Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #47 - Karin Enke-Kania

Karin Enke-Kania

East Germany

Speed Skating

Overall Ranks

#2 among Speed Skaters

#1 among Female Speed Skaters

#1 among East German Olympians

Olympic Results

1980

500m - Gold

1984

500m - Silver

1000m - Gold

1500m - Gold

3000m - Silver

1988

500m - Bronze

1000m - Silver

1500m - Silver

Total

Events - 10

Gold - 3

Silver - 4

Bronze - 1

Karin Enke was born on June 20, 1961 in Dresden, East Germany, and was a competitive figure skater when she was growing up. After finishing 9th in the European Championships when she was 15, she decided to change sports, becoming a speed skater, and it was a good move.

She went into the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid as a relative unknown, but that changed fast. In the first pair of the 500m event, Ann-Sofie Jarnstrom of Sweden set a new Olympic record of 42.47 seconds, setting a high bar. Enke skated in the second pair, and she finished in 41.78 seconds to break the Olympic record that had only stood for a few minutes. 26 more skaters took their turn on the ice, but none got under 42 seconds, and Enke had a gold medal in her first race.

In the 1000m event, the Olympic record was broken twice as well, also in the first two pairings. Enke, unfortunately, was in the sixth pairing, and though she beat the old Olympic record time, she was more than 2 seconds behind the time to beat, and was sitting in 4th place, 0.2 seconds behind the medals, and that is where she would finish, as none of the remaining 25 skaters beat her time. She was very close to winning two medals in her first Olympics.

By 1984, she was no longer an unknown. She was known as the best female figure skater in the world, and was the favorite to win all 4 Olympic events. She started with the 1500m, where her teammate, Andrea Schone, broke the Olympic record in the first pairing by more than 5 seconds. A couple of skaters got close in the next couple of pairs, but when Enke skated in the 5th pair, her time was ahead of Schone's pace throughout, and by the end, she had broken the world record, and was nearly 2 seconds ahead of Schone. No one else got within 4 seconds of her, and she easily won the gold.

In the 500m, her major challenger was expected to be Christa Rothenburger, also from East Germany, who had set the world record the year before. Rothenburger skated in the 5th pair, and broke Enke's Olympic record, lowering it to 41.02. Enke was in the next pair, and she got off to a slightly slow start, and was unable to make up for it, finishing in 41.28, which ended up being enough for silver, but not the gold she expected.

In the 1000m, her biggest challengers were Schone and Nataliya Petrusyova of the USSR, who was the defending champ and world record holder. Rothenburger set a new Olympic record in the first pair, which Schone then broke in the second pair. Enke was in the third pair, and she was able to drop the Olympic record again, this time by over a second, and nobody else was able to come close as she won another gold medal.

She finished up with the 3000m, where Schone was again a big challenger, along with another East German, Gabi Schonbrunn, who held the world record. Schone was in the first pair, and she set a new Olympic record by more than 7 seconds, making it tough on everyone else. Enke was in the third pair, and she was ahead of pace up to the 600m mark, but was unable to keep it up, and she finished 1.52 seconds behind, but nearly 7 seconds ahead of anyone else who took the ice, which got her her second silver medal in Sarajevo.

Later that year, she married her trainer, Rudolf Kania, and began competing with his surname. In the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, the 500m was the first event. The world record had been passed back and forth between Kania, Rothenburger, and Bonnie Blair over the past several years, and those three were expected to medal, which is exactly what happened. Rothenburger went first among them, and set a new world record, but then Blair broke it again a few minutes later. Kania had her usual slow start, and it was just enough to keep her from catching the others, leaving her with a bronze medal, 0.14 seconds short of the gold.

Next was the 3000m, where the same 3 medalists from the previous Olympics were the favorites, though all 3 were now competing under new surnames, as all 3 had married since the last Olympics. Schone was now Ehrig, and she went out first, setting a new world record to start off the event, while Kania finished more than 6 seconds behind in the same pair after starting too fast to try to destroy the world record. Sange, formerly Schonbrunn, was in the third pair, and finished between the two other East Germans. In the next pair, Yvonne Van Gennip of the Netherlands was behind the pace clear up to the final lap, then had an amazing final lap to pull ahead and take the gold medal in world record time, knocking Kania off the podium and into 4th place, where she finished.

She was the favorite in her best event, the 1000m, a couple of days later. Bonnie Blair set a new Olympic record in the third pair, beating Kania's old time, but Kania went under that in the very next pair to set a new world record. Rothenburger was in the next pair, and she skated ahead of Kania's pace throughout most of the race, but started to fade in the final lap, though she still had enough left to finish just ahead of Kania, winning the event by 0.05 seconds, another new world record, which left Kania with the silver medal.

She was also the favorite in the 1500m, where she held the world record and was the only woman ever to break 2 minutes. Ehrig set a new Olympic record in the second pair, but Kania had a strong final lap in the 4th pairing to lower the Olympic record again. In the next pair, Von Gennip surprised everybody again, beating Kania's time with a very strong second lap, taking her second gold in Calgary, and leaving Kania to take another silver.

Kania retired after those Olympics, finishing her Olympic career with 8 medals in 10 events, with two 4th place finishes in her only medal failures. Allegations came out decades later that she had been doping during her career, particularly during the 1984 Olympics, but drug testing was not as advanced at the time, so it remains only an accusation. She had the most speed skating medals when she retired, though that has now been broken, but she never finished worse than 4th in an Olympic event, making her one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #48 - Otis Harris

Otis Harris

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#15 among American Olympians

#12 among Track & Field Athletes

#11 among Male American Olympians

#9 among American Track & Field Athletes

#9 among Male Track & Field Athletes

#7 among Male American Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

2004

400m - Silver

4x400m Relay - Gold

Total

Events - 2

Gold - 1

Silver - 1

Otis Harris Jr. was born on June 30, 1982 in Edwards, Mississippi, and was a track All-American in high school. He attended the University of South Carolina, where he won a relay gold in the NCAA Championship, along with an individual silver.

He made the US Olympic team that went to Athens in 2004, where he would compete in 2 events. He started with the 400m, where he lost his first heat by 0.02 seconds, then had the exact same result in his semifinal heat, but automatically advanced to the final. In the final, he took an early lead, and held it for more than half the race, before his two American teammates caught him by the end of the final curve. Down the homestretch, Jeremy Wariner had a little more left in the tank, and Harris took the silver medal, 0.16 seconds behind.

The three Americans who swept the 400m medals joined together a few days later in the 4x400m relay. Harris took the leadoff leg, and gave the Americans a lead of almost a full second after his lap was done. Derrick Brew (#80) extended it to 2.5 seconds by the midway point, Wariner made it 3.5 seconds, and by the end, they had won the gold medal by 4.69 seconds, the most dominant relay performance in Olympic history.

Harris retired from competition at the end of the year, first returning to South Carolina to serve as an assistant track coach, then becoming a high school track coach. He has recently moved into law enforcement, serving as courtroom security. Even though his Olympic career was very short, he was part of the most dominant relay team in history, and nearly won an individual gold as well, making him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #49 - Caeleb Dressel

Caeleb Dressel

USA

Swimming

Overall Ranks

#16 among American Olympians

#12 among Male American Olympians

#7 among Swimmers

#6 among American Swimmers

#6 among Male Swimmers

#5 among Male American Swimmers

Olympic Results

2016

4x100m Freestyle Relay - Gold

4x100m Medley Relay - Gold

2020

50m Freestyle - Gold

100m Freestyle - Gold

4x100m Freestyle Relay - Gold

100m Butterfly - Gold

4x100m Medley Relay - Gold

2024

4x100m Freestyle Relay - Gold

4x100m Mixed Medley Relay - Gold

4x100m Medley Relay - Silver

Total

Events - 14

Gold - 9

Silver - 1

Caeleb Remel Dressel was born on August 16, 1996 in Green Cove Springs, Florida, into a family of swimmers. He learned to swim at age 4, and by age 8 was swimming competitively while training daily. He competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials when he was just 15 years old, but wasn't close to making the team, but he made it a goal to get there by 2016.

The following year, he earned 6 medals at the World Junior Championships, then began attending the University of Florida the next year, and when the 2016 Olympic Trials came around, he placed 2nd in the 100m freestyle, which earned him a spot on the team, where he was also included on 2 relay teams.

In the 4x100m Freestyle Relay, the French were the favorites, as they were defending world and Olympic champions. In the final, Dressel swam the first leg, and finished just .02 seconds behind the French swimmer to put the USA in a great spot. The next swimmer was Michael Phelps, who gave the Americans a lead of more than a second, which the French were able to cut in half, but never overcome, and the USA ended up winning by 0.61 seconds, earning Dressel his first gold medal.

In the 100m Freestyle, Dressel finished just behind Kyle Chalmers of Australia in his first heat, then came in third in his semifinal, but still qualified through to the final. In that race, he was in third place at the turn, but slowed down a bit on the back half, and ended up finishing in 6th place. He also swam the freestyle anchor leg in the heats of the 4x100m Medley relay, which the USA won to advance to the final, where a new set of swimmers won the gold by over a second, getting Dressel his second gold at just 19 years of age.

In the NCAA Championships the next year, he won 3 golds and 2 silvers, and then won 7 gold medals in the World Championships the same year. He followed that up with 6 golds and 2 silvers in 2019, and he looked primed for a breakthrough in the 2020 Olympics, which ended up being postponed by a year. 

His first event in Tokyo was the 4x100m Freestyle relay. The held him out until the finals to preserve his energy, as he was competing in 6 events, and he swam the first leg of the final, finishing with a lead of 0.26 seconds, which remained steady through the next two legs, before Zach Apple pulled away on the final leg to give the Americans a win by 1.14 seconds, and Dressel his third gold medal.

In the 100m Freestyle, he was a co-favorite with defending champion Kyle Chalmers, and in the semifinal round, he had the second-fastest time, giving him one of the prime lanes for the final. He had a great start, and led by 0.1 seconds at the turn, but Chalmers came charging from third place on the back half, and nearly caught him, but Dressel was slightly too fast for him, winning by 0.06 seconds to set a new Olympic record and win another gold medal.

His next event was the 100m Butterfly, where he put on a show. In the preliminary heat, he tied the Olympic record with a time of 50.39 seconds, they destroyed that in the semifinal with a new record of 49.71 seconds. In the final, he took a huge lead early, leading by 0.65 seconds at the turn, then he cruised to the finish in a time of 49.45 seconds, which was a new world record.

His next event was the final of the mixed 4x100m Medley relay, where he swam the anchor freestyle leg. Ryan Murphy was tied for the lead on the opening leg, but the next two Americans were much slower, and they had fallen to last place by the time Dressel entered the water. He swam the fastest split in the freestyle, but it was only enough to get them up to 5th, as he was 8 seconds behind at the start.

He next swam in the 50m freestyle, where he was the favorite, and he didn't disappoint. He had the best time in each of the first two rounds, and even after a slow reaction time in the final, he took the lead quickly, and pulled away from the field, winning by 0.48 seconds and setting a new Olympic record while also getting his 4th gold medal of the games.

His final event was the 4x100m medley relay, where he swam the third leg, the butterfly. Ryan Murphy again gave the USA the lead after the first leg, but they dropped back to third after the breaststroke, which is when Dressel jumped in. He was the fastest swimmer in his leg by far, and gave a lead of 0.6 seconds to the anchor, who brought home the gold by 0.73 seconds, and set a new world record by more than a full second. It was Dressel's fifth gold medal in Tokyo, and 7th overall.

He won 2 gold medals in the 2022 World Championships before withdrawing from his other events for medical reasons, but he still performed well enough in the Olympic trials to make his third straight Olympic team, competing in 5 events. 

His first event in Paris was again the 4x100m relay, where he swam the anchor leg in the final, but he really wasn't needed. The Americans were second after the first leg, behind China by 0.75 seconds, but they had a lead of nearly half a second at the midway point, which exploded to more than 2 seconds before Dressel entered the water. He swam a very controlled leg to bring home the gold by more than a second over Australia.

Because he was just returning from more than a year off dealing with injuries, people were unsure how he would perform in his first individual event, the 50m freestyle, where he was the defending champ. He made it to the final, but in that race, the two leaders had pulled away from the pack, while the other 6 were all practically even to the end, all finishing within 0.08 seconds of each other, and after it was all reviewed, Dressel ended up being the 6th to touch the wall.

He then swam in the 100m Butterfly, but came in 5th in his semifinal and failed to make the final for the first time in his Olympic career. He then swam in the prelim of the 4x100m mixed medley relay, where the USA won its heat to advance to the final, where they won gold narrowly over China, which earned Dressel his 9th overall gold medal.

His final event was the 4x100m medley relay, where he swam the butterfly third leg in the final. The Americans had never lost this event when they had competed, but they were in 4th place when Dressel entered the pool. He swam the fastest butterfly leg, moving the Americans up to 2nd place, just 0.03 seconds behind France, but the Chinese anchor swam an insanely fast final leg to jump from third to first and beat the Americans by 0.55 seconds, giving Dressel his first-ever silver medal.

Dressel is still actively swimming and hopes to qualify for his 4th Olympic games in 2028 in Los Angeles, but whether he makes that team or not, he has already shown his greatness by winning 9 gold medals in the past decade, which makes him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #50 - Olga Korbut

Olga Korbut

USSR

Artistic Gymnastics

Overall Ranks

#11 among Gymnasts

#5 among Female Gymnasts

#5 among Soviet Olympians

#3 among Female Soviet Olympians

Olympic Results

1972

Team - Gold

Floor Exercise - Gold

Uneven Bars - Silver

Balance Beam - Gold

1976

Team - Gold

Balance Beam - Silver

Total

Events - 12

Gold - 4

Silver - 2

Olga Valentinovna Korbut was born on May 16, 1955 in Hrodna, USSR, which is now part of Belarus. She began training at age 8, and enrolled in a sports school the next year, and by age 14 was participating in national competitions. In 1969, she was the first gymnast ever to complete a backflip followed by a catch on the uneven bars, and she made her Olympic debut in 1972, when she was 17 years old.

The Soviet Union had won the team gold in each of the past 5 Olympics, and they were expected to do it again, with only East Germany considered a threat at all. Korbut was the #2 scorer on the Soviet team, behind Lyidmila Turishcheva, and they won their 6th straight team gold by 3.95 points over the East Germans.

She was the #3 qualifier headed into the individual all-around, and she had the top score on the balance beam during the final, along with the #2 score in floor exercise and vault, but she fell twice during her very difficult uneven bar routine, which dropped her down to 7th place overall, and leaving her without a medal.

She did qualify for all 4 of the individual event finals due to her high scores in the team event. In the floor exercise, she was the #2 qualifier behind Turishcheva, who had a great score of 9.8 in the final, but Korbut put on a great show in her performance, and her score of 9.9 pushed her ahead of her teammate and earned her the gold medal.

She went into the vault final tied for 4th, but was unable to move up, and scored lower than the other 4th place starter, so she ended up in 5th place. In the uneven bars, she started out tied for 2nd, and performed the same routine she tried in the individual all-around, and this time avoided any falls, earning a 9.8, but it wasn't enough to catch Karin Janz of East Germany, who scored a 9.9, and Korbut ended up with a silver.

In the balance beam, she was also the #2 qualifier, behind Tamara Lazakovich (#106), her Soviet teammate. Lazakovich scored a 9.8 in the final, but Korbut again amazed everybody, scoring a 9.9 and passing her teammate to take her second individual gold and third overall of the games.

In the 1974 World Championships, she won medals in all 6 events, with 2 golds and 4 silvers, and was again selected for the Soviet Olympic team in 1976. They won the team event again in Montreal, for the 7th time in a row, with Korbut as the 3rd-highest scorer on the team, as they overcame Nadia Comaneci and Romania by 3.2 points in the end.

She was the #5 qualifier in the individual all-around, and she looked like she might move up and possibly even earn a medal, but a score of 9.5 on the balance beam ended her chances, and she ended up finishing in 5th place, again short of the medals in the all-around. She did, however, qualify for two event finals, the balance beam and uneven bars.

In the uneven bars, she had qualified in second place, but she was competing hurt, and ended up scoring only a 9.4, which dropped her to 5th place at the end. She had also been the #2 qualifier in the balance beam, but a 9.9 in the final wasn't enough to overcome Comaneci's perfect score, and she ended up with a silver medal.

She retired from gymnastics the next year, even though she was only 22 years old, and became a teacher. In 1991, she and her family emigrated to the United States, first living in New Jersey, and finally moving to Atlanta, where she coached gymnastics. Her performances helped usher in the more modern acrobatic style of gymnastics, and her 6 medals helped make her one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #51 - Serena Williams

Serena Williams

USA

Tennis

Overall Ranks

#17 among American Olympians

#5 among Female American Olympians

#1 among Tennis Players

Olympic Results

2000

Doubles - Gold

2008

Doubles - Gold

2012

Doubles - Gold

Singles - Gold

Total

Events - 7

Gold - 4

Serena Jamika Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan, and began playing tennis when she was 4 years old. She played in her first professional tournament when she had just turned 16, and upset two of the top 10 players in the world, Mary Pierce and Monica Seles, reaching the top 100 before the end of the year.

In 1999, she won the US Open singles and doubles titles, becoming just the 5th woman in history to do that, and she was still just 17 years old. The next year, she went to Sydney to compete in her first Olympics, but only in the doubles with her sister Venus, as only the top 3 players from each country could qualify for singles.

In the Olympic doubles tournament, the Williams sisters completely dominated, losing only one set in the entire tournament. In the gold medal match, they beat Boogert and Oremans of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-1 to cruise to the gold medal. Venus became the first woman in 76 years to win gold in both tennis events, and Serena had her first gold medal.

Between 2002 and 2003, she won all 4 Grand Slam finals in a row, defeating her sister Venus in the final in each, becoming just the 5th woman ever to hold all 4 titles at once. Late in 2003, she injured her knee, which required surgery, and ended up not qualifying for the 2004 Olympics as a result.

She battles through several other injuries in the ensuing years, but was finally healthy in time for the 2008 Olympics. She was seeded 4th in the singles event, and made it to the quarterfinals with only one set lost, but she lost to Yelena Dementyeva, the #5 seed, in that round, ending her first Olympic singles run a little early.

In the doubles, she and Venus were the #2 seeds, and they lost their very first set, before turning it around and winning the match, then winning the next 2 matches in straight sets. In the semifinal, they lost one set to the Ukrainians, but won the final set 6-1 to advance to the final, which they won 6-2, 6-0 to win their second gold medal as a pair.

By the time 2012 came around, she had reestablished herself as one of the best women's tennis players in the world, and she showed it at the Olympics. She went through the entire singles tournament without losing a set, and only giving up 17 total games in 6 matches, including a 6-1, 6-2 win over world #1 Vika Azarenka in the semifinal, and a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Maria Sharapova in the gold medal match. It was the most dominant performance in the history of Olympic tennis.

In the doubles tournament, the Williams sisters were almost as dominant, again winning every single match without losing a set, and not a single set went to a tiebreaker, though some of them were a little closer than Serena's singles run, like their 6-4, 6-4 win in the gold medal match. Either way, it was a great performance, and the third gold medal won by the pair at the Olympics.

Between 2014 and 2015, Serena again won all 4 Grand Slam titles in a row making her the first woman ever to achieve the feat twice. She competed once more in the Olympics, in Rio in 2016, but was surprisingly upset in the third round of the singles event, and then even more shockingly knocked out in the first round of the doubles. 

She has not competed in the Olympics since, and took nearly 4 years off from tennis completely before making a return earlier this year. It's unlikely that she will qualify to compete in the Olympics again, but with the 4 gold medals she has already won, and the dominant way that she earned each of them, she has shown that she is one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

 

Football Predictions - 24 Sep thru 28 Sep

Upset picks are in italics.

Thursday

Liberty at Coastal Carolina - Chanticleers by 16.5

Atlanta at Green Bay - Packers by 11

Friday

Army at Temple - Owls by 9

Howard at Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 8

Navy at UAB - Blazers by 2.5

Northwestern at (5) Indiana - Hoosiers by 12.5

Clemson at California - Bears by 5.5

Saturday

(1) Texas at (14) Tennessee - Volunteers by 11

Illinois at (7) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 25.5

Sam Houston at (11) Texas Tech - Red Raiders by 12

Wake Forest at (16) Louisville - Cardinals by 13.5

Colorado at Baylor - Bears by 18

Bucknell at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 33.5

Virginia Tech at Boston College - Hokies by 21

San Diego State at Toledo - Rockets by 11

Colorado State at UTSA - Roadrunners by 19

UNLV at Akron - Zips by 14

Ball State at Kent State - Golden Flashes by 11

South Alabama at Kentucky - Wildcats by 15.5

Lindenwood at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 6.5

UCLA at Maryland - Terrapins by 8

(3) Notre Dame at Purdue - Irish by 6.5

Northern Illinois at Georgia State - Panthers by 39.5

Central Arkansas at Florida State - Seminoles by 29

Hawaii at Wyoming - Cowboys by 10.5

Oklahoma at (2) Georgia - Bulldogs by 9

(4) Ole Miss at (21) Florida - Gators by 9.5

(15) Utah at Iowa State - Cyclones by 8.5

(17) Iowa at (18) Michigan - Wolverines by 16.5

TCU at UCF - Knights by 16

William & Mary at Duke - Blue Devils by 28

Boise State at Western Michigan - WMU Broncos by 18

UConn at Miami (OH) - Redhawks by 7

New Mexico at New Mexico State - Lobos by 2.5

Robert Morris at Buffalo - Bulls by 15.5

Stonehill at Ohio - Bobcats by 17.5

Gardner-Webb at Marshall - Thundering Herd by 20.5

(25) Houston at Georgia Southern - Eagles by 5.5

NC Central at East Carolina - Pirates by 24.5

Vanderbilt at Auburn - Tigers by 14.5

Wisconsin at (13) Penn State - Nittany Lions by 29

Nebraska at Michigan State - Spartans by 9.5

South Florida at Bowling Green - Bulls by 18

Delaware at Virginia - Cavaliers by 13.5

Incarnate Word at Texas State - Bobcats by 16.5

Long Island at FIU - Golden Panthers by 23.5

James Madison at Old Dominion - Dukes by 2

Central Michigan at (6) Miami - Hurricanes by 42

Louisiana at Charlotte - 49ers by 6

South Carolina at (8) Alabama - Crimson Tide by 24

Kansas State at Cincinnati - Bearcats by 2.5

Oklahoma State at West Virginia - Mountaineers by 13

Southern Miss at Tulane - Green Wave by 22

Kennesaw State at Arkansas State - Red Wolves by 9.5

Mercyhurst at Western Kentucky - Hilltoppers by 6

Middle Tennessee at Jacksonville State - Gamecocks by 14

(23) Texas A&M at (10) LSU - Tigers by 25.5

(20) Oregon at (12) USC - Trojans by 12

Arizona at Washington State - Cougars by 3

Troy at Utah State - Trojans by 6

Houston Christian at North Texas - Mean Green by 18

App State at NC State - Wolfpack by 7.5

(19) Missouri at (24) Mississippi State - Bulldogs by 25

Tulsa at Arkansas - Golden Hurricane by 16

FAU at UL Monroe - Warhawks by 4.5

Missouri State at (22) SMU - Mustangs by 31

Oregon State at UTEP - Miners by 7.5

UMass at Sacramento State - Minutemen by 4

Rice at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 16.5

Georgia Tech at Stanford - Cardinal by 3

Air Force at Nevada - Falcons by 3.5

Minnesota at Washington - Gophers by 0.5

Sunday

LA Chargers at Buffalo - Bills by 26.5

Carolina at Cleveland - Panthers by 6.5

NY Jets at Detroit - Lions by 12

Houston at Indianapolis - Texans by 1

Kansas City at Miami - Chiefs by 20.5

Tennessee at NY Giants - Giants by 15

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - Bengals by 10

Seattle at Washington - Seahawks by 24.5

New England at Jacksonville - Patriots by 8.5

Arizona at San Francisco - 49ers by 21.5

Minnesota at Tampa Bay - Vikings by 15.5

Baltimore vs. Dallas - Ravens by 6

Las Vegas at New Orleans - Saints by 10

LA Rams at Denver - Rams by 6

Monday

Philadelphia at Chicago - Bears by 16

Results

NCAA: 58-17 (.773) 215-45 overall (.827)

Upsets: 2-11 (.154) 7-23 overall (.233)

NFL: 7-9 (.438) 16-16 overall (.500)

Upsets: 0-4 (.000) 0-7 overall (.000)

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #52 - Mariya Gorokhovskaya

Mariya Gorokhovskaya

USSR

Artistic Gymnastics

Overall Ranks

#12 among Gymnasts

#6 among Female Gymnasts

#6 among Soviet Olympians

#4 among Female Soviet Olympians

Olympic Results

1952

Individual All-Around - Gold

Team - Gold

Team Portable Apparatus - Silver

Floor Exercise - Silver

Vault - Silver

Uneven Bars - Silver

Balance Beam - Silver

Total

Events - 7

Gold - 2

Silver - 5

Mariya Kondratyevna Gorokhovskaya was born on October 17, 1921 in Yevpatoriya, USSR, which is now part of Ukraine. Due to World War II, and the Soviet Union not participating in the Olympics until 1952, she was 30 years old before she made her Olympic debut.

Those Olympics were held in Helsinki, and 6 of the 7 events were held concurrently. In the team event, the Soviet Union finished with the top score in 3 of the 4 sections, and had 7 of the top 9 scorers overall, so they ended up winning the gold medal over Hungary by 4.67 points.

In the individual all-around, Gorokhovskaya ended up with the top overall score, beating Nina Bocharova, her teammate, by 0.84 points to win another gold medal. In the floor exercise, she won the silver medal, coming in only behind Agnes Keleti (#110) of Hungary in that event. 

In the vault, the Soviets had the top 6 overall, and again, Gorokhovskaya came in second and got the silver, .01 points behind Yekaterina Kalinchuk. In the uneven bars, she finished 0.14 points behind Margit Korondi of Hungary to take home yet another silver. In the balance beam, she was beaten by Bocharova by 0.09 points, which earned her a 4th individual silver.

The next day, in the team portable apparatus event, which is basically what we know as rhythmic gymnastics today, the Soviets came in behind Sweden by 1.2 points, meaning that Gorokhovskaya had won her 5th silver medal, which is still the most for any athlete in a single Olympics in history. 

She competed just once more, at the 1954 World Championships, where she won a pair of medals before retiring and becoming a coach. In 1990, she emigrated to Israel, where she coached until she passed away on July 22, 2001 in Tel Aviv. She was the first woman ever to win 7 medals in a single Olympics, and it would be 69 years before her feat was matched. Even though she only competed in the Olympics once, she was so great in that appearance that she is definitely one of the greatest Olympians of all time.