An American teenager named Bob Mathias stunned the London Games as the youngest track and field winner ever in Olympic history in the most demanding of events: the decathlon. Spectators were also taken aback with young Bob's habit of napping between the ten events. His legendary sleeping ability can be attributed to his father who thought sleeping and a diet of red meat would cure Bob from his childhood anemia.

	One of the outstanding athletes of the London Games was Micheline Ostermeyer of France. Ostermeyer won the women's shot put and discus. She also leaped to a bronze in the high jump. For a power-athlete Ostermeyer made her living using the strength of her hands in a most surprising way. Ostermeyer was concert pianist.

7 foot (2.13 m) center of the United States basketball team, Bob Kurland was an unbeatable defensive force during the London Games. The U.S. team ran into few troubles during the tournament, and easily beat France 65-21 in the final. Only one opponent player managed an easy scored against Kurland . A player on the Chinese team dribbled through the legs of the surprised American giant.

In a similar repeat to marathoner Dorando Pietri's tragedy, 40 years earlier at the 1908 London Games, Belgian Etienne Gailly entered the stadium leading the marathon race. Exhausted, Gailly made a disastrous mistake and turned the wrong direction. He lost crucial seconds and by the time he managed to cross the finish line he was passed by the winner, Delfo Cabrera of Argentina, and Britain's Tom Richards.