Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Olympic Notes

Muhammad Ali



Born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942 Muhammad Ali rose to fame in the world of boxing. He was a 3-time world heavyweight champion and the greatest of all time. Ali’s famous one liner was “I am the greatest…I said that even before I knew I was.” At age 18 the young Ali could have missed the Rome Summer Olympics in 1960 if not for the continuous prodding of his handler. He was afraid to ride an airplane. Scared to death, he had to put on a parachute pack until the plane landed. He won a gold medal in the light-heavyweight division.


Mark Spitz

Mark Spitz was 11-time Olympic Medalist. He won 7 gold medals in a single Olympics (1972 Munich Olympics swimming events) a feat still unequalled by any other athlete. He set 26 world and 35 U.S. records. Born on February 10, 1950 Mark started swimming at 2 years old.





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