John Akii-Bua Biography The John Akii-Bua Biography: Uganda’s Only Olympic Champion, Came Home to Nothing John Akii-Bua was one of 43 children, became Uganda’s first and only Olympic gold medallist in 1972, was celebrated by Idi Amin and then persecuted by him, fled through roadblocks with his pregnant wife — whose baby died in the … Read more
Nawal El Moutawakel Biography The Nawal El Moutawakel Biography: 54 Seconds in Los Angeles Changed What an Arab Woman Was Allowed to Be Nawal El Moutawakel won Morocco’s first Olympic gold medal in 54.61 seconds on August 8 1984 — the first Arab, African and Muslim woman to win Olympic gold. The King of Morocco … Read more
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Biography The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Biography: From Backyard Camp to Most Inclusive Movement in Sport Eunice Kennedy Shriver grew up swimming and sailing with her intellectually disabled sister Rosemary — then watched Rosemary be lobotomised and hidden from the world. She spent the rest of her life making sure that never happened … Read more
Wilma Rudolph Biography The Wilma Rudolph Biography: From crippled, She Became the Fastest Woman on Earth Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children, paralysed by polio at four, told she would never walk, running with a leg brace at eight, sprinting at eleven. In Rome 1960 she became the first American woman to win … Read more
The Hassiba Boulmerka Biography: She Ran Away and Won the Olympic Gold. Hassiba Boulmerka was spat on, stoned, and denounced from mosques for running in standard athletic gear during Algeria’s Black Decade. Death threats from Islamist militants forced her to train in exile. She won two World Championships and Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal — … Read more
The Ibtihaj Muhammad Biography: The Girl Who Found Fencing and Changed Olympic Forever. Ibtihaj Muhammad tried swimming, volleyball, tennis, and softball. Every uniform violated her faith. At thirteen she looked across a school parking lot, saw a fencer in full-body gear, and understood immediately. Twenty-three years later she stood on an Olympic podium wearing a … Read more
Jim Abbott Biography The Jim Abbott Biography: He Threw a No-Hitter in Baseball Jim Abbott was born without a right hand, bounced a rubber ball off a brick wall for hours to teach himself to pitch and catch with the same hand, won Olympic gold, became the first baseball player to win the Sullivan Award, … Read more
The Surya Bonaly Biography The Surya Bonaly Biography: She Did the Backflip First. Surya Bonaly was the first person to land a backflip on one blade at the Olympics in 1998. She was penalised, finished 10th, and called “too athletic” for a sport that rewarded delicacy over power. In February 2026, Ilia Malinin did the … Read more
The Eric Moussambani Biography: He Could Not Swim Properly But Changed Olympics. Eric Moussambani trained three hours a week in a 13-metre hotel pool in Equatorial Guinea, had never seen a 50-metre Olympic pool, wore borrowed shorts and goggles on race day, nearly drowned completing his heat, and won it anyway when both opponents were … Read more