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PRELIMINARY ROUND (Disregard)
1. The World Championships in Athletics begin next month, and will consist of events including 27 disciplines within track and field, road running, and race walking. One event that will not appear is the distance medley relay (DMR), where teams of four runners alternate legs of 1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1600 meters around the track. Though the DMR will not be contested at the World Championships, it was recognized as an official event by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in May 2015, making it eligible for world records.
Name a non-championship race distance (not held in the World Championships or Olympics) in track, road running, or race walking for which the IAAF certifies official world records. Please follow the standard nomenclature in athletics: track distances are given in meters, and road distances are given in kilometers. Not all events are named for their metric length. Walking events must be specified as such. (26 possible answers; 8 track, 7 road, 6 walk, 5 relay)
2. The 2015 World Championships will be held in Beijing, China. The championships will take place in the same stadium that hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, making Beijing the eighth city to host both events.
Name a city that has hosted the World Championships in Athletics since its inception in 1983 to the present. Note: Only one World Championships has been held outside of Europe or Asia. (14 possible answers)
BONUS: The main elite competition throughout the track and field season is the IAAF Diamond League, consisting of fourteen prestigious track meets held around the world. Two of these meets, one in Europe and one in North America, share remarkably similar origins: both were founded in the 1970s in the memory of a star middle-distance runner who had recently been killed in a car accident, for whom both meets are still named. For -1 point each,
name either city that hosts such a meet, and/or either athlete who provides the meet's namesake. Two bonus points will only be awarded for matching the city with the correct athlete.
13. 3. In addition to the World Championships in Athletics, the IAAF also holds the World Indoor Championships for indoor track and field. The next World Indoor Championships will be held next March in Portland, Oregon, in the backyard of Nike’s global headquarters. Nike and other shoe companies use the World Championships and other major races as opportunities to claim “bragging rights” based on the performances of the elite athletes shod in their footwear.
The shoes below were featured in Runner’s World magazine’s spring or summer shoe guide for 2015. Based on the photos, identify the brand of any shoe; specific model names are not necessary. Note: one image has been altered to obscure a brand name. (12 possible answers)
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is track and field’s biggest star by a wide margin. He is the twice-defending Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder at both the 100 and 200 meter dash -- accolades that also apply to the Jamaican 4x100 relay team he anchors. Bolt’s status as the “World’s Fastest Man” netted him $23 million in endorsements in 2014, according to
Forbes magazine, yet he only earned about $200,000 in competition earnings, making him only the 45th-highest-paid athlete on
Forbes’ rich list last year. Bolt has publicly contemplated starting a second career as a soccer player after retiring from sprinting;
name a soccer player who earned more money than Usain Bolt in 2014, or a professional club any of those players played for during the 2014-15 season. (13 possible answers; 8 players, 5 clubs)
5. Perhaps the only female athlete whose dominance on the track can compare to Usain Bolt’s is Ethiopian runner Tirunesh Dibaba. Nicknamed “the Baby-Faced Destroyer,” Tirunesh has won three Olympic and five World Championships gold medals in distance running, as well as currently holding the world record at 5000 meters – the only current women’s track record set since the year 2000. Tirunesh is sitting out the 2015 season while expecting her first child, but her absence in women’s track may very well be filled by her younger sister. Since 2014, Genzebe Dibaba broke has set world records indoors for 1500, 3000, and 5000 meters; just last week, she ran a 1500 meter race at a meet in Barcelona in 3 minutes, 54 seconds -- the fastest time any woman has run since 1997. In honor of the Dibabas,
name one of the famous pairs of sisters described below; please provide full names for both sisters, unless otherwise noted. (12 possible answers)
A. This choreographer was the creative force behind the NBC sitcom “A Different World;” her older sister starred in the series it spun off from.
B. These British sisters, both authors, died within five months of each other in 1848-49; their eldest sister would outlive them by six more years.
C. These Aussies can both claim many hit songs on the U.K. music charts; the older sister went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 with a cover of a song written by Carole King, then went 13 years before charting again in America.
D. These two socialites and reality TV stars have both married (and divorced) NBA players.
E. The older sister won a Golden Globe award in 1982 for best actress in a television drama; the younger sister has written novels that have been translated into over forty languages.
F. Born nearly twenty years apart, these sisters have combined for 27 number-one singles on the Billboard country charts as solo artists; their original last name is Webb.
G. These sisters both represented the United States in figure skating at the Winter Olympics; the older sister won gold in 2002.
H. This actress portrays the Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; her older sisters were also actresses from a young age, but have since become more actively involved in the fashion industry. (name the younger sister plus either older sister)
I. This Canadian indie-pop duo, last name Quin, had their most successful song to date in 2014 with “Everything is Awesome,” from the soundrack to The Lego Movie. (full names are not needed)
J. The appearance of this actress’ character on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” was frequently compared to her real-life sister, who was a champion swimmer before taking on a career as a sportscaster.
K. The Fox television network's 2015-16 season will include the two series starring these sisters returning to its prime-time lineup for an eleventh and fifth season, respectively.
L. This actress and food personality's "The Real Girl's Kitchen" made its debut on the Cooking Channel in 2014; her sister, a former Disney Channel star, has made four appearances as herself on the show to date.
Finland has historically been a power in track and field. In particular, the “Flying Finns” were known for their strength in distance running from the 1920s until the 1970s, with Finnish athletes having won Olympic gold in every distance event:
the 1500, 5000, and 10000 meter races, the 3000 meter steeplechase, and the marathon. Name a country that has won Olympic gold medals in at least two of these five events since 1920, the first year all five appeared at the same Olympics. Women's results are included, though women did not begin competing in these events until more recently. Note: historical countries and their successor states are counted separately. (17 possible answers)
BONUS: For -2 points,
name one of the two countries whose ONLY Olympic medal to date is a gold medal in a track and field event.
SEMI-FINAL ROUND (Disregard)
7. The “Flying Finn” nickname is also famous on another kind of track: in Formula 1 racing, eight Finnish drivers have qualified for an official Grand Prix race. While other countries have produced more racing drivers than Finland, none can match its F1 success per capita; three Finns have won the World Drivers’ Championship, and all but one of the Finns to compete in Grand Prix racing have achieved at least one podium finish.
The names of the eight Finns to compete in Formula 1, the constructors they drove for, and their years active are listed below, as are pictures of each driver. Match the driver to his picture. Beware: one of the pictures is of a current Formula 1 driver who does not race with a Finnish license. Extra hint: none of the drivers in the top row drove for Ferrari. (8 possible answers)
A. Leo Kinnunen; Surtees
(1974)
B. Keke Rosberg; Theodore, ATS, Wolf, Fittipaldi, Williams, McLaren
(1978-1986)
C. JJ Lehto; Onyx, Dallara, Sauber, Benetton
(1989-1994)
D. Mika Hakkinen; Lotus, McLaren
(1991-2001)
E. Mika Salo; Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari, Sauber, Toyota
(1994-2000; 2002)
F. Kimi Raikkonen; Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus
(2001-2009; 2012-present)
G. Heikki Kovalainen; Renault, McLaren, Lotus, Caterham
(2007-2013)
H. Valtteri Bottas; Williams
(2012-present)
As mentioned previously, one of the drivers pictured is a current Formula 1 driver who does not race with a Finnish license. For -1 point each,
A: identify the photo of the non-Finnish driver, B: name him, and C: give the reason why he would be included among the eight other drivers shown.
8. The pole vault can claim the first athlete to be featured on the front of a Wheaties box: “Vaulting Vicar” Bob Richards, two-time gold medalist in the event, achieved that milestone in 1958. It appears that athlete endorsements don’t have the same selling power they used to; Wheaties only generated $17 million in sales in 2014, a paltry sum compared to the $994 million in sales generated by its General Mills sister brand Cheerios.
Name a variety of Cheerios breakfast cereal currently for sale in the United States. (15 possible answers)
9. Out of the four field events that involve throwing, the only one that does not make up part of the decathlon is the hammer throw. The event has its origins in Scottish soldiers resorting to hurling sledgehammers after conventional weapons were banned by occupying English forces at the end of the 13th century; the object thrown has evolved so that it bears little resemblance to the tools you have lying around your garage.
Name a retail company ranked among the top 100 retailers in sales for 2014 by the National Retail Federation that specializes in home improvement or automotive supplies, excluding department and discount store chains. Note: the NRF's sales criteria excludes wholesale and non-retail service business activities from its revenue estimates. To avoid obvious neg-bait, I'll reveal straight away that NAPA Auto Parts, which has a significant wholesale operation, does not reach the NRF's top 100 threshold on retail sales alone; in addition, no automotive chain whose locations typically include garages for tire or maintenance services made the top 100 on retail sales. (10 possible answers)
10. Onto a completely different kind of field event:
name a film (including TV movies), TV series, or miniseries for which Sally Field has been nominated for an Oscar, Emmy, or Golden Globe award for acting. (13 possible answers)
FINAL ROUND (Disregard)
11. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe retired from the sport after the 2015 London Marathon, a decade after setting the women’s world record at the same race. While most mortals will never come close to her 2005 time of 2:17:42, that has not deterred many men and women from conquering the 26.2-mile distance anyway. In its 2014 annual report, the non-profit group Running USA reported that over 550,000 Americans completed a marathon last year.
Name one of the fifteen marathon races in the U.S. with the largest number of finishers in 2014. Note: ten of these races are named after the city where they are run; the others can be identified by either their official name or a major city along the route. One race is entirely run on private property. (15 possible answers)
4. 12. Between August 26, 1977, and June 4, 1987, American sprinter Edwin Moses ran 122 races in the 400 meter hurdles without a defeat. Moses’ mastery of the event brought a sense of stability to the sport that other sports would have dreamed of over the course of that decade. Professional boxing's heavyweight division, for one, spent all but the first seven months of that span without an undisputed champion.
Name anyone who held the title of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion during Moses’ winning streak. Note: includes WBA and WBC title belts, plus IBF belt after 1983. (17 possible answers)
12. 13. Race walking is usually only mentioned in popular culture as the butt of jokes, but it has been the subject of at least one major motion picture: 1966's
Walk, Don't Run, which is also notable for being Cary Grant's last appearance in a feature film. (The movie still doesn’t portray the sport in high esteem: the athlete character spends most of the movie evading questions about what sport he competes in, and it suggests a 60-year-old Grant could race competitively in the Olympics with no training at all.)
Listed below are the final films of ten actors and actresses. Based on the details provided, name who made their last credited film appearance in one of these films. (10 possible answers)
A. Brainstorm (1983) – After her 1981 drowning death during a break in this film’s production, a body double was used for her character’s remaining scenes.
B. The Deer Hunter (1978) – Though he only appeared in five films before dying of cancer at age 42, four of those movies – including this one – currently appear on IMDB’s Top 250 list.
C. Network (1976) -- Although posthumously awarded the Oscar for his role, he was later nominated posthumously for an Emmy for his portrayal of Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin in the 1977 TV movie Raid on Entebbe.
D. The Misfits (1961) – This film’s troubled production contributed to the dissolution of her marriage to the film’s screenwriter.
E. War Requiem (1989) – Though War Requiem features the last role of this stage master, archived footage of him was notably used to construct a character in 2004’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
F. The Delta Force (1986) – Negative reviews for this military action movie unfavorably compared it to his earlier work in The Dirty Dozen; coincidentally, his next-to-last role was for a made-for-TV Dirty Dozen sequel.
G. Always (1989) – After her final film appearance, she released a documentary series and children’s album for which she would receive posthumous Emmy and Grammy awards, respectively.
H. High Society (1956) – She retired from acting at the age of 26, yet remained one of the world’s most visible women until her death in 1982.
I. The Killers (1964) – Depending on your political leanings, you may find it fitting or unfortunate that his last role before changing careers was in the only film where he played a villain.
J. The Flintstones (1994) – In what could be considered an unworthy send-off for a screen legend, she played Fred Flintstone’s mother-in-law.
For -1 point,
name the other acting great (besides the answer to clue D) who last appeared on film in 1961’s The Misfits.
14. As the “Blue Riband” of track and field, the mile run is traditionally the last event on the schedule at track and field meets. Though Roger Bannister famously broke the four-minute barrier in 1954, sub-four-minute times have been achieved thousands of times in the decades since. In 1985, former world record holder John Walker became the first man to run 100 sub-four-minute miles in competition. Despite having a name that brings to mind a certain type of potent potable, Walker hails from New Zealand, not Scotland, and is of no relation to the Johnnie Walker whisky concern.
Name one of the five categories of Scotch whisky defined by the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, or one of the five traditional whisky-producing regions of Scotland. Note: a whisky's category is determined by the ingredients of the mash, and the composition of the finished product upon bottling. (10 possible answers)
BONUS: When John Walker set the world record of 3:49.4 in 1975, he became the first athlete to run a mile in under 3 minutes, 50 seconds; this time is now the standard for world-class middle-distance runners. For -1 point,
name a country (besides New Zealand) whose current national record in the men’s mile run is under 3:50; for an additional -2 points, also name the athlete who currently holds that country’s record. Note: current country names only.
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