Champion

A champion (identical to the French, from the late Latin campio) is one who has repeatedly come out first among contestants in challenges (especially the winner of a tournament or other competition) or other test, one who is outstandingly skilled in their field. Olympic Gold Medalists, for example, Lindsay Davenport or Jean Claude Killy, are champions in this sense. The term can be applied to animals too, in particular racehorses, eg, Secretariat or Phar Lap.

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In sports, a champion is the athlete or team in first place at the end of a season of organized competition (and, if applicable, any associated playoffs). It is for this reason that such competitions are often called championships.

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There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further (artificial) divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions can be accordingly styled, e.g. national champion, world champion.

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In certain disciplines, there are specific titles for champions, either descriptive, as the baspehlivan in Turkish oil wrestling, or copied from real life, such as the koning and keizer ('king' and 'emperor') in traditional archery competions (not just national, also at lower levels) in the Low Countries.

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• In a broader sense, nearly any sort of competition can be considered a championship, and the victor of it a champion. Thus, there are championships for many non-sporting competitions: spelling bees, wargames, dog breeding, etc.
• It is also possible to champion a cause. The career of consumer's advocate Ralph Nader, who has made himself a champion for the causes of safety and environmental standards, is a good example of this. In an ideological sense, encompassing religion, a champion may be an evangelist, a visionary advocate who clears the field for the triumph of the idea. Or the champion may merely make a strong case for a new corporate division to a resistant board of directors. Such a champion may take on responsibility for publicizing the project and garnering funding. Such a champion is beyond a simple promoter.

The original meaning of the word partakes of both these senses: in the Feudal Era, knights were expected to be champions of both prowess in combat and of causes, the latter most commonly being either patriotic, romantic or religious in nature. This reaches its most literal in a trial by combat, in which each combatant champions the cause of one side of the trial.

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Champion: Other uses in modern culture ►



 

Olympic: Olympic can refer to:...

Gold Medalist: REDIRECT Gold medal...

Lindsay Davenport: Lindsay A. Davenport (born June 8, 1976 in Palos Verdes, California) is an American and current World No. 1 professional female tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam tournaments: the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon, and the 2000 Australian Open. She also won the Olympic gold medal in 1996. Dave...




Champion related Images and Photos (experimental)

Champion	UFC 75: CHAMPION VS. CHAMPION DVD	Champion, Muhammad Ali Poster	LEGO Champion Game
Four Champion Chow-Chows	U.S. Champion Hockey Team c.1980	Bugatti: Le Champion Du Monde	Champion Golfer Harry Vardon Photograph
Champion Bareback Rider: James Robinson c.1882	NHL Mark Messier: Leader, Champion, and Legend (DVD)	Richard Dix Champion 13	Champion Stainless Steel Iron Man Watch for Men