a global treasure. Every title in The Summer Olympics: On the World Stage explores the athletes and the episodes that combine to make the Games the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.

by Scott McDonald

Records were meant to be broken. This is a saying that Olympic champions take to heart. In Record Breakers, 30 of the most outstanding Olympic performances of all time are examined in depth. From Carl Lewis winning gold both on and off the track to the unmatched speed of the dominant Katie Ledecky in the pool and Larisa Latynina’s gymnastics medal haul, Record Breakers has it all. Jesse Owens set his records while defying hatred. Mark Spitz’s record seven medal-winning performance took a dark and harrowing turn. Then there is the beach volleyball team that won more than 20 straight Olympic matches. Swimming, diving, boxing, track and field…there are so many outstanding moments to explore. Every title in The Summer Olympics: On the World Stage explores the athletes and the episodes that combine to make the Games the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.