American Robert "Bob" Beamon is best known for breaking the world long jump record by a massive 55cm in the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City. His record was finally beaten in 1991 (almost 23 years later) by fellow American Mike Powell.
2. Fatima Whitbread
Answer: Javelin
Born in London on 3rd March 1961, Fatima represented Great Britain in javelin and is a former world record holder, having recorded a throw of 77.44 metres in the qualifying round of the 1986 European Athletics Championships held in Stuttgart. She went on to win gold at the games, and followed it up with World Championship gold the following year.
3. Haile Gebrselassie
Answer: 10,000m
A long distance running specialist, Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie won two Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 metres (1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney) and four World Championship gold medals (1993 in Stuttgart, 1995 in Gothenburg, 1997 in Athens, and 1999 in Seville).
4. Cathy Freeman
Answer: 400m
Born on 16th February 1973 in Queensland, Australia, Cathy Freeman occasionally competed in other track events, but specialised in the 400 metres. She won silver in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, but went one better in the next Games in Sydney and won gold.
5. Sergei Bubka
Answer: Pole Vault
Soviet-born Bubka represented the Soviet Union from 1981 until its dissolution in 1991, then represented Ukraine until his retirement in 2001. He was the first pole vaulter to clear both 6 metres and 6.10 metres, and won Olympic gold in the 1988 Games held in Seoul, as well as six World Championship golds.
6. Heike Henkel
Answer: High Jump
Born on 5th May 1964 in Kiel, Germany, Heike Henkel was the world's leading female high jumper of the early 1990s. She won the gold medal in each of the 1991 World Indoor Championships in Seville, the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
7. Daley Thompson
Answer: Decathlon
Born Francis Morgan Ayodélé Thompson, Daley Thompson broke the world record for the decathlon four times during his career, winning two Olympic golds, one World Championship gold, two European Championship golds, and three Commonwealth Games golds along the way.
8. Sandra Perkovic
Answer: Discus
Representing Croatia, Sandra Perkovic dominated the women's discus event by winning four consecutive golds in the European Championships between 2010 and 2016 and two consecutive golds in the Olympic Games of 2012 and 2016. She is also a politician, and became a member of the Croatian parliament in 2015.
9. Abebe Bikila
Answer: Marathon
Ethiopian Abebe Bikila is best known for winning the gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics marathon whilst running barefoot. He followed up this success in Rome with a second gold medal in the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Abebe died in 1973 aged just 41.
10. Jessica Ennis-Hill
Answer: Heptathlon
Born on 28th January 1986, Jessica Ennis-Hill represented Great Britain in multi-event disciplines and 100 metres hurdles until her retirement from athletics in October 2016. Her specialist event, and the one in which she is most decorated, is the heptathlon, in which she won an Olympic gold medal, two World Championship gold medals, and a European Championship gold medal.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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