Popular Nostalgia

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The first controversy of these games was a geographical one, Mexico City is 2640 metres above sea level, that is almost 11/2 miles. This meant there would be around 30% less oxygen making endurance events more difficult for most athletes, except those who lived at similar altitudes, such as some of the Africans. Most people [...]

My first and lasting memory of Tokyo was the BBC theme tune which I can hum to this day, how sad is that. These games were very eventful for British athletes and the story of Ann Packer is first in my mind. After losing out in the 400 meters to the Australian Betty Cuthbert (Packer [...]

I remember being woken up by my Dad one night in 1968. He shook me awake and said, “I just thought you would like to know that Bob Beaman has leapt over the sandpit”. It was amazing – the world record has since stood for twenty three years. It was such a long jump that [...]

896 ATHENS, Greece Dates: from 6 to 15 April 1896. Participants: 14 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), 43 events, 241 athletes (men only). Officially opened by: King George I. The Games of the Olympiad in Athens were financed by a donation of approximately one million drachmas from a rich businessman, Georges Averof, and by the sale [...]

I remember Abebe Bikila winning the 1960 Rome Olympics men’s marathon – barefoot! My image of him is just how slight he was and wondered where the energy came from to do what he was doing. He was the first person to win two Olympic marathons, winning the Tokyo in 1964. In between these two [...]

Al Oerter was an gold medal winning discus thrower from 1956 to 1968. He was among a group of gigantic shot put throwers and discus throwers who were nearly seven feet tall and very impressive to a young boy of seven! Al sadly passed away in 2007. About the Author Steve Haywood is a personal [...]

Herb Elliot never lost a race over 1500m or a mile. He broke the four minute mile on 17 occasions. He took middle distance running to a whole new level. As a young boy watching him compete, I’m sure he fired me up for my future spent running. It wasn’t just his physicality, it was [...]

Came second in the 100m dash (as it was called then!) at the 1960 Rome Olympics. She was a Barnsley lass, which generated a lot of local interest. She became something of a heroine and still has the track and stadium named after her at Cudsworth near Barnsley. About the Author Steve Haywood is a [...]

On a 14″ black and white screen, the Press sisters’ performance in the 1960 Rome Olympics is my first recollection of the games. I remember being a bit baffled because I couldn’t tell the difference between the Press sisters and the men. It later became obvious that they had disappeared about the same time as [...]