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Olympic Games- 1960 Rome

Olympic Games- 1960 Rome

Rome narrowly missed hosting the 1908.  This ancient city had all the natural attractions to give the event due ambience and gravitas.

The marathon started on Capitol hill and finished not in the stadium but on the Appian way.  The event was won by the first of many great Ethopian runners Abebe Bikila.  He was born on the 7th August 1932, the day of the Los Angeles Olympic marathon.   Back in 1960 no-one had realized the potential of this small country to produce great distance runners and it was a hug surprise that the unknown barefoot Abebe Bikila won the marathon.  However he proved it no fluke by winning the again at the Tokyo Olympics.

Anita Lonsbrough must have been some swimmer, because she beat the Americans and Australians who between them, won every other race.

Yachting always holds a strange fascination for me.  Firstly I cannot see how one man or women can consistently beat the rest when the all have identical boats.  But the main reason I am fascinated is that older, not athletic types often win the races.  In 1960, crown prince, later King Constantine of Greece, won a gold medal in the Dragon class.  There was only one person who dared to give him the traditional winners ducking - his mother Queen Frederika.  (I cannot visualise Queen Elizabeth ever giving any of her children a royal ducking in public.)

On the track Peter Snell and Herb Elliot defied the heat to win the 800M and 1500M respectively.  Wilma Rudolph caught the eye in the women's 100 and 200M sprints.  In fact Wilma had an inspirational tale to tell, she recovered from childhood polio.