Showing titles in Olympics & Paralympics

The Armchair Olympian is a strangely addictive listen, celebrating the glitz and glamour, wonder and weirdness of the Olympic Games. With stats, trivia, quotes and quizzes, you can test your knowledge and release your inner sporting geek!

On the night in 1964 that Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) stepped into the ring with Sonny Liston, he was widely regarded as an irritating freak who danced and talked way too much. Six rounds later Ali was not only the new world heavyweight boxing champion: He was "a new kind of black man" who would shortly transform America's racial politics, its popular culture, and its notions of heroism. No one has captured Ali—and the era that he exhilarated and sometimes infuriated—with greater vibrancy, drama, and astuteness than David Remnick.

"If you're not strong enough to swim fast, you're probably not strong enough to swim 'pretty," said a young Esther Williams to theater impresario Billy Rose. Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers—none more so than synchronized swimmers, for whom Williams is often considered godmother. In this riveting history—the first of its kind—Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from vaudeville and dime museums to the Olympic arena.

Even today, it’s considered one of the most thrilling races in Olympic history. The hundred-meter sprint final at the 1924 Paris Games, featuring three of the world’s fastest swimmers—American legends Duke Kahanamoku and Johnny Weissmuller, and Japanese upstart Katsuo Takaishi—had the cultural impact of other milestone moments in Olympic history: Jesse Owens’s podiums in Berlin and John Carlos’s raised, black-gloved fist in Mexico City. Never before had an Olympic swimming final prominently featured athletes of different races, and never had it been broadcast live.

News highlights of 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, with athletes from 52 nations, that includes descriptions of street crowds, Adolph Hitler’s motorcade, the Hindenburg, and stadium ceremonies to open the Games.

Isla hat nur ein Ziel: Olympia-Schwimmerin werden. Dafür würde sie alles opfern, doch als Cyrus als neuer Mentor an die Fairview University kommt, schlagen ihre Gefühle Wellen. Eigentlich dachte Isla, sie würde ihm nie wieder begegnen, doch jetzt wird ihre gemeinsame Nacht plötzlich zu einem Geheimnis, das sie wahren müssen. Denn eine Beziehung zwischen Studenten und Mentoren verstößt gegen jede Regel. Für Cyrus ist der Mentoren-Job seine letzte Chance, wieder in die Schwimmwelt einzutauchen und sein ramponiertes Image aufzupolieren.

Inspirational speaker and Paralympic champion Jessica Long shares her story—and powerful principles to help you find your own path to unconditional self-acceptance. Jessica Long is one of the most compelling figures of our time. From having her lower legs amputated as a toddler, she has gone...

Heroes aren’t just the ones who bring home medals. Hero Redefined delves into the lesser-known stories of Olympic athletes—and a couple of special Olympic venues—that challenge the conventional narrative of glory and gold. In riveting personal profiles exploring herculean feats of strength, perseverance, and sportsmanship, award-winning sports journalist Doug Levy offers a new vision of heroism.

Este audiolibro es una recopilación de 17 testimonios de atletas olímpicos mexicanos, quienes relatan el momento en el que lograron la victoria más importante de su vida y subieron al podio olímpico. Las historias son sustancia viva y se transforman todos los días, mutan, se añejan en los rincones de nuestra memoria.

"Athletes first" is a slogan the International Olympic Committee often touts, but the reality is very different, as preeminent Olympics expert Jules Boykoff shows in this book. While the world’s attention is riveted by the triumphs and tribulations on their screens, there is much that goes on behind the scenes that is deeply troubling: athletes are increasingly voicing concerns over physical, mental and sexual abuse, and they are collectively expressing grievances around equity and human rights.

"Kat is a warrior, both on the track and off it. This book is a stunning testimony to the power of believing in yourself" - SIR CHRIS HOY "An extraordinary story of resilience and determination, from an incredible athlete" - DAME JESSICA ENNIS-HILL The inspirational and powerful memoir from...

James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who made history at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black American man, was credited with single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. Owens remains as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history. The following audio clips include an interview with Owens by German radio just before competition at the Olympics, and three separate takes of an interview with American media shortly after the games.

Ellen Keane spent most of her teens uncomfortable with her limb difference and battling to hide her insecurities. It was only when she embraced her difference that she found her superpower. She started to believe in her unique abilities and gradually find the success that she had never dreamed possible. Perfectly Imperfect is for anyone struggling to accept who they are. With anecdotes from her own life, practical advice and good-natured humour, Keane challenges you to let go of waiting until everything is perfect and instead embrace your imperfections and accept who you are, flaws and all.

The Balance is coach Aimee Boorman’s inside account of the growth of a transcendent athlete and the tumultuous events—from the dictatorial coaching of Martha Karolyi to the sexual abuse by Larry Nassar—that upended the lives of many girls, including Biles. Simone Biles is one of the greatest athletes of all time. She’s won six all-around world championships and eleven Olympic medals (seven gold).

With a Foreword by Simone Biles The sensational two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles’s heartfelt, inspiring memoir chronicling her unlikely path to the podium—including the unprecedented challenges, the joy of winning, the crushing pain of defeat, and the love and support of her devoted family...

Lessons in success from Sarina Wiegman's sports psychologist with the triumphant Lionesses This is a book for any Individual who wants to succeed. This is a book for any Team who wants to thrive. This is a book to help You fulfil your potential. Shortlisted for The Vikki Orvice Award for Women's...

The inspirational memoir from Paralympian and disability advocate Anne Wafula Strike, updated for 2024 Left partially paralysed below the rib cage by polio, Anne Wafula Strike was forced to flee her native Kenyan village, moving across the country with her family. After overcoming additional...

Read by the author. What fears are standing in your way or holding you back? How do you want to become stronger? Olympic and World champion hurdler Sydney McLaughlin wants to help you answer these questions as she shares her personal story of struggles and victories, of faith and transformation...

Insightful, practical lessons on life, on and off the track, from an Olympic and world champion Not only is Andre De Grasse blazingly fast on the track, he’s also incredibly popular with his fans. His beaming smile and magnetic personality have won over millions of people around the world. Who...

In this deeply personal memoir in the vein of Andre Agassi's Open and Megan Rapinoe’s One Life, the winningest snowboardcross rider of all time chronicles her career, a story of self-growth that reveals the secret of her resilience and how she overcame crushing early failure to win Olympic...