"It matters a great deal who is going to win, but not at all who won"
The greatest British Olympians
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The greatest British Olympians, Neil Wilson, London, Carlton 2011. ISBN : 978-1-84732-812-0
The book is another of the excellent series of official books which Carlton has published. This one would adorn any coffee table. Written by Neil Wilson, the doyen of athletics writers, the format is a two page feature with photos on over 50 British Olympians. The majority are athletes but boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian sports, fencing, hockey etc are also included.
In addition there are a number of excellent features – on 1908 and 1948 London Olympics, British football in the Olympics, the true story of Chariots of Fire and so on.
The chapter on Jonathan Edwards deals with his Christian faith and the loss of it in a fair and sensitive manner.
I was interested to read that the makers of Chariots of Fire sought permission of Jackson Scholz to attribute to him the giving of the Bible verse to Eric Liddell –which was actually given to him by a masseur. Other sources suggest that Scholz was unhappy, following the release of the film, to receive requests for spiritual help that he was unable to offer.
A very enjoyable read which would make an excellent birthday present for a sports fan over the next few months.
There is an amusing typo on page 44: Mary Rand, thankfully, did the 80 metres hurdles not the 800 metres hurdles!