Set of 5: 1991 Los Angeles Olympics Series

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ANGELE ANGELE JUL 12 1991 90052 29 SO1 ANGELES JUL 12 1991 90052 29 CA SO1 USA 29 ANGELES JUL 12 1991 90052 SO1 ANGELES 29USA JUL 12 1991 90052 CA SO1 788 SA ANGELES 29 JUL 12 1991 90052 SO1

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JAVELIN THROW First Day of Issue: July 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Los Angeles, California The javelin throw has its roots deep in the history of the world. It was described in Homer's lliad and no doubt had a direct connection with hunting and war. In the Olym- pics of ancient times, the javelin was thrown for distance and accuracy. The javelin throw has been part of the modern Olympics since the 1908 London Games; suc- cess here means distance more than accuracy. In that first- ever men's competition, Eric Lemming of Sweden took top honors. It was not until 1952 in Helsinki that United States men ascended the stairs to the medalists' platform. American women, however, fared well right from the beginning. The women's javelin throw was first held in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Prior to the event, Texan Babe Didriksen bragged “I am out to beat every- body in sight, and that's just what I'm going to do." Didriksen lived up to her bold words, heaving the javelin one hundred forty-three feet, four inches on her first try. Ever since then, the nation's women have competed fiercely in the javelin throw. No. 91-50 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Tom McNeely POLE VAULT First Day of Issue: July 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Los Angeles, California From the very first, the pole vault has been a test of timing, coordination and agility. Primarily a sport reserved for men, the pole vault was part of the 1896 Athens Olym- pics; that event was taken by an American, William Hoyt who vaulted ten feet, ten inches. Since the very first, American athletes have dominated this competition. In the 1952 Helsinki Games, for example, American Bob Richards literally rose to the challenge, vaulting fourteen feet, eleven inches to an Olympic record. Richards, a theology professor in California, was promptly dubbed “The Vaulting Vicar” by the attending international press. The year marked the first time that the Soviet Union competed in the Olympics and although it was during the height of the “Cold War," Richards acted as a self- appointed “good-will ambassador” by encouraging friendly competition between athletes of the two coun- tries. The next Olympics, 1956, Richards again took the gold, becoming the only person to vault to two gold medals and three total medals in the event. No. 91-51 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Tom McNeely SPRINTING First Day of Issue: July 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Los Angeles, California The modern Olympics opened with a sprint, the men's 100-meter dash. Winning that event in the 1896 Athens Games was Thomas Burke, an American athlete from Boston, Massachusetts. He and fellow teammate, Thomas Curtis, amazed the Europeans with their then-strange crouching starting position, a technique which would later become a standard for the race. The next Olympics – 1900 in Paris — saw American athletes Frank Jarvis and John Tewksbury poised on a grass track, a surface which was new to both athletes. However, the pair spurred past fellow American Arthur Duffey after he strained a tendon and fell. Jarvis and Tewksbury finished one and two in the race. The early sprinting contests in the Olympics were dominated by United States athletes — a domination which continues to this day. Few Olympics fans will forget the amazing sprints of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Games, or the world record run by Bob Hayes in the 1964 Tokyo Games, or Carl Lewis in his 1984 Los Angeles sprint to a stunning victory. No. 91-49 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Tom McNeely DISCUS First Day of Issue: July 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Los Angeles, California The rhythmic, skilled sport of the discus throw has existed since ancient times — shrouded in myth and captured in art. In a tragic accident, the Greek god Apollo killed his friend Hyakinthos with a discus which had been blown off course by Zephyrus. Sport was born from legend and the discus became an important part in the ancient Olympics. Twenty-four centuries ago, Greek sculptor Myron cap- tured the beauty of the throw with his Diskobolos, a sculpture capturing a fleeting moment in the discus throw. Today, modern cameras are able to capture in slow-motion every movement of a skillful discus-thrower. The discus has been part of the modern Olympics since the 1896 Athens Games. American men have dominated the sport since the beginning with such greats as Clarence “Bud” Houser who grabbed the gold in the 1924 Paris Games and again in the 1928 Amsterdam Games. An- other American, the legendary Al Oerter first took the gold in the 1956 Melbourne Games and for the next decade he would dominate the sport of the discus throw. No. 91-53 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Tom McNeely HURDLES First Day of Issue: July 12, 1991 First Issue Location: Los Angeles, California The hurdles have been part of the modern Olympics since the very beginning. In 1896, men competed in the 110- meter hurdles; American Thomas Curtis won the gold medal. At the next Olympics — 1900 in Paris — the 400- meter hurdles was installed as an event. That year, John Tewksbury of the United States brought the gold home to his country. Since that time, American male athletes have completely dominated the sport of men's hurdles. The one-two-three finish for the United States in the 110- meter hurdles in the 1960 Rome Games is fondly remem- bered by Olympics fans, as is 400-meter run of Edwin Moses in the 1984 Los Angeles Games. The sport of women's hurdles, however, was not held until the 1932 Olympics. The legendary Babe Didriksen won the gold for her world record run, just ahead of her teammate Evelyne Hall. But not until 1984 did the 400-meter women's hurdles become part of the modern Olympics, when Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco bested Ameri- can hopeful Judi Brown for the gold. No. 91-52 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by Tom McNeely