Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #74 - Harrison Dillard

Harrison Dillard

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#23 among American Olympians

#19 among Track & Field Athletes

#16 among Male American Olympians

#14 among Male Track & Field Athletes

#11 among American Male Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

1948

100m - Gold

4x100m Relay - Gold

1952

110m Hurdles - Gold

4x100m Relay - Gold

Total

Events - 4

Gold - 4

William Harrison Dillard was born on July 8, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended the same high school that Jesse Owens had once attended, and dreamed of following him into Olympic stardom. In 1943, he was drafted into the Army, and fought in Italy during World War II. He returned to college after the war, and resumed running, still aiming for the Olympics.

By the time the 1948 Olympic trials came around, Dillard had won 82 hurdle races in a row, but in the final, he tripped over a hurdle and failed to qualify for the Olympic team. Rather than quit, he entered the 100m race, taking third place to qualify for a spot in the Olympics.

Entering the 100m race in the Olympics, the favorites were Mel Patton of the USA and Lloyd LaBeach of Panama, who had split wins in every recent race they had entered. Dillard won his prelim heat, then had the best time in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, giving him a spot in the 6-man final. He ended up leading the final from start to finish, with Barney Ewell, who had come in second in the US Olympic trials, closing the gap at the end but falling short, as Dillard tied the world record of 10.3 seconds while he won the gold. This race was the first in Olympic history to use a photo finish to determine the winner.

In the 4x100m relay, Dillard ran the third leg in both rounds, with the Americans winning easily both times. In the final they won by 0.7 seconds over Great Britain, but then it was announced that the first handoff had happened outside the legal zone, and the team was disqualified. After an appeal and review of the video, the USA's win was reinstated 3 days later.

Over the next 4 years, he maintained his status as the best hurdler in the world, and this time, he qualified for the Olympics in his signature event. He set a new Olympic record in the prelim round, then broke it again in the final, running the race in 13.7 seconds, finishing just ahead of teammate Jack Davis to win his third gold medal.

He was also chosen to run in the 4x100m relay again, this time in the second slot. He ran in all 3 rounds, and in the final, the Soviets took the lead early, then Dillard closed the gap slightly during his leg, before Lindy Remigio, the American 100m gold medalist, took the lead near the end of the final curve, and Andy Stanfield (#105 in this countdown) put it away on the anchor leg to win gold.

After failing to qualify for the 1956 Olympics, Dillard retired from racing. He later worked for the Cleveland Indians in scouting and public relations, and hosted a local radio show as well. He passed away in Cleveland on November 15, 2019, and at the time he was the oldest living American gold medalist. He is the only man to ever win both the 100m and the 110 hurdles in his Olympic career, which alone makes him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #75 - Mario Zanin

Mario Zanin

Italy

Road Cycling

Overall Ranks

#4 among Italian Olympians

#4 among Road Cyclists

#3 among Italian Cyclists

Olympic Results

1964

Road Race - Gold

Total

Events - 1

Gold - 1

Mario Zanin was born on July 3, 1940 in Santa Lucia di Piave, Italy, and grew up playing soccer until he broke an ankle, at which point he switched to cycling. Prior to his appearance in the Olympics, he had won a couple of amateur races in Italy, including the national amateur road race in 1964.

He competed in the road race in 1964 in Tokyo, on an interesting course. It consisted of 8 laps of a 24 km course, which featured only one difficult climb, and due to that, and rainy weather on the day of the race, no one was ever able to separate from the pack for long. Each time a rider tried to break away, he was quickly pulled back into the pack, and by the end, there were 99 riders who finished within 0.2 seconds of each other. Zanin was one of two in the pack who was able to separate right before the finish, but only by a little over a bicycle length, and he was able to edge out Kjell Rodian of Denmark for the gold medal.

He turned pro soon after the Olympics, but his only professional victory was a single stage of the Vuelta a Espana, Spain's version of the Tour de France, before his retirement in 1968. Even though he only competed in a single event in his Olympic career, and it was an extremely close win, his ability to pull away from the pack when it mattered made him one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #76 - Angelo Taylor

Angelo Taylor

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#24 among American Olympians

#20 among Track & Field Athletes

#17 among Male American Olympians

#15 among Male Track & Field Athletes

#12 among American Male Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

2000

400m Hurdles - Gold

4x400m Relay - Gold*

2008

400m Hurdles - Gold

4x400m Relay - Gold

2012

4x400m Relay - Silver

Total

Events - 7

Gold - 4*

Silver - 1

*1 Gold medal stripped due to positive drug test by teammate

Angelo F Taylor Jr was born on December 29, 1978 in Albany, Georgia, and began running the hurdles in high school, then went to Georgia Tech, where he won the NCAA title in 1998 after finishing as runner-up the year before. He won a gold medal at the 1999 World Championships in the 4x400m relay, but the medal was later stripped when teammate Antonio Pettigrew was caught using PEDs.

Taylor qualified for his first Olympic team in 2000, running the best time in the world that year at the Olympic trials. He was a co-favorite entering the 400m hurdles, along with Llewellyn Herbert of South Africa, and after winning his prelim heat, he came in second to Herbert in their semifinal, but both qualified for the final. Taylor ran the final on the inside lane, and was in the middle of the pack halfway through, but sped up to get into second place by the 8th hurdle, then sprinted to the finish to beat Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily of Saudi Arabia by .03 seconds in a photo finish for the gold.

He also ran the second leg in the first two rounds of the 4x400m relay that year, helping the American team qualify for the final, where they were big favorites, and they won the final by more than 2 seconds over Nigeria. That gold medal was later rescinded in 2008 when Pettigrew admitted to using PEDs at the time, and it has since been revealed that every runner on that team but Taylor and Michael Johnson was cheating at the time.

He also lost his 4x400m gold medal from the 2001 World Championships due to the same issue. He failed to qualify for the 2003 World Championships, but still made the 2004 Olympic team to defend his hurdle gold. He won his prelim heat, but came in 4th in his semifinal heat, and missed out on making the final by about half a second.

In 2007, he won a World Championship bronze in the regular 400m, along with another gold in the 4x400m relay, and this one he got to keep. He made the 2008 Olympic team, but his teammate, Kerron Clement, was considered the favorite in the 400m hurdles. Taylor had the fastest time in the semifinal round, and didn't give anyone else a chance in the final, pulling away early, and by the time Clement made his move, it was too late, and Taylor had won by 0.73 seconds.

He also ran in the 4x400m relay, where the USA was expected to win big, as they had swept the medals in both the 400m and the 400m hurdle events. Taylor ran the anchor leg in the prelim, but had such a huge lead that he just coasted to the finish. In the final, he ran the second leg, and was given a full second lead, which he held, and the Americans ended up winning by more than 2.5 seconds, giving him a relay gold that was not taken away.

He won a couple more relay golds at the World Championships before heading to his 4th Olympics in 2012, where he was team captain. In the 400m hurdles, he won his prelim and barely lost in his semi, but still made the final. In the final, he led through the 7th hurdle, but he switched legs over the next hurdle, and it threw off his rhythm, and he ended up finishing in 5th.

In the 4x400m relay, the Americans were not the favorites for the first time in memory, due to having a couple of their best runners unavailable due to injury. Taylor was asked to run the anchor leg in the final, and after Tony McQuay ran an amazing leg to pull the US into the lead by a half second, Taylor took the baton. He ran a good leg, but Ramon Miller of the Bahamas was faster, and passed him on the homestretch, leaving the US to take home the silver medal.

He retired after the Olympics and became a youth track coach, which was unfortunately illegal, because he had been convicted in 2006 of molesting multiple 15-year-old girls. When the US Center for SafeSport finally noticed, he was given a lifetime ban from participating in any capacity with events involving minors. Even though he is not a good person, he was a great athlete, winning 4 gold medals, two of them individually, and was one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #77 - Diana Taurasi

Diana Taurasi

USA

Basketball

Overall Ranks

#25 among American Olympians

#8 among Female American Olympians

#1 among Basketball Players

Olympic Results

2004

Women - Gold

2008

Women - Gold

2012

Women - Gold

2016

Women - Gold

2020

Women - Gold

2024

Women - Gold

Total

Events - 6

Gold - 6

Diana Lorena Taurasi was born on June 11, 1982 in Glendale, California, to parents who had emigrated from Argentina. She was named the National Player of the Year in high school, then attended UConn, where she won 3 consecutive national championships, and won 2 straight NCAA Player of the Year awards as well as 2 awards for Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament. 

She was the #1 overall draft pick by the Phoenix Mercury in 2004, and was also named to the USA Olympic team. She was a starter on that team, which won its 8 games by an average of 25 points each, with only Russia getting close, losing by 4 in the semifinal. They cruised to the gold medal, and then she made her WNBA debut, and won Rookie of the Year.

She led the WNBA in scoring in 2006, then won a championship in 2007. She was again a starter on the 2008 Olympic team, where she started every game and was 3rd on the team in scoring, and the team was even more dominant than before, winning by an average of 38 points per game, with their closest win again coming against Russia, this time by 15 points in the semifinal.

Taurasi led the WNBA in scoring in each of the next 4 seasons, and in 2009 was the regular season and Finals MVP as she won her second championship. In 2012, she was the leading scorer for the American Olympic team, which won its 8 games by an average of 35 points per game, with a 13-point win over Australia in the semifinal the closest they came to a loss.

In 2014 Taurasi won her third WNBA championship, leading the league in assists that year, and winning her second Finals MVP award. In 2016, she again led the American Olympic team in scoring, with 15.6 per game, the highest of her Olympic career, and the team again dominated everybody, winning by 37 points per game, with France coming within 19 in the semifinal as the closest result.

She competed in the Olympics again in 2021, though she took on a lesser role, but it didn't really matter. The Americans won their games by an average of 16 points, with only one opponent coming within single digits, and she and Sue Bird together became the first to win 5 gold medals in the same team event.

She played in one final Olympics in 2024, though she hardly saw the court, and only scored 5 total points throughout the tournament, but they didn't really need her on the court as much as they needed her veteran presence. They again won their games by an average of 16 points, though they nearly lost in the final, beating France by a single point. With that victory, Taurasi became the first Olympian ever to win 6 gold medals in a single team event.

She retired after the 2024 season, and is the WNBA's all-time scoring leader, a three-time champion in both the pros and in college, a two-time Championship MVP in both the pros and college, two-time college player of the year, one-time WNBA MVP, and the only 6-time Olympic basketball champion. There is no doubt that she is one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

NCAA Football Predictions - 29 Aug

Upset picks are in italics.

North Carolina vs. TCU - Horned Frogs by 13

San Jose State at (14) USC - Trojans by 30

NC State at Virginia - Cavaliers by 6

Jacksonville State at North Dakota State - Gamecocks by 8.5

Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 9.5

Hawaii at Stanford - Cardinal by 1

New Mexico State at Florida State - Seminoles by 23

Memphis at UNLV - Rebels by 0.5

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #78 - Valentina Vezzali

Valentina Vezzali

Italy

Fencing

Overall Ranks

#5 among Fencers

#5 among Italian Olympians

#2 among Italian Fencers

#1 among Female Fencers

#1 among Female Italian Olympians

Olympic Results

1996

Individual Foil - Silver

Team Foil - Gold

2000

Individual Foil - Gold

Team Foil - Gold

2004

Individual Foil - Gold

2008

Individual Foil - Gold

Team Foil - Bronze

2012

Individual Foil - Bronze

Team Foil - Gold

Total

Events - 9

Gold - 6

Silver - 1

Bronze - 2

Maria Valentina Vezzali was born on February 14, 1974 in Jesi, Italy, and began her fencing training with her father when she was a young girl, and quickly proved to be talented at it. She competed in her first world championship at age 19, finishing 6th, which would be the worst finish in any event in her entire career.

She finished 2nd in the World Championships in 1994, and 3rd in 1995, so she was one of the main medal contenders heading to Atlanta in 1996 for her first Olympics. The individual foil event was contested as a single-elimination tournament, with each bout going to 15 touches. As the #1 seed, Vezzali had a bye in the first round, then had a couple of close early matches before winning 15-10 in the quarterfinal and 15-7 in the semifinal. In the final, she faced Laura Badea of Romania, the defending world champion, and she ended up falling 15-10, leaving her with a silver medal.

The team event was also single-elimination, and Italy was the #1 seed, as they had two of the top 3 in the individual event. They destroyed China 45-24 in the quarterfinal, then had a close call against Hungary before beating Romania in the final 45-33, avenging their losses to Badea in the individual event and taking home the gold.

In 1999, she finally won her first World Championship gold in individual foil, after getting other medals in the previous three, and she was the favorite in Sydney in 2000, again starting as the #1 seed. This time, she made easy work of the entire competition, never allowing an opponent to score more than 8 touches, and winning the final 15-5 to take home a dominant gold medal, her first individual Olympic gold.

In the team event, Italy was again the top seed, thanks to again having two medalists on the team. They won all three of their matches without much trouble, scoring at least 6 points more than each opponent, and they successfully defended their gold medal from Atlanta.

She won the next two World Championships, running her total to 3 in a row, and was again the favorite in Athens. The team events are held on a rotating basis, so there was no team event that year, so she made the most of her time in the individual. She made it back to the final again without allowing an opponent to score more than 8, but her final match was closer, facing teammate and 2-time bronze medalist Giovanna Trillini. The score went back and forth, but Vezzali pulled away at the end to win 15-11 for a repeat gold.

She won 2 more World Championships before the Olympics headed to Beijing in 2008, and she was the #1 seed for the 4th straight time in the individual foil. She once again dominated all the way to the final, where she faced Nam Hyeon-Hui of South Korea. The bout was a defensive struggle, and was tied at 5 with just a few seconds left when Vezzali scored the winning touch to take her third straight gold medal, becoming the first athlete ever to win the event three times in a row.

The Italians were again heavy favorites in the team event, with 3 of the top 4 individuals, and they beat the Chinese hosts easily to reach the semifinal, but they were surprised by the Russians in the semifinal, losing a low-scoring battle 22-21, with Vezzali scoring 13 of her team's points. They rebounded to beat Hungary 32-23 in the bronze medal match, but it was still a disappointment for the favorites.

In the 2009 World Championships, she failed to medal for the first time since 1993, when she was a rookie. She bounced back to win again in 2011, but she was starting to show a little weakness. In London in 2012, she was the #2 seed, behind Nam, but it didn't matter much in the early rounds, as she easily reached the semifinals again. In the semifinal, however, she was upset by Arianna Errigo, also from Italy, losing 15-12, and was forced to face Nam again, this time for bronze rather than gold. She would take care of business, winning another close match 13-12, giving her a fifth straight medal in the individual foil event.

Italy won all 3 medals in the individual event, so they were heavy favorites in the team foil. They destroyed the host Brits 42-14, then did the same to the French, 45-22, to advance to the final. They faced Russia in the final, and they got their revenge, beating them 45-31, giving Vezzali a third gold medal in the team event, and a 6th overall. 

She was elected to the Italian Parliament in 2013, but continued to compete, winning several medals in the World Championships, but after she failed to make the Olympic team in 2016, she retired from competition. She competed in 9 Olympic events over 5 Games, and won medals in every single one, six of them gold, and she is one of only 5 athletes in history to win a medal in the same individual event at 5 straight Olympics, making her easily one of the greatest Olympians of all time.

 

Top 150 Olympic Athletes: #79 - Kenny Harrison

Kenny Harrison

USA

Athletics

Overall Ranks

#26 among American Olympians

#21 among Track & Field Athletes

#18 among Male American Olympians

#16 among Male Track & Field Athletes

#13 among American Male Track & Field Athletes

Olympic Results

1996

Triple Jump - Gold

Total

Events - 1

Gold - 1

Kerry Lorenzo Harrison, who goes by Kenny, was born on February 13, 1965 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was a track star in high school, before going south to Kansas State University, where he won 3 NCAA titles, one in long jump and two in triple jump.

He won the 1991 World Championship in the triple jump, and was preparing to participate in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona when he suffered a knee injury that required surgery. After rehabbing from surgery, he began competing in preparation for the 1996 Olympics, and he spent the three years leading up to the games ranked #2 in the world.

He was healthy when the 1996 Olympics came around, and was expected to compete with Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain, the world record holder who was ranked #1 in the world. In the preliminary round, he 17.58 meters on his first jump, which was 0.38 meters better than the second-best, by defending champion Mike Conley (father of the basketball player). 

In the final round, where there were 12 jumpers, Harrison jumped 17.99 on his first jump, which would have been enough to win on its own, but on his third jump, he set a new Olympic record of 18.09 meters, while Edwards only managed a best jump of 17.88, giving Harrison the upset gold. At the time, it was the second-longest jump in history, and today, it still ranks #5. It was also the longest jump ever into a headwind until 2024, when Jordan Diaz of Spain jumped 18.18.

He competed for a couple more years, but decided to retire in 1998. His gold medal jump in 1996 is still the Olympic record 30 years later, and it's bigger because he beat the world record holder head to head to accomplish it, making him one of the greatest Olympians of all time, with only one event to his name.