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Kerry Pogue

April 17, 2025 • 5 minutes

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Elusive 10 Series

Welcome to Part 2 of our Olympics blog series! In Part 1, we gave you a high-impact overview of the Games, highlighting key editions chosen to maximize your knowledge while minimizing your study time. Now, in Part 2, we dive deeper into the Essential 20%—spotlighting standout athletes and unforgettable performances. Plus, we’ll show you how watching just a few carefully selected films can help lock in even more Olympic trivia with minimal effort.

Other notable athletes and performances

Our Olympics coverage wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the following standout athletes. Remember, the aim here isn’t comprehension; it’s maximum yield on your time.

Our focus will continue on the sports with the most events:

Athletics

• Paavo Nurmi, the "Flying Finn," won 9 Olympic gold medals and 3 silvers across the 1920 Antwerp, 1924 Paris, and 1928 Amsterdam Games, dominating middle- and long-distance running and becoming one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history.
• Fanny Blankers-Koen, the "Flying Housewife," won 4 gold medals (100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, and 4x100m relay) at the 1948 London Olympics, breaking barriers as a 30-year-old mother of two and becoming a trailblazing icon for women in sports.
• Wilma Rudolph (USA) overcame polio and poverty to win three golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at the 1960 Rome Olympics, becoming the fastest woman in the world and an inspirational global role model, particularly for African American women during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Emil Zátopek, the "Czech Locomotive," won 4 Olympic gold medals, including an unprecedented triple victory in the 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Games, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest distance runners in history.
• Abebe Bikila (Ethiopia) won back-to-back Olympic golds in 1960 (Rome) and 1964 (Tokyo), famously running barefoot in Rome and becoming the first Black African to win an Olympic gold, inspiring a new era of African dominance in distance running.
• Carl Lewis (USA) entered the history books by matching the achievement of fellow American Jesse Owens, winning gold medals in the same four events: 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Jan Železný (Czech Republic) won 3 Olympic gold medals in the Javelin throw (1992, 1996, 2000) and a silver (1988). He still holds the world record today (98.48m).
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) won 3 Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992) and multiple silvers and bronzes across events. She set the world record for the heptathlon in 1988, which still stands at 7,291 points.
• Michael Johnson (USA), one of history's greatest sprinters, won 4 Olympic golds, becoming the only man to win both the 200m and 400m at the same Games (Atlanta 1996), where he set a 200m world record and 400m Olympic record, and remains the only man to successfully defend an Olympic 400m title.

Michael Johnson celebrating victory at the Sydney Olympic Games. Credit: Ian @ ThePaperboy.com

Swimming

• Kristin Otto, representing East Germany, made history at the 1988 Seoul Olympics by becoming the first female swimmer to win 6 gold medals in a single Games, dominating freestyle and butterfly events and cementing her legacy as one of the most successful swimmers in Olympic history.
• Ian Thorpe, the "Thorpedo," won 9 Olympic medals (5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) across the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, dominating freestyle events with his unparalleled power and technique, and becoming one of Australia's greatest Olympians.
• Katie Ledecky (USA), one of the greatest swimmers in Olympic history, has won 10 medals (7 gold, 3 silver) across the 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Tokyo Games, dominating freestyle events from 200m to 1500m and redefining excellence in distance swimming with her unmatched speed and endurance.

Cycling

• Chris Hoy, one of Great Britain’s greatest Olympians, won 7 medals (6 gold, 1 silver) between 2000 and 2012, revolutionizing track cycling with his dominance in the Sprint, Keirin, and Team Sprint events and inspiring a new era of British success.
• Bradley Wiggins, a British cycling legend, won 8 Olympic medals (5 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) from 2000 to 2016, excelling in both track and road cycling and becoming the first Briton to win the Tour de France alongside Olympic gold.
• The most successful Olympic cyclists of each sex are husband-and-wife duo Jason and Laura Kenny (GB), with Jason winning 9 medals (7 gold, 2 silver) and Laura earning 6 medals (5 gold, 1 silver); Jason holds the record as the most decorated Olympic cyclist and is the only cyclist to have successfully defended gold medals in three different events, while Laura is the most decorated female cyclist in Olympic history.

British cyclist Chris Hoy. Credit: Mark Harkin.

Gymnastics

• Larisa Latynina, a trailblazing Soviet gymnast, won 18 Olympic medals (9 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze) across the 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, and 1964 Tokyo Games, becoming the most decorated Olympian of her era.
• Nadia Comăneci, a legendary Romanian gymnast, made history at the 1976 Montreal Olympics by becoming the first gymnast to score a perfect 10, earning 5 Olympic golds, 3 silvers, and 1 bronze across the 1976 and 1980 Games.
• Simone Biles (US), one of the greatest gymnasts in Olympic history, won 7 Olympic medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) across the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games, dazzling the world with her record-breaking performances and inspiring resilience as she prioritized mental health on the global stage.

Media

Earlier, I told you that humans are hardwired to remember stories over seemingly random trivia. So, what better way to swot up on the Olympics than to sit down to watch the following acclaimed movies based on true Olympic events:

Chariots of Fire (1981) – 1924 Paris Summer Olympics. Follows two British athletes, Eric Liddell, a devout Christian, and Harold Abrahams, a Jewish runner, as they overcome personal and societal challenges to compete.

Prefontaine (1997) - 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Follows the life of Steve Prefontaine, a legendary American middle and long-distance runner, leading up to his performance at the Munich Olympics and his tragic death at age 24. Stars Jarod Leto.

Munich (2005) - 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Depicts the tragic Munich massacre. Stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig.

Foxcatcher (2014) - 1976–1988 Summer Olympics. Explores the complex and tragic relationship between wrestling champions Mark and Dave Schultz and their eccentric sponsor, John du Pont. Stars Steve Carell and Channing Tatum.

Unbroken (2014) - 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Chronicles the life of Louis Zamperini, an American runner who competed in the Berlin Olympics before enduring incredible hardship as a prisoner of war during World War II. Stars Jack O’Connell.

Race (2016) - 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. The story of Jesse Owens. Stars Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons.

The Swimmers (2022) – 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. tells the inspiring true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, two Syrian sisters who escape war-torn Damascus, embark on a perilous journey to Europe, and fight against all odds to pursue Yusra's dream of competing in the Olympics. Stars Nathalie and Manal Issa.