Discover the destinies of 16 athletes who shook up the rules of the game.
Heracles is said to have come up with the idea of the Olympian Games in ancient Greece. Since then, the world has changed. In the course of the 20th century, some athletes even achieved a double feat: breaking records but also...
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Discover the destinies of 16 athletes who shook up the rules of the game.
Heracles is said to have come up with the idea of the Olympian Games in ancient Greece. Since then, the world has changed. In the course of the 20th century, some athletes even achieved a double feat: breaking records but also changing mentalities. Through their determination, some of these athletes have made their mark in a wide variety of disciplines and changed the way society sees them. Such was the case of Jesse Owens, a young African-American who outdid himself at the 1936 Olympic Games, in a Germany surrounded by Nazi flags. Or Lis Hartel, a Danish horsewoman who, despite a handicap, climbed back into the saddle to win two Olympic titles in a field previously reserved for men. More recently, French sports legend Marie-José Pérec, a victim of media harassment at a time when the issue of mental health was still unknown, sheds light on the story of gymnast Simone Biles and her outspokenness two decades later. These emerging, inspiring figures have become a powerful symbol of freedom and courage. Sometimes forgotten, these men and women who have left their mark on the history of the Olympic Games are back in the spotlight, thanks to Eglantine Chesneau. The author invites us to rediscover the careers of 16 athletes, 16 extraordinary destinies! A real journey through time, with a humanist and historical approach.
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