Jurgen Hingsen, the “German Hercules” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series In the history of the decathlon, some of the greatest performances have been an outgrowth of intense rivalries, with athletes pushing each other to higher and higher scores. Rafer Johnson and C.K. Yang, Dan O’Brien … Read more
“A World Record and a Gold Medal” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series As the Olympic year of 1980 began, Daley Thompson was just twenty-one years old, had never won a major international decathlon competition, and the previous year had only competed in one decathlon, a … Read more
“Daley Thompson – A Reluctant Decathlete” by Rob Leachman From the “Great Rivalries of Olympic Track and Field” Series This Series As Daley Thompsons strode into the discus ring for the last of his three attempts in the event at the Los Angeles Olympics, the defending champion, gold medal favorite, and arguably the best decathlete … Read more
Great Rivalries in Olympic Track and Field Series Every four years the greatest track and field athletes in the world converge on the highest, most pressure-packed stage in sport in the Olympic Games. Given the relative infrequency of these quadrennial competitions, even the greatest of these athletes typically have available to them one or maybe … Read more
