Category: Spotlight

Eddie Tolan became the first Black athlete to win two Olympic gold medals

Although not the prototypical sprinter, Eddie Tolan almost always finished where sprinters wanted to be: first.

Ashleigh Johnson: first Black athlete to make U.S. Olympic Women’s Water Polo Team

A trailblazer in her sport, Ashleigh Johnson helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

An injury led April Holmes to rediscover her passion for sport

With a prosthetic left leg, April Holmes competed in four Paralympic Games, winning one gold medal and two bronze.

As a basketball player and coach, Junius Kellogg made a lasting mark

The first Black basketball player at Manhattan College, Kellogg famously exposed a point-shaving scandal. He later became a wheelchair basketball coach.

Bobsledder Vonetta Flowers: first Black athlete to win Olympic Winter gold

Vonetta Flowers paired with Jill Bakken to win the gold medal in bobsledding at Salt Lake 2002 – the first Olympic Winter gold medal ever won by a Black athlete.

Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes the first Muslim American woman to win Olympic medal

Fencing provided an opportunity to compete in sports and adhere to the tenets of her religion.

Virtual Exhibit: Jesse Owens’ incredible performance at Berlin 1936

Winning four gold medals at a single Olympic Games was a feat that went unmatched for 50 years

Bruce Karr had a blast at the inaugural Paralympic Games

Starting with Rome 1960, he participated in five Paralympic Games and won 12 gold medals.

Andy Soule becomes the first American to medal in Paralympic biathlon

Wounded while serving in Afghanistan, he took up cross-country skiing and five years later competed at Vancouver 2010.

Sam Kendricks comes to a patriotic stop

A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, pole vaulter Sam Kendrick stopped in the middle of his approach when he heard the Star Spangled Banner.