Sports & Games Flashcards
English
Ran the first recorded 4-minute mile in city of Oxford while studying medicine (1954)
First Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year”
ROGER BANNISTER
Australian cricketer
1930s-40s
Considered the best cricketer of all time
DONALD BRADMAN
Retired from NASCAR in 2015
#24
JEFF GORDON
Famed Indian cricket batsman
Retired 2013
SACHIN TENDULKAR
Won 3 track medals at a single Olympics (1960 in Rome), and was the first American woman to do so
Had polio as a child
WILMA RUDOLPH
American sprinter
Won golds and set records at Seoul’s 1988 Olympics
Spouse of Al Joyner
FLORENCE GRIFFITH (JOYNER)
American athlete
Won gold in HEPTATHLON & LONG JUMP in Seoul 1988
Won gold in HEPTATHLON in Barcelona 1992
Married her coach, Bob Kersee
Sister of Al
JACKIE JOYNER (KERSEE)
Romanian-American gymnastics coach
Coached Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, & Kerri Strug (whom he carried to the podium)
Defected to the US in 1981
BELA KAROLYI
American skier
Youngest ever slalom gold medalist at 18 (Sochi 2014)
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN
American skier
First American woman to win a downhill gold (Vancouver 2010)
Most women’s world cup wins
Nee Kildow
LINDSEY VONN
Japanese figure skater
1989 world champion
MIDORI ITO
American skateboarder
Nicknamed “Birdman”
Achieved the first “900” (move) in competition
Namesake of a popular video game franchise
TONY HAWK
Romanian gymnast
At Montreal 1976, age 14, got a historic ‘perfect 10’ in the uneven parallel bars
Coached by Bela Karolyi
Proponent of the Special Olympics
NADIA COMANECI
American gymnast
All-Around gold at 1984 LA Olympics
Coached by Bela Karolyi
MARY LOU RETTON
American gymnast
In 1996 Atlanta Olympics, stuck the landing, injured ankle, and helped team get gold
Carried to the podium by coach Bela Karolyi
KERRI STRUG
German Formula 1 driver (retired)
7 world championships
Brother of Ralf, also a driver
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
1st woman to win an IndyCar race, 2008
2005 Indycar & Indy500 Rookie of the Year
1st woman to lead an Indy 500 lap
Moved to NASCAR in 2011
DANICA PATRICK
NASCAR driver
#24
Retired in 2015
JEFF GORDON
NASCAR driver
#3
Died in 2001 of injuries from Daytona 500
Son “Jr.” also a NASCAR driver
DALE EARNHARDT (SR.)
Swedish golfer
Dominant in 1990s-2008 (retired)
Tops LPGA’s career money list (>$22 million)
Lowest score in LPGA history, 59 over 18 holes
Sister Charlotta also golfs
ANNIKA SORENSTAM
Golfer nicknamed “The Big Fijian”
First name means “victory” in Hindi
VIJAY SINGH
South African golfer
One of the big 3 of the ’60s
Won SA Open 13 times
GARY PLAYER
Filipino boxer & politician
Lefty
Nicknamed “Pac Man”
MANNY PACQUIAO
Multisport “Wonder Girl”
Medals in hurdles, javelin, & high jump at 1932 LA Olympics
10 LPGAs (40s-50s)
“BABE” DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS
Started playing soccer at 15 (1987)
University of North Carolina Tarheel
158 international goals
Nike building named for her
Nee “Mariel Margaret”
Spouse Nomar Garciaparra
“MIA” HAMM
Basque sport
Played to either 7 or 9 points
Considered fastest ball game (>200mph)
Popular in Florida
Played with a pelota (ball) & cesta (basket) on a fronton (3-wall court)
JAI ALAI
French for “railroad” (due to its speed)
Variety of baccarat
CHEMIN DE FER
“CHEMMY”
Casino card game
Has a “player” and “banker”
Max points per hand is 9
Varieties include punto banco, chemin de fer
Appears in Casino Royale (“The game is…”)
Also the name of a French glassmaker
BACCARAT
1st black man to win singles at Wimbledon, US Open, & Australian Open
Wrote memoir “Days of Grace”
Died in 1993 due to AIDS
Won a posthumous Medal of Freedom
Stadium named after him at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens is the site of US Open
ARTHUR ASHE (JR.)
Russian tennis player
Never won a single
Won some doubles with partner Martina Hingis
Often called a “beauty”
ANNA KOURNIKOVA