Roma 1960

The last "people-orientated" Olympics remains an unreachable example of how it is possible to combine ancient and modern civilisations. Alongside beautiful sports facilities such as the Olympic stadium and the Velodrome, the events brought the most famous monuments of Roman classicism to life: the Caracalla Baths (gymnastics), the Basilica of Maxentius (wrestling), the Via Appia (where the marathon took place at night, won by Ethiopian Abebe Bikila who astonished everyone by running barefoot). The Italians surpassed themselves: with 36 medals coming third in the medal table behind the Soviet Union (99) and United States (71). The Italian hero was Livio Berruti; while those of the Games were the Russian gymnast Boris Shakhlin, who won seven medals, and the "black gazelle" Wilma Rudolph. The poignant spontaneous torchlight that illuminated the Olympic Stadium, on the warm closing night, forever marked the end of the Romantic era of sport.