Mordern Olympics:Facts,Figures And Records

Facts And Figures

Most Gold Medals

The most number of the gold medal in a single games is eight won by American swimmer Michael Phelps in Beijing at the 2008 games.Phelps also holds the record for most gold medals won by a male competitor with 14 golds,including the six he collared in 2004.East German swimmer Kristin Otto holds the honor of having won the most gold medals among women at a single games,six which she took at the 1988 games. However , Russian Gymnast Larissa Laytnina with nine gold medals is the leading women athlete to have won the most number of titles.Besides the legendary Russian is also most decorated athlete of all time, with 18 medals. Phelps slated to compete in seven events in London 2012,is in line to erase this long standing record of Latynina.

Oldest Gold Medalist

The oldest Olympics gold medalist  overall, is Oscar Swahn(Swedan),Who was 64 years and 280 days old,When he was the gold in shooting at the 1912 games.Besides this, Swahn also holds the record of being the oldest medalist and oldest competitor at any games.The Swede won a silver medal in 1920.When he was 72 years and 281 days old.The oldest gold medalist in the women's section at the games is Sybil 'Queenie' Newali of Britain who won in archery at the 1908 games, aged 53 years and 275 days.The Oldest female athlete to have participated in the games is britain's Lorna Johnstone,who took part in equestrian in 1972, at the age of 70 years and 5 days.

Youngest Male Gold Medalist 

The Youngest confirmed gold medalist is German Klaus Zerta who was 13 years and 283 days. When he competed as the coxed pairs in 1960.The youngest male gold medalist in an individual event is Kusuo Kitamura of Japan,Who won the 1500m freestyle in 1952,aged 14 years and 309 days.

Youngest Female Gold Medalist

The youngest female gold medalist is Majorie Gestring(United states) who won springboard diving in 1936(Berlin,aged 13 years,268 days)

Most Years between Medals

Two male athletes, Sailor Tore Holm(Sweden) and fencer Aladar Gerevich (Hungary) share the record of having won medals, 28 years apart. Holm won his first in 1920and then took his second in 1948, while the medal winning efforts of Gerevich came in 1932 and in 1960.Among women,Birgit Fischer won medals 20years apart,first in 1980 and in 2000 ,in canoeing.

Most Consecutive Wins

This record is shared by three athletes in the men's section with four straight gold medals--Paul Elwstrom(Denmark) in Finn Class yachting in 1948,1952,1956 and 1960,American Discus Thrower Al Oerter in 1956,1960,1964 and 1968 and his compatriot.Long jumper Carl Lewis in 1984,1988,1992 and 1996.Among women,Larissa Latynina won the floor exercise thrice in 1956,1960,1964 Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser won the 100m freestyle in 1956,1960,1964 while  Hungarian swimmer Krisztine Egeriszegi was unbeaten in 200m backstroke in 1988,1992 and 1996.

Most Appearances

Two men athletes have participated in the games, nine time:Australian sailor Hubert Raudaschi(1964-1996) and Candian equestrian Ian Millar(1972-2008).The latter is in line to make the recoed his own having qualified for 10th time in London.Among women, Kerstin Palm(Sweden) who took part in fencing in games between 1964 and 1988 and sprinter Merlene Ottey(Jamica.) between 1980 and 2004 hold the record jointly with seven straight appearance.

Medals in Both Games

The only athlete to win a gold medal each in the winter and summer Olympics games is Eddie Eagan(US) in boxing 1920 and the bobsled 1932.Three others athletes also have won medals at both the Olympic games.They are Jacob Thams(Norway),Christa Rothenburger(East Germany) and Clara Hughes(Canada) 

Olympic Records

• U.S. long jumper Bob Beamon's astonishing leap of  8.90m at the 1968 summer Olympic games in Mexico city set a world record that lasted 23 years and an Olympic record that still stands more than 40 years later
• No Females sprinter has come close to Florence Griffith-Joyner's 1988 performance-100m world record(10.49) at U.S. Olympics trials,followed by 200m world record (21.34) and 100m Olympic record (10.62) at Seoul games.
• New suit technology at Beijing in 2008 resulted in almost complete rewrite of swimming record books.Only Ian Thorpe's 400m freestyle and Inge de Bruijn's 100m butterfly, both set at Sydney in 2000, remained Olympic records.
• Records at Moscow 1980,USSR's Nadezhda Olizarenko ran women 800m in 1:53.43,East Germany women won 4*100 relay in 41.6 seconds,East Germany IIona Sluplanek set 22.41m in women shot put,Aleksandr  of USSR scored 581 out of 600 in men's 50m pistol event also world record.
• U.S. athlete Jackle Joyner-Kersee still holds heptathlon world records (7,291 points) and Olympic long jump record(7.40m),both set at Seoul games.
• Italy have made most appearance in olympic football winning 32 of 61 matches.They are also most prolific scorers(125 goals)
• 14 year old Romanian Nadia Comaneci scored first perfect 10 in Gymnastics at 1976.Her total of seven perfect scores in one game is unlikely to be beaten as new scoring was introduced in 2006.
• Iranian super heavyweight Hossein Rezazadeh holds Olympic and world records in clean and jerk(263.5kg) and scored record total of 472.5kg at both Sydney and Athens.