The 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the first to be held since 1936 because
of World War II, generated a number of intriguing stories. Dutch sprinter Fanny
Blankers-Koen dominated in the women's short distance events winning the 100m
dash, the 200m dash, the 80m hurdles and the 4x100m relay.
Micheline Ostermeyer, a French concert pianist, proved that she was just as
talented on the stage as she was on the field winning a pair of gold medals in
the shot put and discus. And 17-year-old Bob Mathias of the U.S. clinched the
decathlon, carving out a niche for himself in Olympic lore as the youngest man
to win an athletics event.
Of all the tales to emerge from the Games, however, perhaps the most
captivating was that of Hungarian pistol shooter Karoly Takacs. Having lost the
ability to shoot with his right hand after a grenade exploded in it in 1938,
Takacs won the rapid-fire pistol event shooting with his left. In the medal
count, the U.S. defeated Sweden 84-44.
