Torch Bearers: 1984 to 2020 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is a superstar in the world of women's tennis, and one of Japan's most notable athletes. She is a multiple "Grand Slam" tournament winner, with wins in the 2019 and 2021 Australian Open and 2018 and 2020 US Open prior to the Tokyo Games. She has been ranked a high as #1 and was ranked #2 by the WTA the week the Olympics opened in Tokyo. Osaka competed in the Tokyo Olympics, and was eliminated in the third round by Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic.

There was also a public cauldron in Tokyo, which was lit by retired Japanese badminton player Ayaka Takahashi. She won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 games, and won the Asian Games championship and Uber Cup in 2018.

Answer: Vandelei Cordeiro de Lima

Brazilian distance runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the torch at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. De Lima won the bronze medal in the 2004 marathon race in Athens - after he was physically attacked during the race. Cordeiro's example of bravery earned him the Pierre de Coubertin medal, awarded by the International Olympic Committee.

Jorge Gomes, a 14-year-old native of Rio, lit a second cauldron near Candelaria Church, a site of both architectural and political significance in the history of Brazil.

Answer: Desiree Henry

The cauldron in London was lit by seven teenage athletes. I chose Henry because she went on to win a bronze medal in the 4x100 meter relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Henry was 2011 Youth World Champion in the 200 meters, and was nominated by British track star Daley Thompson.

The other six torch bearers (with nominators) were:
- Callum Airlie (Shirley Robertson)
- Jordan Duckitt (Duncan Goodhew)
- Katie Kirk (Dame Mary Peters)
- Cameron MacRitchie (Sir Steve Redgrave)
- Aidan Reynolds (Lynn Davies)
- Adelle Tracey (Dame Kelly Holmes)

Answer: Li Ning

Li Ning is a legendary figure in the world of men's gymnastics. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he won six medals (gold in floor exercise, pommel horse and rings; silver in the team event and vault; and bronze in the all around). Li was hoisted into the air with cables and mimicked running around the edge of Beijing National Stadium.

Answer: Nikolaos Kaklamanakis

Kaklamantakis is one of Greece's most popular athletes. In a nation surrounded by the sea, he is one of the country's most prominent sailors. He won a gold medal for Mistral at the 1996 Olympics, and won a silver at the 2004 games. Kaklamantakis is also a three-time world champion in the Mistral category (1996 Haifa, 2000 Mar del Plata, 2001 Varkiza).

Answer: Cathy Freeman

Australia's choice of Cathy Freeman was politically significant, as Australia was struggling to deal with its history regarding its aboriginal population.

Freeman first gained fame in 1990 as part of Australia's gold medal winning relay team at the Commonwealth Games. She won her first Olympic medal, a silver in the 400 meters, in 1996. Freeman won gold at the 2000 games, becoming the first person to light the cauldron and become an Olympic champion at the same games.

Answer: Muhammad Ali

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, there is nobody greater than Muhammad Ali."

The lighting of the flame at the 1996 Olympics was poignant as boxing legend Muhammad Ali struggled with Parkinson's disease. Ali began his amateur boxing career in 1954, and won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

Ali won the Heavyweight title against Sonny Liston in 1964. Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to serve in the military during the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled that Ali was right in June 1971. Ali won back the title defeating George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. Ali retired from boxing in 1979. Ali died in Arizona in June 2016 at the age of 74.

Answer: Antonio Rebollo

The 1992 Olympics marked the first time a paralympian had lit the Olympic cauldron. Archer Rebollo, who competed in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Paralympics, lit the flame by firing a flaming arrow from his wheelchair.

Rebollo won a silver at the 1984 Paralympics, bronze in 1988 and another silver in 1992.

Answer: Kim Won-Tak

Chung Sun-Man and Sohn Mi-Chung, two non-athletes, lit the flame with marathoner Kim Won-Tak. Kim ran in the marathon at the 1988 games and finished 18th with a time of 2:15:44.

Chung was a school teacher while Sohn was a dancer. It marked a rare occasion when non-athletes were chosen to light the Olympic cauldron.

Answer: Rafer Johnson

Rafer Johnson is a legendary American athlete. In 1956, he won a silver in the decathlon. Four years later, he would win the gold in Rome. Johnson was the United States flag bearer at the Rome Olympics.

Johnson would gain additional fame in Los Angeles in June 1968 as a witness to the assassination of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel.

Following his athletic career, Johnson got into acting and appeared in about a dozen films between 1960 and 1990. Johnson died in Sherman Oaks, California in December 2020.