The losers had to carry the winners in on litters on their shoulders. The audience had to stand and applaud the entire t
September 4, 1937 Dawn Fraser is Born Dawn Fraser was born in Balmain, near Sydney, Australia, on September 4, 1937. Dawn said that winning her first gold medal in 1956 was not something she expected to happen. She knew she was up against some very strong competition and felt a little scared and inexperienced. She said it was the first time she had ever swum in a heated pool. Dawn also said that it was a very proud and happy time for her as her family was there to watch her compete. It made it a very enjoyable experience. Dawn became a champion Australian swimmer who competed for Australia in the Summer Olympic Games. She won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle race in each of three consecutive Olympic Games, once in Melbourne, Australia, once in Rome, Italy, and once in Tokyo, Japan. Dawn was the first woman swimmer to accomplish this. She also won a gold medal as part of the 4X100meter freestyle team in 1956. This made a grand total of 4 Olympic gold medals in her swimming career. She also won a total of 4 silver medals at the Olympics. In addition, she set many individual world records and world records as part of teams in relay events. Dawn’s gold medal in the Tokyo Summer Olympics was especially important to her because before the games, she was involved in a very serious car accident in which her mother was killed. It was very difficult for Dawn to care about swimming after that, but she was able to pull herself together. She decided she wanted to win the medal for her mother. Dawn Fraser was a very popular athlete in the history of Australian sports. In 1967, she received the Order of the British Empire. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Georgia, she received the honor of being one of the seven greatest athletes as chosen by the Atlanta Olympic Organizing Committee. In 1999, she was named the Australian Female Athlete of the Century by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In addition, Dawn Fraser appeared as the Torch Bearer during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. After leaving competition swimming at the Olympics, Dawn represented Balmain in the New South Wales parliament from 1988 to 1991. Now, go on to the multiple choice activity on the next page, where you can test your knowledge of a little Olympic trivia.
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Olympic Trivia Multiple Choice Underline the correct answer for each of the questions below. 1.
Where were the Summer Olympic Games held in 1956?
Montreal, Canada
2.
Melbourne, Australia
Lake Placid, New York, U.S.
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1956, what country took the silver medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
Canada
3.
Soviet Union
Australia
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1960, what country took the bronze medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
Australia
4.
United States
Where were the Summer Olympic Games held in 1960?
Rome, Italy
5.
Sweden
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Athens, Greece
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1960, what country took the silver medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
Poland
United States
Netherlands
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6.
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1960, what country took the bronze medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
Great Britain
7.
Japan
Where were the Summer Olympic Games held in 1964?
Albertville, France
8.
China
Tokyo, Japan
Moscow, Soviet Union
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1964, what country took the silver medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
United States
9.
France
Soviet Union
In the Summer Olympic Games in 1964, what country took the bronze medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle?
Italy
10.
United States
Canada
Dawn Fraser was the first woman to complete the Summer Olympic 100 meter freestyle in less than 1 minute. In what Summer Olympic Games was her record finally beaten? (It may have been beaten in other competitions, but we are focusing only on Olympic Games.)
Munich in 1972
Barcelona in 1992
Moscow in 1980
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11.
In what Summer Olympic Games did Australia next win the gold medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle? Atlanta in 1996
12.
Athens in 2004
Beijing in 2008
The 1956 Olympics were the first Olympics ever held in the Southern Hemisphere. Why were the games held in November and December? Because it was too hot in July and August Because of the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere Because it would mean greater attendance
13.
What tradition was started at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympic Games in relation to the closing ceremonies? The athletes marched into the closing ceremonies together, not separated by nation The losers had to carry the winners in on litters on their shoulders The audience had to stand and applaud the entire time the athletes were coming in to the stadium
14.
Of the thirteen swimming events at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympic Games, how many were won by Australians? Ten
15.
Eight
Twelve
In the 1956 Summer Olympic Games when Dawn Fraser won the gold medal, how much time separated the winner of the gold medal from the winner of the bronze medal? 5.2 seconds
2.4 seconds
3.1 seconds
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Olympic Trivia Multiple Choice Answer Key 1.
Melbourne, Australia
2.
Australia
3.
Australia
4.
Rome, Italy
5.
United States
6.
Great Britain
7.
Tokyo, Japan
8.
United States
9.
United States
10.
Munich in 1972
11.
Athens in 2004
12.
Because of the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere
13.
The athletes marched into the closing ceremonies together, not separated by nation
14.
Eight
15.
3.1 seconds
©2017 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com
