They've sprinted, served, batted, slam-dunked and TKO'd their way into sports history. Sprinter Jesse Owens's Olympic triumphs put Hitler to shame. Basketball star Michael Jordan taught kids that they could fly. Gymnast Gabby Douglas showed that champions can come in pint-size packages, and Tiger Woods brought the game of golf to another level. Explore biographies of famous black athletes who broke records and barriers and, ultimately, captured our imaginations.
Find out more about some of the world's boxing legends, including Muhammad Ali, Rubin Carter, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jake LaMotta, Joe Frazier and Vincent Gigante. Examine the lives of some of the most talented boxers to step foot in the ring in recent years, including Laila Ali, Mike Tyson, Claressa Shields and Floyd Mayweather. Find all of this, and more, in Biography.com's famous boxers group.
They've sprinted, kicked, backflipped, triple-lutzed, and TKO'd their way into sports history. Learn more about notable female athletes such as Bonnie Blair, Hope Solo, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Meet famous people past and present who were born in the month of March. Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Alexander Graham Bell, Eric Clapton, Billy Crystal, Shaquille O'Neal are just some of the folks who share a March birthday.
The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games set the stage for fierce competition among the world's top athletes in track and field, boxing, gymnastics, soccer, swimming and basketball, among other sports. Explore Biography.com's list of Olympic 2012 Athletes, from swimmers Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte to javelin-throwing beauty Leryn Franco, to swift track stars Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sanya Richards-Ross, and more.
Boxing was first introduced as an Olympic event at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Since then, the Games have introduced us to future boxing legends. In 1960, boxer Muhammad Ali won a spot on the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, returning home that year with a gold medal. At the 1976 Olympics, Sugar Ray Leonard won the gold medal in light-waterweight boxing, with the heavyweight title awarded to Leon Spinks. These men join the group of fighters, from George Foreman to Floyd Mayweather, who have made history in their run for Olympic Gold. Biography looks at some of the hardest hitters in Olympic boxing history.
Olympic medal winners have wowed us with their athleticism and determination and have made history with some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history. From Bruce Jenner's 1972 world record victory lap to Michael Phelps's astounding eight medal sweep at the 2008 Beijing Games, these champions have proven they have what it takes to be the best. Here's a look at some of the most well-known medal winners from past and present Olympic Games.