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First Modern (Summer) Olympics
Held in Athens, Greece.
(https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896) -
George Coleman Poage: Olympic Medals
First African American to medal at the Olympics. Won bronze in both the 440-yard hurdles and 220-yard hurdles.
There was some controversy over him competing in the games as there had been calls for black athletes to not compete in the games because separate facilities had been built for African American spectators.
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/poage-george-coleman-1880-1962/ -
John Baxter Taylor: First African American Gold Medalist
Won 4x400 gold medal in the 1908 Olympic Games in London. He was the first African American to win a gold medal.
https://www.thoughtco.com/john-baxter-taylor-biography-45222 -
First Winter Olympics
Held in Chamonix, France.
https://www.history.com/topics/sports/winter-olympics-history -
Jesse Owens: 1936 Olympics in Berlin
Won 4 medals in the 100, 200, long jump, 4 x 100
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ouprKFnl4) -
Alice Coachman: Olympic Gold
First African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Won the high jump in 1948 London Olympics.
https://www.teamusa.org/Hall-of-Fame/Hall-of-Fame-Members/Alice-Coachman -
Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Medals
1956: Bronze in 4 x 100m relay.
1960 Rome: 3 Gold Medals
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wilma-rudolph -
Muhammad Ali: Boxing Olympic Gold
Muhammad Ali won gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/individuals/muhammad-ali -
Debi Thomas: Bronze Medal in Figure Skating
First African American to earn a medal at the winter Olympics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmdEFrn3OY -
Florence Griffith Joyner "FloJo": Olympic Medals
1984 Los Angeles: Silver Medal
1988 Seoul: 3 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal
https://www.teamusa.org/Hall-of-Fame/Hall-of-Fame-Members/Florence-Griffith-Joyner -
Vonetta Flowers: Bobsled Gold Medal
Won the first women's bobsled event at the Olympics along with her partner Jill Bakken. She also became the first black athlete to win an Olympic Gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
https://olympics.com/en/athletes/vonetta-flowers -
Shani Davis: Individual Gold
Shani Davis was the first African American to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics. He won gold in 1000m speed skating.
http://www.shanidavis.org/biography/ -
Jordan Greenway: Hockey
First African American on US Hockey Olympic Team in 2018.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/655025/black-winter-olympic-athletes