1948 London Olympics: Tribute to Jim Thorpe and Athletic Legacy
The article from the July 1948 Sportfolio highlights key figures in Olympic history, particularly Jim Thorpe, James Connolly, and John Hayes, in the context of the Olympic Games. Jim Thorpe, an Indigenous American athlete, is noted for winning the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912, and is often regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. His accomplishments were later overshadowed by controversy when his victories were stripped due to his professional baseball career. The article also mentions James Connolly, a Harvard University student, who achieved fame in the 1896 Athens Olympics by winning the hop-step-jump, becoming the first modern Olympic champion. Additionally, it discusses John Hayes, the last U.S. marathon champion, who won gold in 1908 after a controversial ruling involving an Italian runner.