FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Greatest Summer Olympians
Quiz about Greatest Summer Olympians

Greatest Summer Olympians Trivia Quiz


Many athletes have competed at the Olympic Games, the world's greatest collection of the fastest, strongest, and most skilled men and women. How much do you know of the best of the best?

A multiple-choice quiz by yonglo32. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Sports Trivia
  6. »
  7. Olympic Games

Author
yonglo32
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
300,026
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
1788
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 166 (8/10), Guest 136 (8/10), Guest 50 (5/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. He grew up in Queens and earned a scholarship from UTEP, but was suspended from the school for refusing to compete against BYU, because he believed they had racist standards. He qualified for the 1968 Mexico City games about four months before this incident, and would go on to win the gold medal in the long jump there. Which athlete is described? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. His first name was James Cleveland, and the first name he is better known by originated when a pronunciation mistake was made with his initials. He won eight NCAA championships in track and field while he played for the Ohio State Unviersity, and was a part of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity while attending OSU. What sprinter and long jumper won four golds at the 1936 Berlin Games? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Believed to have been born in the Indian territory, this part-Sauk athlete is often known as the most versatile athlete of his era, and arguably in history. He won both the pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games, but he was stripped of them. Nevertheless, King Gustav V of Sweden told this man, "You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world". Which athlete not only won gold medals, but played professional American football, baseball, and basketball? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Born in Maryland and given the nickname, "The Baltimore Bullet", this swimmer was diagnosed with ADHD in his childhood. He partly based his swimming style on his future rival, Australian freestyle swimmer Ian Thorpe, when he was a teenager. In 2000, he finished fifth in the 200m butterfly at the age of 15. What swimmer controversially defeated Serbian Milorad Cavic in the 100m butterfly at the 2008 Beijing Games? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. At first she practiced ballet, but became a gymnast when her dance teacher left her hometown. She practiced gymnastics at the Lenin Polytechnic Institute. Competing in three Olympic games, she won 18 medals overall, including nine golds. What Soviet gymnast won a medal in every event she entered, except for one? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. He was coached by Doc Counsilman at Indiana University, who also coached him in Mexico City. Mexico City was a disappointment for him, as he predicted six gold medals but only won two. He bounced back greatly in Munich, winning seven gold medals. Name this Jewish swimmer who won nine gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Coached by Bela Karolyi, this Romanian gymnast won fans all over the world from her performance at the 1976 Montreal Games. Her floor exercise song was the theme from "The Young and the Restless", and the song would soon attract a name eponymous to the athlete. Name this gymnast, the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics. Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Many state this man's achievement of four straight discus golds to be the greatest Olympic feat ever accomplished. Interestingly, he didn't begin his discus throwing career until he was 15, when he threw a discus that had been thrown near his feet. Who is this athlete, who nearly died in a 1957 automobile accident? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. She garnered the nickname "The Flying Housewife" because when she won her four gold medals in 1948 at London. She was a 30-year old with two kids. In fact, when she competed at London, she was pregnant with a third child. Which Dutch athlete won gold in the 200m, 100m, 80m hurdles, and 4x100m relay? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. She competed in six Olympic games and won eight gold medals, winning gold medals in the same event 24 years apart. This kayaker has also won an astounding 27 world championship gold medals. Name this East German woman who might have won the K-4 500m at seven straight games, had they not boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles games. Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 06 2024 : Guest 166: 8/10
Sep 22 2024 : Guest 136: 8/10
Sep 04 2024 : Guest 50: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. He grew up in Queens and earned a scholarship from UTEP, but was suspended from the school for refusing to compete against BYU, because he believed they had racist standards. He qualified for the 1968 Mexico City games about four months before this incident, and would go on to win the gold medal in the long jump there. Which athlete is described?

Answer: Bob Beamon

Beamon held this record for 23 years, until it was broken by Mike Powell in 1991. Klaus Beer won the silver for the long jump and Ralph Boston got the bronze. Boston also unofficially coached Beamon, after Beamon had been suspended from UTEP.
2. His first name was James Cleveland, and the first name he is better known by originated when a pronunciation mistake was made with his initials. He won eight NCAA championships in track and field while he played for the Ohio State Unviersity, and was a part of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity while attending OSU. What sprinter and long jumper won four golds at the 1936 Berlin Games?

Answer: Jesse Owens

"Jesse" came to be when he said his initials "J.C." with a southern accent, which his teacher didn't understand. Jesse became known as the man who "defeated" Hitler and his idea of German supremacy, but in reality Jesse said that Hitler had shown respect to him. In fact, Jesse said the real snub was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who, "didn't even send me a telegram".
3. Believed to have been born in the Indian territory, this part-Sauk athlete is often known as the most versatile athlete of his era, and arguably in history. He won both the pentathlon and the decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games, but he was stripped of them. Nevertheless, King Gustav V of Sweden told this man, "You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world". Which athlete not only won gold medals, but played professional American football, baseball, and basketball?

Answer: Jim Thorpe

The Jim Thorpe estate was later given back his medals in 1982, 29 years after his death. Thorpe was elected to both the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1963) and the College Football Hall of Fame (1951).
4. Born in Maryland and given the nickname, "The Baltimore Bullet", this swimmer was diagnosed with ADHD in his childhood. He partly based his swimming style on his future rival, Australian freestyle swimmer Ian Thorpe, when he was a teenager. In 2000, he finished fifth in the 200m butterfly at the age of 15. What swimmer controversially defeated Serbian Milorad Cavic in the 100m butterfly at the 2008 Beijing Games?

Answer: Michael Phelps

Phelps of course won six gold medals and two bronze medals at Athens in 2004, and eight gold medals in Beijing. Between 2004 and 2008, Phelps swam at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
5. At first she practiced ballet, but became a gymnast when her dance teacher left her hometown. She practiced gymnastics at the Lenin Polytechnic Institute. Competing in three Olympic games, she won 18 medals overall, including nine golds. What Soviet gymnast won a medal in every event she entered, except for one?

Answer: Larissa Latynina

Larissa finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne balance beam competition, the only event she entered but didn't win a medal in. She won five of six titles at the 1958 World Championships, though she was pregnant at the time.
6. He was coached by Doc Counsilman at Indiana University, who also coached him in Mexico City. Mexico City was a disappointment for him, as he predicted six gold medals but only won two. He bounced back greatly in Munich, winning seven gold medals. Name this Jewish swimmer who won nine gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.

Answer: Mark Spitz

Spitz was promptly removed from Munich during the hostage crisis there. Authorities believed he might be targeted due to his Jewish heritage. Spitz is famous for his iconic mustache, which was a rarity among athletes in his day.
7. Coached by Bela Karolyi, this Romanian gymnast won fans all over the world from her performance at the 1976 Montreal Games. Her floor exercise song was the theme from "The Young and the Restless", and the song would soon attract a name eponymous to the athlete. Name this gymnast, the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics.

Answer: Nadia Comaneci

Subsequently the soap opera theme would get the name "Nadia's Theme" for her use of it. Nadia married American gymnast Bart Conner in 1996.
8. Many state this man's achievement of four straight discus golds to be the greatest Olympic feat ever accomplished. Interestingly, he didn't begin his discus throwing career until he was 15, when he threw a discus that had been thrown near his feet. Who is this athlete, who nearly died in a 1957 automobile accident?

Answer: Al Oerter

Al Oerter won gold in 1956 (Melbourne), 1960 (Rome), 1964 (Tokyo), and 1968 (Mexico City). He actually set his career record in an attempt to get back into the sport in 1980 at the age of 43.
9. She garnered the nickname "The Flying Housewife" because when she won her four gold medals in 1948 at London. She was a 30-year old with two kids. In fact, when she competed at London, she was pregnant with a third child. Which Dutch athlete won gold in the 200m, 100m, 80m hurdles, and 4x100m relay?

Answer: Fanny Blankers-Koen

Blankers-Koen was named the "Female Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletic Federations. Its very likely she would have won more than four gold medals had World War II not canceled the 1940 and 1944 Olympics.
10. She competed in six Olympic games and won eight gold medals, winning gold medals in the same event 24 years apart. This kayaker has also won an astounding 27 world championship gold medals. Name this East German woman who might have won the K-4 500m at seven straight games, had they not boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles games.

Answer: Birgit Fischer

She finally retired after the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, this time for good (she had retired twice after the 2000 games and the 1988 games). She ran for the European Parliament as a candidate of the Free Democratic Party.
Source: Author yonglo32

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us