Boyn Hill writer chronicles Olympics’ highs and lows in new book

A Boyn Hill writer has reflected on some of the Olympic Games’ famous moments for his new book. 

Olympics aficionado David Kohn, 61, narrowed down more than 100 years of the Olympics into just 50 of the competition’s best and worst moments.

His book, The Best and Worst of the Olympics, considers not just athletes’ sporting achievements, but also the merit of each story.

He said: “I’ve tried to look at lots of different types of story: some are historical, some are geopolitical, some are personal, some are obviously sporting too; great tactics and innovation,”

One of David’s great Olympic moments is Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett’s heated rivalry in the build-up to the 1980 Moscow games.

The runners’ rivalry was so great, David said, that it split the UK population ‘a bit like Brexit’.

He added: “Were you a fan of the squeaky-clean Coe? who ran almost a bit like an automaton.

“Or were you a fan of the slightly more rough and ready more natural Steve Ovett?

“When it came to the Olympics themselves, their races did not disappoint.”

Other stories are poignant moments from the Games that transcended sporting achievement.

Against a backdrop of Hitler and the Nazis’ rise to power, Jessie Owens took to the track and defied the odds at the 1936 games.

“Jessie’s story is one of the greats,” said David.

“Swastikas were hanging all around Berlin, the Hitler Youth also all around the city.

“Into this stepped this incredible black American who won four gold medals to give Hitler’s idea of Aryan supremacy a real bloody nose.”

There are also stories of where political conflict spilled over into sport’s most elite competition.

David’s book recounts the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. Terrorists stormed the Israeli athletes’ hotel; took hostages and a days-long holdout ensued which, at its end, left 17 people dead.

There is also the story of how – during the 1956 Olympics – a Melbourne swimming pool became the setting for a violent clash between polo teams.

The Soviet Union had brutally suppressed an uprising in Hungary just weeks before the games, and tensions would flare up again when the two nations met in the pool.

It became known as the ‘blood in the water’ match.

David has been head of non-fiction at W H Smith, and also worked at Waterstones and UK book chain Borders which closed in 2009.

He has published books before: his 1999 title Bizarre Fantasy Football Elevens considered a comedy take on England line-ups from the best to the worst.

The Best and Worst of the Olympics: 25 great moments and 25 not-so-great moments from the Summer Olympic Games, is available through online retailers including Amazon and Waterstones.