PHOTOS: The leading modern Olympians

The leading 12 Olympic athletes since the Games were revived in 1896. Paavo Nurmi (Finland, 1897-1973) Nurmi, the greatest of the "Flying Finns" who revolutionised distance running, was a......

Van den Hoogenband retires

Two-time 100 metres freestyle Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband retired from international swimming on Thursday after failing in his quest to win a third straight 100 freestyle gold medal......

'Hoogqing' the limelight

Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands won the men's 100m freestyle event at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday to become only the third man in history to defend his title in swimming's premier......

Olympic Legends: Johnny Weissmuller

One of the most colourful characters in the history of any sport, Johnny Weissmuller was the first man to swim 100 metres in less than a minute during an unbeaten nine-year career.He set 51......