Memorize these and you could recognize 26.5% of all Olympics clues.
| # | Answer | Appearances | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the marathon | 10 | In 1984 Joan Benoit of the U.S. was the first to win this new event |
| 2 | the decathlon | 10 | In 1952 Bob Mathias became the 1st man in Olympic history to win this event twice |
| 3 | Berlin | 9 | Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympische Spiele" or "Olympia" chronicled the games held in this city |
| 4 | Greece | 7 | In 1896 games, only men in the navy of this host country could enter the 100m freestyle for sailors |
| 5 | rhythmic gymnastics | 7 | Floor area, bodysuit, a ball, a hoop or a ribbon |
| 6 | Eric Heiden | 6 | This gold medal speed skater rejected a $400,000 offer to appear on Kellogg's cereal boxes |
| 7 | the long jump | 6 | It's said after Bob Beamon's 1968 world record, a competitor remarked, "You have destroyed this event" |
| 8 | the biathlon | 6 | In some events of this competition, each miss requires a 150-meter penalty lap |
| 9 | Jim Thorpe | 5 | In 1912 this Native American won the decathlon & pentathlon |
| 10 | Helsinki | 5 | 1952 summer games(kayakers Wires & Hietanen win homeland gold) |
| 11 | Greg Louganis | 5 | Samoan-American from Mission Viejo, Cal. who, in 1984, took all the gold for men's diving |
| 12 | fencing | 5 | World champion Giovanna Trillini of Italy "foiled" her opponent to win an individual gold in this sport |
| 13 | Barcelona | 5 | Si! Si! The Summer Olympics were held in this city in 1992 |
| 14 | Athens | 5 | The first modern Olympic Games held in this city in 1896, had only 311 competitors, all men |
| 15 | Montreal | 5 | The only time the host country failed to win a gold medal was at the Olympics held in this Western Hemisphere city |
| 16 | Sydney | 4 | It's the host city where the Olympic torch relay came to an end in the year 2000 |
| 17 | swimming | 4 | At the 1992 Summer Games, Summer Sanders won 3 medals in this sport |
| 18 | Moscow | 4 | Russian city where Nadia Comaneci competed in her second Olympics |
| 19 | Mexico City | 4 | Competitors in the 1968 Summer Games held in this city were affected by the altitude |
| 20 | Jesse Owens | 4 | In 1984, Carl Lewis won the gold in the same 4 events as this star did in the 1936 Berlin Olympics |
| 21 | volleyball | 4 | 2008: Karch Kiraly |
| 22 | the pole vault | 4 | Decathlon event that gets the competitors the highest off the ground |
| 23 | Finland | 4 | This European city hosted the northernmost Summer Games, also the first where Soviet athletes participated |
| 24 | 100 meters | 4 | 1st winner of this sprint from a non-English-speaking country was Armin Hary in 1960 |
| 25 | tennis | 4 | One of two demonstration sports played at the 1984 Summer Olympics |
| 26 | weightlifting | 3 | In this event you can snatch, jerk or press |
| 27 | St. Louis | 3 | Although the 1904 games were scheduled for Chicago, they were moved to this U.S. city |
| 28 | skiing | 3 | In 1948 Gretchen Fraser became the first American to win a gold medal in this winter sport |
| 29 | Romania | 3 | Ecaterina Szabo led this country's women's gymnastics team to the gold in the 1984 games |
| 30 | Nadia Comaneci | 3 | This woman who had been perfect in 1976 fell off the uneven parallel bars in 1980 |
| 31 | Munich | 3 | At the 1972 games held there, the U.S. lost the pole vault for the 1st time ever |
| 32 | Muhammad Ali | 3 | On July 19, 1996 Janet Evans lit his fire |
| 33 | luge | 3 | This winter event shares its name, originally French, with the sled used for it |
| 34 | Lake Placid | 3 | The 3 places that have hosted the games twice are St. Moritz, Innsbruck & this U.S. site |
| 35 | judo | 3 | In 2004 Ryoko Tani's inside leg technique brought her a second straight gold in this martial art |
| 36 | curling | 3 | In this team sport you'll hear the terms "house", "tee" & "stone" |
| 37 | archery | 3 | Olympic competitors in this sport use a recurve bow that can propel arrows at more than 150 MPH |
| 38 | the javelin | 3 | In 2000 the Czech Republic's Jan Zelezny hurled this an Olympic record 295 feet, 9 1/2 inches |
| 39 | Wilma Rudolph | 2 | In 1960 European journalists gave her the nickname "La Gazzella" |
| 40 | Usain Bolt | 2 | Fittingly, this2008 winner of the 100-meter dash is nicknamed "Lightning" |
| 41 | USA | 2 | With a total of 6, this nation has hosted more summer & winter games than any other |
| 42 | Tokyo | 2 | Marine Lt. Billy Mills stunned the world when he won the 10,000m run in 1964 in this city |
| 43 | the steeplechase | 2 | This event has 28 hurdles & 7 water jumps |
| 44 | the ski jump | 2 | Competitors in this event try to land in the Telemark position, named after a region of Norway |
| 45 | the shotput | 2 | For men, the metal ball used in this event weighs 16 lbs., almost twice as much as the women's |
| 46 | Summer Sanders | 2 | It was a fine moment in "summer" swimming when she finally got the gold after a silver & bronze |
| 47 | Stronger | 2 | The Olympic motto, "Citius Altius Fortius", translates to "Swifter, Higher" & this |
| 48 | Stockholm | 2 | In 1912, electronic timing devices were 1st used in the games held in this Scandinavian city |
| 49 | Soviet Union | 2 | With the U.S. boycotting the summer games, this host country won 197 medals |
| 50 | Sonja Henie | 2 | Katarina Witt was the 2nd woman to win solo figure skating golds 2 games in a row; she was the 1st |