Jim Thorpe: The Greatest Athlete in the World - Native American Olympian - 常规

Jim Thorpe was a Native American. He was born in 1888 in an Indian Territory that is now Oklahoma. Like most Native American children then, he liked to fish, hunt, swim, and play games outdoors. He was healthy and strong, but he had very little formal education. In 1950, Jim Thorpe was named the greatest American football player. He was also an Olympic gold medal winner. But Thorpe had many tragedies in his life.

Jim had a twin brother who died when he was nine years old. By the time he was 16, his mother and father were also dead, Jim then went to a special school in Pennsylvania for Native American children. There, he learned to read and write and also began to play sports. Jim was poor, so he left school for two years to earn some money. During this time, he played on a baseball team. The team paid him only $15 a week. Soon he returned to school to complete his education. Jim was a star athlete in several sports, including baseball, running, and football. He won many awards for his athletic ability, mainly for football. In many games, he scored all or most of the points for his team.

In 1912, when Jim Thorpe was 24 years old, he became part of the U.S Olympic team. He competed in two very difficult events: the pentathlon and the decathlon. Both require great ability and strength. The pentathlon has five track and field events, including the long jump and the 1500-meter race. The decathlon has ten track and field events, with running, jumping and throwing contests.

People thought it was impossible for an athlete to compete in both the pentathlon and the decathlon. So everyone was surprised when Thorpe won gold medals in both events. When the King of Sweden presented Thorpe with his two gold medals, he said, 'Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.' Thorpe was a simple and honest man. He just answered, 'Thanks, King.'

The word 'decathlon' in paragraph 3 probably means C. ten track and field events.

Just tell me the right answer.