The American team dominated almost every event at the 3rd Olympic Games, held at Francis Field in St. Louis in 1904. One athlete, Ray Ewry, distinguished himself in all three Games between 1900 and 1908, achieving the longest Standing Long Jump and the highest Standing High Jump in each. His gold medals in the 1900 and 1904 Standing Triple Jump brought Ewry’s career medal count to eight, solidifying him as one of America’s most important early Olympic athletes. Ray Ewry stamp issued July 6, 1990

Jim Thorpe, a Native American and one of America’s greatest athletes of the twentieth century, came home a hero after winning gold medals in the traditional Pentathlon and Decathlon events at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe became the first athlete to win both the Pentathlon and Decathlon at a single modern Olympic Games. 32-cent Jim Thorpe stamp issued February 3, 1998

The 1920 Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium, marked the first time in the Modern Era that the host country did not achieve the highest medal count by the conclusion of the Games. The United States’ overall first place ranking by medal count at the 1920 Games included a gold medal won by boxer Eddie Eagan. The matches were held at the Antwerp Zoo. The 25-cent Eddie Eagan stamp was issued July 6, 1990

Twelve years after his boxing victory in Antwerp, Eagan competed in the four-man bobsled event in the first Winter Olympic Games hosted in the United States at Lake Placid, New York. Incredibly, Eagan along with his teammates succeeded in placing first in the event and earning an Olympic gold medal. Eddie Eagan is the only American to win a gold medal in a Summer and Winter Olympic Games. 1972 Olympic Games Bobsled stamp issued August 17, 1972

Two American women made their mark on American sports history at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, CA. Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, a Renaissance Sportswoman, competed in the Women’s Javelin Throw, 80-meter Hurdles and the High Jump. Zaharias won a gold medal in the first two events and a silver medal in the High Jump event. Babe Zaharias stamp issued September 22, 1981

The second American woman who excelled at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games was swimmer Helene Madison. Competing in the Women’s 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, Madison won gold medals and set Olympic or world records in each event. Her dominance of Women’s swimming before the 1932 Olympic Games earned her the first Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1931. Helene Madison stamp issued July 6, 1990

Believed by many to be the most important American Olympic athlete of the 20th c., Jesse Owens' remarkable achievements at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin foreshadowed the Allies triumph over the Axis Powers in WWII. Owens stunned the world, capturing four gold medals in track and field (100-meter, 200-meter, long jump and 4x100-meter relay). Owens became the first American track and field athlete to garner four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Owens' stamp issued September 10, 1998

Entering the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviet Union’s hockey team was favored to win it all, having won gold at five of the past six Winter Olympic Games with a team made up of the best players in the world. The US team were amateurs from the inter-collegiate level. In a pre-Olympics game, the Soviets trounced them ten to three. But 13 days later, and after the Soviets won every match leading to the medal round, the American team celebrated an incredible “miracle-like” four to three victory.

In 1968, the Chicago Park District and the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Foundation sponsored the First International Special Olympics Games for one thousand participants. Since then, it has grown into the largest program for sports training and athletic competition in the world for mentally challenged persons. Today, with the assistance of hundreds of thousands of volunteers worldwide, more than 3,000,000 children and adults participate in year-round athletic programs. Stamp issued in 2000

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