John Boland: Spectator turned Olympic Champion
Athens 1896 - Upon hearing about the Summer Olympics in Athens, John Boland, an Oxford student and great fan of Greek mythology, traveled to Athens to watch the revival of the ancient Olympics.
Yes, Boland just went to there to watch.
He wasn’t really expecting to be an Olympic Champion. But that’s what he is, the first ever Olympic Tennis Champion. All by chance or was it fate? Hmmm. His friend, Thrasyvoalos Manaos, the secretary of the Athens 1986 Organising Committee was partly to blame. He was the one who entered Boland in the Tennis competition and forced him to play in leather-soled shoes with heels. Heh.
Boland didn’t live a life of an athlete after that. He went on to become a Member of Parliament.
Tags: Olympics, Summer Olympics, Tennis, TriviaRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Light the Torch, Summer Olympics, Tennis, Trivia
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