Compiled
by Ron Kopczick
Editor’s note:
Below is an expanded version of the United States Summer Olympics
timeline that appears in the July 23 Pentecostal Evangel,
which can be ordered by calling 1-800-641-4310 and requesting
product #69-7030. The cost is 50 cents per copy for quantities
10 and less, 24 cents apiece for 11 to 49, and 22 cents each for
50 or more. The edition has a strong evangelistic thrust and is
a great publication to share with family, friends and neighbors.
1896
Athens, Greece: 13 nations. The dawn of the modern Olympic
movement breaks and the United States is among a handful of nations
to usher it onto the world stage.
United States medals:
11 gold, 7 silver, 1 bronze; 19 total.
1900
Paris, France: 21 nations. The United States begins to flex
its Olympic muscle, as American athletes capture more than 20
percent of the available 255 medals. Leading the U.S. charge is
Alvin Kraenzlein with four gold medals in the long jump and 60-,
110- and 200-meter hurdles. In the next 96 years, only Jesse Owens
and Carl Lewis will be able to match Kraenzlein’s track and
field performance.
United States medals:
21 gold, 16 silver, 16 bronze; 53 total.
1904
St. Louis, Mo.: 13 nations. Ray Ewry is among the American
track and field stars, as he is in the midst of a three Olympic-run
that will produce eight gold medals. Ewry spent part of his childhood
confined to a wheelchair due to polio.
United States medals:
80 gold, 85 silver, 81 bronze; 246 total.
1908
London, England: 22 nations. For the first time, the number
of events scheduled for one Olympiad surpasses the 100 mark. U.S.
swimmer Charles Daniels concludes his seven-medal Olympic career
with gold in the 100-meter freestyle, even though the event started
without him. Middle distance-runner Mel Sheppard nearly duplicates
the 1904 track and field performance of Ray Ewry. Sheppard wins
three gold medals.
United States medals:
23 gold, 12 silver, 13 bronze; 48 total.
1912
Stockholm, Sweden: 29 nations. One name summarizes the 1912
Games: Jim Thorpe, the only man who has ever won the decathlon
and pentathlon during a single Olympiad. While presenting Thorpe
his gold medal for the decathlon, King Gustav of Sweden calls
him "the greatest athlete in the world."
United States medals:
25 gold, 18 silver, 19 bronze; 62 total.
1920
Antwerp, Belgium: 29 nations. After the 1916 Olympics scheduled
for Berlin, Germany, are canceled due to World War I, the Games
resume on the battle-scarred European continent. Among the athletes
who endured the eight years between Olympiads is U.S. swimmer
Duke Kahanmoku. Following his capture of gold and silver medals
in Stockholm, Kahanmoku wins his second 100-meter freestyle title
and helps the Americans to a first-place finish in the 4x200-meter
free relay at Antwerp.
United States medals:
41 gold, 27 silver, 27 bronze; 95 total.
1924
Paris, France: 45 nations. American sprinter Charley Paddock
prevents a one-two finish by Great Britain’s Harold Abrahams
and Eric Liddell in the 200 meters by winning the silver medal.
Liddell, whose refusal to run the 100-meter race on a Sunday becomes
the basis for the movie Chariots of Fire, takes the gold
in the 400 meters. Liddell would later die as a missionary to
China.
Unites States medals:
45 gold, 27 silver, 27 bronze; 99 total.
1928
Amsterdam, Netherlands: 46 nations. U.S. swimmer Johnny Weismuller
follows his three-gold-winning performance in 1924’s Paris
Olympic games with a two-gold and a bronze medal performance here.
While training for the 1932 Games, Weismuller is cast in the lead
role for Tarzan, the Ape Man. Although he would portray
Tarzan 10 more times, he never competes again in the Olympics.
United States medals:
22 gold, 18 silver, 16 bronze; 56 total.
1932
Los Angeles, Calif.: 37 nations. Whether it was on dry land
or in the water, the 1932 Games belong primarily to a pair of
American women: Babe Didrikson and Helene Madison. Didrikson captures
two golds and a silver medal in track and field. Madison, meanwhile,
is the world’s record-holder in 16 freestyle swimming events
heading into the Olympics. She finishes with three gold medals.
United States medals:
41 gold, 32 silver, 30 bronze; 103 total.
1936
Berlin, Germany: 49 nations. World War II is just around the
corner as is the longest interruption in modern Olympics history.
Adolf Hitler attempts to use the Olympiad as a stage for German
nationalism as American track star Jesse Owens wins four gold
medals in Berlin. Owens is victorious in the 100- and 200-meter
dashes, 4x100 relay and the long jump.
United States medals:
24 gold, 20 silver, 12 bronze; 56 total.
1948
London, England: 59 nations. Because of WWII the 1940 and
1944 Olympics were canceled. Two American athletes have gold medal
premieres at the 1948 Olympics that will be followed up in 1952
with identical winning performances. Bob Mathias wins the first
of two decathlon titles, a feat accomplished by no other U.S.
competitor. Weightlifter John Davis, meanwhile, wins the gold
medal in the heavyweight division. Davis’ 1952 repeat will
place him in a select group of only 12 weightlifters who have
accomplished the feat.
United States medals:
38 gold, 27 silver, 19 bronze; 84 total.
1952
Helsinki, Finland: 69 nations. Following a 12-year delay,
after it lost the chance to co-host the 1940 Games due to World
War II, Helsinki finally has the opportunity to stage the northernmost
Summer Olympics in history. The United States continues to be
the strongest contingent with a record fifth 40-plus gold medal
haul. But U.S. domination is about to be challenged. For the present,
however, American Bob Richards wins his first gold medal in the
pole vault. A minister, Richards will successfully defend his
championship four years later.
United States medals:
40 gold, 19 silver, 17 bronze; 76 total.
1956
Melbourne, Australia: 67 nations. Due to a quarantine on horses
in Australia, the equestrian events are held in Stockholm Sweden.
It’s the only time a Summer Olympiad is conducted in two
nations, let alone on two different continents. The United States
is about to enter an intense Olympic rivalry that will last for
more than three decades as the Soviet Union begins participating
in the Summer Games. Al Oerter begins his role as an American
track and field standout when he wins the first of four gold medals
in the discus. Oerter’s four-Olympiad run as a gold medallist
in one sport has yet to be matched.
United States medals:
32 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze; 74 total.
1960
Rome, Italy: 84 nations. Although the U.S. total medal count
drops to its lowest since the 1936 games, Wilma Rudolph becomes
the latest American track star as she wins three gold medals in
Rome. Rudolph, who overcame a sickly childhood, wins the 100-
and 200-meter dashes, in addition to anchoring the gold-medal
4x100-relay team. The U.S. men’s basketball team also continues
its dominance with a fifth consecutive gold medal. Future NBA
all-stars Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson and Jerry
West lead a team that wins by an average of more than 42 points
per game.
United States medals:
34 gold, 21 silver, 16 bronze; 71 total.
1964
Tokyo, Japan: 94 nations. For the first time the Summer Games
are held on the Asian continent and the United States has it strongest
performance since 1932. American swimmer Donna de Varona, who
competed in the 1960 Olympics as a 13-year-old, wins two gold
medals. De Varona would later become well known for her work as
a television sports commentator and championing the cause of women’s
athletics. Bill Bradley, who leads the U.S. men’s basketball
team to another gold medal, will also have a highly visible post-Olympic
career. After two NBA titles with the New York Knicks, Bradley
becomes a three-term U.S. senator from New Jersey.
United States medals:
36 gold, 26 silver, 28 bronze; 90 total.
1968
Mexico City, Mexico: 113 nations. The Summer Olympics are
held at their highest elevation ever, but the "thin air"
seems to have no effect on a U.S. team that builds on its success
in Tokyo. In fact, it is believed the environment contributes
to one of the greatest Olympic performances: Bob Beamon’s
long jump of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches. Beamon’s leap surpasses
the world record by an incredible 21 3/4 inches. Superheavyweight
boxer George Foreman, who had only fought 18 times before the
Summer Games, wins a gold medal.
United States medals:
45 gold, 28 silver, 34 bronze; 107 total.
1972
Munich, Germany: 122 nations. Tragedy strikes the Summer Olympics
as Arab terrorists invade the athletes’ village and eventually
take the lives of several Israeli competitors and coaches. In
an Olympiad stained by horror, controversy pervades many of the
events. The most notorious is the conclusion of the U.S.-USSR
men’s gold medal basketball game. The game’s final seconds
are replayed until the Soviets end up with a 51-50 victory. Out
of the chaos, however, comes the greatest single performance in
Olympic history: American swimmer Mark Spitz and his seven gold
medals. Spitz, who won four medals in Mexico City, establishes
a world record in all seven of his events.
United States medals:
33 gold, 31 silver, 30 bronze; 94 total.
1976
Montreal, Canada: 93 nations. As tragedy and controversy rocked
its 1972 predecessor, a boycott by African nations taints the
Montreal Summer Olympics. In addition, Taiwan is forced to sit
out the Games because it insists on competing as the Republic
of China. Without a Mark Spitz to lead the way, the United States
looks to some new heroes. Among them is Bruce Jenner, who wins
the 10th and most recent American gold medal in the Olympic decathlon.
The much-anticipated rematch between the U.S. and Soviet Union
for the men’s basketball gold medal never materializes as
the Americans defeat Yugoslavia for the championship.
United States medals:
34 gold, 35 silver, 25 bronze; 94 total.
1980
Moscow, USSR: 81 nations. Thanks to a U.S.-led boycott to
protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, the Summer
Olympic field is the smallest since 1956. Only the action of U.S.
President Jimmy Carter probably prevents American swimmer Tracy
Caulkins from making her presence known on the world stage. The
winner of 48 national titles, Caulkins would instead have to shine
at the 1984 Olympics where she wins three gold medals.
United States medals
— did not participate.
1984
Los Angeles, Calif.: 140 nations. To pay back the United States
for boycotting the 1980 Summer Games, the USSR and several of
its Soviet-bloc allies stay away from the ’84 Olympics. Still,
a record 140 nations participate in the "Good Feel"
games, which begin with remarkable camaraderie among the athletes
during the opening ceremonies on the Los Angeles Coliseum floor.
Carl Lewis is among a bevy of American athletes who turn in memorable
performances. Remarkably, Lewis wins gold medals in the same four
track and field events as Jesse Owens did in 1936.
United States medals:
83 gold, 61 silver, 30 bronze; 174 total.
1988
Seoul, Korea: 160 nations. One of the few nations boycotting
the 1988 Summer Games is North Korea, upset that it didn’t
host some of the events. As a result, security is a major concern
during the Seoul Olympiad that involves a record number of participants.
Of the four Olympics she competes in, American track and field
standout Jackie Joyner-Kersee has her strongest showing in 1988.
Besides a gold medal in the long jump, Joyner-Kersee also wins
the heptathlon with a world record-point total. She would win
another heptathlon gold four years later.
United States medals:
36 gold, 31 silver, 27 bronze; 94 total.
1992
Barcelona, Spain: 171 nations. Some major changes in the world
are reflected in the makeup of the 1992 Summer Games. For the
first time in 40 years, there is no Soviet Union contingent. Instead,
a Unified Team representing several of the former Union of Soviet
Socialists Republics is on hand. But the group getting the most
attention is the "Dream Team," a squad of NBA greats
representing the United States in men’s basketball. Consisting
of future Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl
Malone and Charles Barkley, the team has no problem reclaiming
the gold medal for the United States. The Americans had finished
third in basketball at the 1988 Olympics.
United States medals:
37 gold, 34 silver, 37 bronze; 108 total.
1996
Atlanta, Georgia: 197 nations. Nearly 200 countries participate
in the largest Summer Olympics to date. Most of the former Soviet
republics compete under their own flags, while Germany is a united
force. In fact, the Germans’ total medal count of 65 ranks
only behind the Americans. Altogether, a record 78 different nations
receive medals. The United States women’s gymnastics team
does something its predecessors never did, including the 1984
squad featuring Mary Lou Retton: It wins a gold medal. Kerri Strug’s
final vault on a sprained ankle clinches the U.S. victory.
United States medals:
44 gold, 32 silver, 25 bronze; 101 total.
Sources: United States
Olympic Committee, Associated Press, USA Today.
Ron
Kopczick is promotions coordinator for the Pentecostal Evangel.
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