PEOPLE WE SHOULD KNOW...

HÉLÈNE DE POURTALÈS

Known as the first woman to compete and win a gold medal in the Olympics. She was born in New York City, although her marriage to the Swiss Count de Pourtalès allowed her to compete for Switzerland during the 1900 Summer Olympics. She competed with a sailing crew on a boat called The Lérina. The Lérina’s crew included Hélène, her husband, and his nephew. The crew won a gold and silver medal, making Hélène the first female in history to win Olympic gold.

USAIN BOLT

A Jamaican Olympian known as the fastest sprinter of all time. Even though he was injured during his first Olympics in 2004, he came back for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and was faster than ever! He won gold medals for the 100 and 200-meter sprints and helped his team win the gold for the 4x100-meter relay. He came back to win gold medals in all three events at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Even though Rio 2016 was his last Olympics, he still holds the world record for the fastest 100-meter and 200-meter sprints!

JIM THORPE

A multi-talented athlete and actor who became known as one of the greatest competitors of all time. At the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, he won a gold medal for the Decathlon, which included a 100-meter sprint, the long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter sprint, and discus. He made history and set a world record with 8,412 points, a record that stood for 36 years! After the Olympics, he played semi-professional baseball and professional football and was the first president of the NFL.

MICHAEL PHELPS

An American swimmer known
for his record-setting performances in the Olympics. He has won 28 Olympic medals and has set new world records over and over. He is best known for the 2004 Olympics
in Athens where he won six gold medals. He won another eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and set seven world records. By the time he retired after the 2016 Olympics in Rio, he had won 23 gold medals and set world records that still stand today.