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Asafa Powell is a Jamaican sprinter who set the 100 metres world record on two occasions between 2005 and 2008. He achieved international prominence in 2016 when he won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Asafa Powell has also won a couple of gold medals at the World Championships.
Paula Radcliffe is a retired distance runner, credited with winning the London Marathon and the New York Marathon three times each. Born into an athletic family, she emerged as a running talent by the time she was in her teens, winning the world junior cross-country title at the age of nineteen, eventually. She held the Women's World Marathon Record from 2003 to 2019.
Legendary American sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner is still regarded as the fastest woman in the world. Her world records in both the 100m and 200m categories have still not been broken. The three-time Olympic gold medal winner was also known for her six-inch nails and her unconventional outfits.
Legendary Japanese athlete Jigoro Kano is remembered as the founder of judo. A fine educator, he had also had a 23-year stint as the principal of 2 schools, which later became the University of Tsukuba. He was also the first Asian to be part of the International Olympic Committee.
Eilish McColgan is a British middle-distance athlete. She competes in the 3000 meters steeplechase and 5000 meters. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2016 Olympic Games. She won the Great South Run in Portsmouth in 2018. She has a degree in mathematics and accountancy from the University of Dundee.
Donovan Bailey is a retired Jamaican-Canadian sprinter. He once held the world record for the 100 meters and is considered the greatest Canadian sprinter of all time. Noted for his top speed, he became the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. In 2004, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Russian star pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka had started training at age 9. He soared to fame after winning the world championship in Finland at age 15 and later became the first to jump 6.1m. He won the 1988 Seoul Olympic gold and shattered the global men’s pole vault record 35 times.
From being an infant whose both legs were amputated below knee, Oscar Pistorius went on to become a top athlete with wins in Paralympic Games and other sporting events. The South African sprinter also became the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics Games. However, later, he was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend and is currently imprisoned.
Known for his signature laughter, Kriss Akabusi is a former track and field athlete who has three Olympic bronze medals to his credit. He also became a European Champion in 1990, breaking a 22-year British 400m hurdles record. He had previously also been part of the British Army.
Peter Snell was a New Zealand athlete who specialized in middle-distance running. He won three gold medals at the Olympic Games and is the only man to have won the 1500 and 800 metres at the same Olympics since 1920. In 2012, Peter Snell was inducted into the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame.
Bob Hayes was an American athlete and a football player. An Olympic gold medalist and a Super Bowl ring winner, Hayes was inducted into both Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. He won gold medal in 100m and 4 x 100m relay in 1964 Tokto Oympics Hayes was once regarded as the world's fastest human.
Alastair Denniston was a Scottish code breaker and hockey player. He was deputy head of the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) from 1919 to 1942. As a member of the Scottish Olympic hockey team in 1908, he won a bronze medal. He worked as a code breaker during the war years. He taught French and Latin following his retirement.
Legendary Finnish track and field athlete Hannes Kolehmainen was one of the Flying Finns and had won 4 Olympic gold medals and a silver. Known for undergoing rigorous training sessions, he also maintained a vegetarian diet. Though a bricklayer by profession, he had a sports-loving family and 2 brothers who were long-distance runners.
Douglas Nicholls was an Australian athlete, ceremonial officer, and Churches of Christ pastor. Nicholls served as an inspiration to the Aboriginal Australian community, Yorta Yorta. In 1972, he became the first Aboriginal Australian to receive the title of Knight Bachelor.
English track and field athlete is best remembered for his gold medal win in the 100m race at the Paris Olympics in 1924. Part of the Achilles Club, he and his exploits inspired the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Following his retirement, he became a broadcaster and sports administrator.
Brandon Starc is an Australian high jumper. He won a silver medal at the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore when he was just 16 years old. He was a finalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2016 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He is married to fellow athlete Laura Turner.
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter is a Kenyan-Israeli runner who has won gold medals at the 2018 European Championships and 2020 World Marathon Majors, representing Israel. She also took part in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where she competed in the marathon. Chemtai holds the current Israeli national record for the best time in the marathon.
Gagik Tsarukyan is an Armenian politician, businessman, and former athlete. He is credited with founding a political party called Prosperous Armenia Party. In addition to his political endeavors, Gagik Tsarukyan also owns numerous large-scale businesses and is counted among the richest men in Armenia.
Former track and field athlete Fiona May initially represented the UK and then Italy in long jump. She has two Olympic silver medals to her credit and is a three-time World Champion. Her daughter, Larissa Iapichino, too is an athlete, who specializes in hurdles and long jump.
Iolanda Balas was a Romanian athlete who specialized in high jump. She is best known for winning a gold medal at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games; she was the first woman from Romania to win an Olympic gold. A two-time European champion and former world record holder, Balas is counted among the greatest high jumpers of the 20th century.
