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Quiz about History of the Olympic Decathlon
Quiz about History of the Olympic Decathlon

History of the Olympic Decathlon Quiz


This quiz will examine Olympic decathlon history. The two day, ten event competition includes: 100-meter dash; long jump; shot put; high jump; 400-meter run; 110-meter hurdles; discus; pole vault; javelin; & 1500-meter run

A multiple-choice quiz by akjay. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
akjay
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
381,450
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
177
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The first Olympiad in the modern era to include a decathlon was the 1904 Olympics in St Louis. The gold medal was won by Tom Keily and the seven competitors came from just two countries. Identify the two countries participating. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm and the gold medal winner was an American who was later stripped of the medal because of questions regarding his amateur status. Who was this exceptional all around athlete? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Between 1904-2012 the USA has dominated the Olympic decathlon with the following medal count: 13 gold; 8 silver; and 7 bronze. Identify the two Olympic Games when the USA swept the decathlon winning gold, silver, and bronze. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which two won two Olympic gold medals in the decathlon. Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Who was the gold medal winner of the Olympic decathlon in the 1968 Mexico City games? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In the 1960 Rome Olympics Rafer Johnson (USA) and Yang Chuan-kwang (TAI) finished first and second respectively. The two were collegiate teammates at which US University? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1982, preceding the Barcelona games, Reebok launched an advertising campaign billing the decathlon competition as "Dan versus Dave" in reference to Americans Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson. What happened that prevented both athletes from competing in the Olympics? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The 2000 Olympics in Sydney witnessed one of the closest decathlon competitions ever with only 74 points separating the first four finishers. Who was the gold medal winner? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The 2004 Athens Olympics provided a dramatic finish with three experienced Olympic competitors. Going into the final event these athletes were in medal position: Gold: Roman Seble (CZE); Silver: Bryan Clay (USA); Bronze; Dimitry Karpov (KAZ). After the 1,500 meters the finishing order remained the same, but what was unique about each athlete's running performance? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The 2012 Olympic Decathlon produced a 1-2 finish for the USA. Aston Eaton won the gold and Trey Hardee the silver. In his gold medal performance Eaton had three first place finishes in the decathlon field. Identify the three events. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first Olympiad in the modern era to include a decathlon was the 1904 Olympics in St Louis. The gold medal was won by Tom Keily and the seven competitors came from just two countries. Identify the two countries participating.

Answer: Ireland and USA

This competition was noteworthy because all ten events took place on the same day. Great Britain offered Keily a free trip if he would represent Great Britain. Keily elected to pay his own way and competed for Ireland.
2. The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm and the gold medal winner was an American who was later stripped of the medal because of questions regarding his amateur status. Who was this exceptional all around athlete?

Answer: Jim Thorpe

The movement to reinstate Thorpe's performance and records began in 1914 and were not successful in his lifetime. On October 13, 1982, the IOC lifted the ban against Thorpe, his name was returned to the record books, and the medals were presented to his children the following year. Jim Thorpe played both professional baseball and football between 1915 and 1928 and was recognized by the Associated Press as the greatest athlete of the first half of the century. Thorpe's 1912 performance was so impressive it would have earned him the silver medal in the 1948 Olympics.
3. Between 1904-2012 the USA has dominated the Olympic decathlon with the following medal count: 13 gold; 8 silver; and 7 bronze. Identify the two Olympic Games when the USA swept the decathlon winning gold, silver, and bronze.

Answer: Berlin 1936 and Helsinki 1952

US gold medal winners include: Jim Thorpe-1912; Harold Osborn-1924; James Bausch-1932; Glenn Morris-1936; Bob Mathias-1948 & 1952; Milton Campbell-1956; Rafer Johnson-1960; Bill Toomey-1968; Bruce Jenner-1976; Dan O'Brien-1996; and Bryan Clay-2008.
4. Which two won two Olympic gold medals in the decathlon.

Answer: Bob Mathias(USA) 1948/1952 and Daley Thompson(GBR) 1980/1984

Mathias was only 17 years old when he won gold in London (1948) and when he retired from competing he engaged in advertising appearances, acted in films, and served eight years in the US House of Representatives. Thompson was 22 when he first won gold in 1980 in Moscow. In Los Angeles in 1984 Thompson tied the world record amassing 8798 points.
5. Who was the gold medal winner of the Olympic decathlon in the 1968 Mexico City games?

Answer: Bill Toomey

A highlight of his Olympic championship experience was a personal best of 13'9.5" in the pole vault after he needed three attempts to clear the opening height of 11'9.5". Toomey, an English teacher from California, was quoted as saying about the near elimination "I had(sic) made that jump on sheer determination, I'm not certain I even needed my pole".
6. In the 1960 Rome Olympics Rafer Johnson (USA) and Yang Chuan-kwang (TAI) finished first and second respectively. The two were collegiate teammates at which US University?

Answer: UCLA

At UCLA both trained under legendary coach Duckey Drake. Johnson won silver in Melbourne in 1956 and Yang finished fifth in the 1964 Tokyo games. At UCLA Johnson was a hurdler while Yang was a pole vaulter. Both competed in the intercollegiate decathlon.
7. In 1982, preceding the Barcelona games, Reebok launched an advertising campaign billing the decathlon competition as "Dan versus Dave" in reference to Americans Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson. What happened that prevented both athletes from competing in the Olympics?

Answer: Dan O'Brien failed to clear his opening height in the US Olympic trials and did not make the team

Dave Johnson went to Barcelona and finished in third place despite a near disaster in the shot put. His first two attempts were fouls and when the red foul flag went up on his third and final attempt, the head judge overruled the decision, much to the dismay of the Spanish crowd who booed Johnson for the remainder of the competition. O'Brien went on to win gold in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
8. The 2000 Olympics in Sydney witnessed one of the closest decathlon competitions ever with only 74 points separating the first four finishers. Who was the gold medal winner?

Answer: Erkl Nool (EST)

The final scores were: Erkl Nool (EST) 8,641 pts; Roman Serble (CZE) 8,606 pts; Chris Huffins (USA) 8,595 pts; Dean Macey (GBR) 8,567 pts. Back in Estonia Nool was so popular he had to trademark his name to protect it from unauthorized use. In 2007 Nool was elected to the Estonian Parliament.
9. The 2004 Athens Olympics provided a dramatic finish with three experienced Olympic competitors. Going into the final event these athletes were in medal position: Gold: Roman Seble (CZE); Silver: Bryan Clay (USA); Bronze; Dimitry Karpov (KAZ). After the 1,500 meters the finishing order remained the same, but what was unique about each athlete's running performance?

Answer: All three recorded personal best times in the 1,500-meters

Clay's second place score of 8,820 points was the highest non-winning performance in the Olympic history of the event. Karpov dedicated his medal to his mother, Vera, a former pentathlete who had died of stomach cancer in March.
10. The 2012 Olympic Decathlon produced a 1-2 finish for the USA. Aston Eaton won the gold and Trey Hardee the silver. In his gold medal performance Eaton had three first place finishes in the decathlon field. Identify the three events.

Answer: 100-meters; long jump; 400-meters

This is the first 1-2 Olympic finish for the USA in the decathlon since Milton Campbell and Rafer Johnson in 1956. In addition, be cognizant of the fact that in both 1936 and 1952 the USA swept Olympic medals in the decathlon.
Source: Author akjay

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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