Get Ready for the Summer Olympics with PBS
Every four years we all get excited about all the sports. The Summer Olympic games display the heights of human strength, determination, and hard work. We see people from across the globe compete in sports at the highest levels of competition: they compete individually, they compete in teams, they compete for their country, they compete for their families. It's high drama, and it's all thrilling to watch. It's also an amazing time to learn about athletic events that we might not be familiar with and to get to know the incredible athletes who compete on this legendary global stage. Of course, we here at PBS love sports and sports history and getting to know Olympians through interviews and documentaries. We are training for this year's Summer Olympics in Paris, France by streaming PBS shows and documentaries. What did you think we'd be doing?
We put together a collection of stories and documentaries featuring athletes who overcame obstacles to compete in the Summer Olympics and often went on to make Olympic history. Each story reminds us that being on the Olympic stage is as much about physical strength as it is about character, mental fortitude, and community support. Stay hydrated, fellow gold medalist tv watchers!
Daughters of the Waves | Pacific Heartbeat
Did you know that surfing is an Olympic sport? It debuted at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo! In 2024 the surfing competition will take place in Tahiti, French Polynesia. It's going to be amazing. We have two documentaries about Olympic surfing: Daughters of the Waves (press play below!) and Surf Nation, a documentary from Doc World about young athletes training to be part of the China's national surf team.
From Pacific Heartbeat: Although only 20, Vahine Fierro is undaunted by the Teahupo‘o wave, considered the most dangerous in the world. Vahine surfs as no other Polynesian girl has ever surfed. In Tahitian culture, riding the waves is an ancestral activity from which women had been gradually eliminated, but now surfing is open to women, just in time for the Olympics.
Olympic Breakdancing
Yes, breakdancing is an Olympic sport! The sport is called "breaking" in the games and it debuted in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In this episode of Indie Alaska, meet one of the athletes who is among the nation's best in competitive breaking.
Bri “Snap1” Pritchard is a b-girl from Anchorage who has competed and won breaking competitions across the country. She dances with the crews, Flooristas and Elements of Rhythm, but she hopes to make it on the national team and represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She’s doing all of this while balancing her career with the Alaska Army National Guard.
Icons That Changed the Game: Simone Biles
From the series Groundbreakers: Suni Lee shares her respect and admiration for gymnastics legend Simone Biles. Suni shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she ultimately earned the spot to win the 2021 Olympic all-around gold medal.
Jesse Owens | American Experience
The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus.
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
The story of the African-American Olympians who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The athletes represented a country that considered them second-class citizens and competed in a country that rolled out the red carpet for them despite an undercurrent of Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism.
Life of an Olympic Champion
From KET: We talk with Louisville's own Olympic Gold Medalists in swimming Mary T. Meagher and Kelsi Worrell Dahlia. They discuss how Kentucky impacted their path to success and how to navigate life when it seems like your greatest accomplishment is behind you. WHAS 11's Whitney Harding moderates.
The Boys of '36 | American Experience
The story of nine working-class young men from the University of Washington who took the rowing world and America by storm when they captured gold at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Their unexpected victory, against not only the Ivy League teams of the East Coast but Adolf Hitler's elite German rowers, gave hope to a nation struggling to emerge from the depths of the Great Depression.
Waterman - Duke: Ambassador of Aloha | American Masters
Narrated by Jason Momoa, discover the inspiring story and considerable impact of five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. He shattered swimming records and globalized surfing while overcoming racism in a lifetime of personal challenges.
Allyson Felix, Olympic Gold Medalist and Co-Founder of Saysh
From To Dine For With Kate Sullivan: U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Allyson Felix knows a thing or two about competition at the highest levels. However, her athletic career is just the beginning of “creating something out of nothing.” Over the flavors of her favorite childhood restaurant, Harold and Belle’s in LA, Allyson shares her tale of turning a setback into a setup for an entirely different kind of success.
An Olympic Athlete Takes on Depression
From Out of the Dark: This short documentary tells the story of Olympic shot putter Raven Saunders, the intensity of her 2016 Olympic experience, her childhood trauma, and the pitfalls of celebrity that challenged her mental health. After receiving care for depression, Raven spoke out about her struggles and became a leading advocate for mental health dialogue among athletes.
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