Chasing the Laurel Wreath Trivia Quiz

Answer: Equestrian

Princess Anne was an accomplished horsewoman in her younger days. At age 21 she won an individual title at the European Eventing Championship and competed with the British Eventing team for more than five years. She was selected for the team event in the 1976 Olympics and later assumed the role of presidency of the International Equestrian Federation.

Answer: Bobsled

Prince Albert competed in five Olympics between 1988 and 2002 in the two or four man bobsleds. Although it's tempting to say he was along for the ride, Albert is an accomplished sportsman in his own right. His grandfather John Kelley and maternal uncle John Kelly were both Olympic medalist for the US in rowing.

In his youth he participated in cross country, javelin throwing, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash and fencing; and he became a black belt in judo.

Answer: Sailing

Constantine was King of Greece from the time of the death of his father in 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. In 1960 at the age of 20 he won a gold medal in the Dragon class of sailing at the Rome Olympic games, the first gold medal won by a Greek since 1912. He was active in other sports, holding a black belt in karate and is considered a very strong swimmer.

Answer: Boxing

In his younger days Idi Amin was a splendid athlete. He was the Ugandan national champion in light heavyweight boxing from 1951 until 1960, although he apparently never competed in the Olympics. He was also a formidable rugby player. Unfortunately his presidency of Uganda is epitomized by his monicker as the "Butcher of Uganda".

Answer: Figure skating

Vera Wang competed in the pairs skating competition for the 1968 US Olympic team. When she failed to make the team, she retired from competitive skating and began her career as a fashion designer.

She still enjoys skating and has created figure skating costumes for Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan. She also created wedding gowns for many luminaries, such as Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Victoria Beckham, and the Kardashians.

Answer: Bobsled

Herschel Walker is regarded as one of the greatest college running backs, winning the Heisman trophy as the best college player in 1982. He was named to the All America team for his three years in college and had a stellar career in professional football.

One of the key elements in bobsled racing is generating a quick start by pushing the sled quickly. Walker, who is very strong and fast, was added to the two-man bobsled team for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. His sled, driven by Brain Shimer, finished seventh overall.

Answer: Pentathlon

The modern pentathlon includes fencing, swimming, horse riding, running, and shooting competitions. In the 1912 Olympics at Stockholm, Patton finished fifth among the 42 competitors. The surprising aspect of his performance was that he probably would have won the gold medal except for a lackluster score in the shooting competition.

Patton argued, with some justification, that the same target was used for all competitors, and some of his shots that went through large holes made by earlier shooters were scored as misses for him.

Answer: Archery

Geena Davis took up archery in 1997 at age 41. She was one of 300 women invited to the US Archery competition to select members of the 2000 Olympic team for the US, and she finished a respectable 24th place.

Answer: Swimming

Johnny Weissmuller was born in what was Austria-Hungary and moved with his family to the US as a child. In the 1924 Olympics he won gold medals in the 100 meter and 400 meter freestyle events and in the 4 by 200 meter relay. In the 1928 Olympics he won two more gold medals. He also won a bronze medal as a member of the 1924 water polo team and was the non-medal winning team in 1928.

He later became the sixth person to start in the role of Tarzan and developed the famous Tarzan yell.

Answer: Track and field

You may remember in the movie "Chariots of Fire" that Olympian Harold Abraham completed the circuit of Great Court of Trinity College at Cambridge before the midnight bell finished tolling. In actuality, the person who accomplished that feat was Lord Burghley - one of two people to have done it on the original course. (Sebastian Coe came very close).

Lord Burghley competed in three Olympics. In the 1924 Paris games he was eliminated in the 110 meter hurdles. In the 1928 Amsterdam games, he made the semifinals in the 100 meter hurdles and won the gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles. In the 1932 Los Angeles games, while a Member of Parliament, he finished
fourth in the 400 meter hurdles, fifth in the 100 meter hurdles, and won a silver medal as part of the 4 by 400 meter relay.

He served as an MP for 12 years and later as Governor of Bermuda. He also was a member of the International Olympic Committee and later Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 1948 London Games.