Best/Favorite Olympic Backstories

[Smangus]

Many athletes have stories to tell about how they got to the Olympics, challenges overcome, hardships, sacrifices made and humble backgrounds etc.

I think to date this is one of my favorites, especially the bit about being given some Zulu land for showing skateboard tricks to kids -

Dallas Oberholzer: the 46-year-old Olympic skateboarder who fended off a jaguar

There are many others of course so post your favs here

I think the more obscure the better but all welcome, not just from these games either.

Cheers Smangus

 

[danski]

Many athletes have stories to tell about how they got to the Olympics, challenges overcome, hardships, sacrifices made and humble backgrounds etc.

I think to date this is one of my favorites, especially the bit about being given some Zulu land for showing skateboard tricks to kids -

Dallas Oberholzer: the 46-year-old Olympic skateboarder who fended off a jaguar

There are many others of course so post your favs here

I think the more obscure the better but all welcome, not just from these games either.

Cheers Smangus

That was excellent. Thanks for sharing

 

[planetgeli]

Alf Tupper, abused and cast out from Tristan da Cunha to become a homeless welder in some nondescript northern/midlands town. Lived on fish and chips and the moral high ground while kicking it to the toffs at regular intervals. Athletics establishment hated him, the original bad boy (who was actually a very good boy). World record holder, gold medal winner Helsinki 1952, fought the class war on his own when everyone else was wetting themselves over Dr Roger Bannister.

Alf Tupper‘The Tough of the Track’ and the Class Struggle in British Athletics | Playing Pasts

www.playingpasts.co.uk

 

[Smangus]

Alf Tupper, abused and cast out from Tristan da Cunha to become a homeless welder in some nondescript northern/midlands town. Lived on fish and chips and the moral high ground while kicking it to the toffs at regular intervals. Athletics establishment hated him, the original bad boy (who was actually a very good boy). World record holder, gold medal winner Helsinki 1952, fought the class war on his own when everyone else was wetting themselves over Dr Roger Bannister.

Alf Tupper‘The Tough of the Track’ and the Class Struggle in British Athletics | Playing Pasts

www.playingpasts.co.uk

Wow, when I was a kid I read the comic strip about him. I only thought he was a cartoon character, I had no idea he was real. Nice one.

 

[DaveCinzano]

World record holder, gold medal winner Helsinki 1952

And who could forget his astonishing performance for TDC - having been shunned by the blazer wearing bastards of the English athletics mafia - at the 1986 Commonwealth Games? (Probably should've boycotted, mind.)