Sporting highlights 

A complete unknown before Rome 1960, Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila ran barefoot to win the men’s marathon, which was held at night to protect the athletes from the risk of dehydration in the burning sun. Bikila successfully defended his title in 1964 in Tokyo, becoming the first Olympian to win marathon gold twice.

In boxing, the USA’s Cassius Clay won light-heavyweight gold. A celebrated figure in and out of the ring, Clay would later change his name to Muhammad Ali and become a three-time world heavyweight champion and an icon to many.

A compatriot of Ali’s, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, became the first US woman to win three Olympic gold medals – in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Her achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that she contracted polio as a child and was told by doctors she would probably never walk again. The subject of numerous books and films, she was inducted into several women’s and sports halls of fame in later years, including the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983.