Race to Glory — Barbara Youree

Race to Glory captures the thrills and struggles of competing in the Olympic Games in first-century Greece. Timos, a young, aspiring sprinter, offends the future Roman emperor, Nero Claudius, who becomes his nemesis and vows to kill him. When Timos meets Kyniska -- who also hopes to compete in Olympia -- he is charmed by her beauty and brains. But to avoid the restrictions of her overly-stern father, they meet in secret aided by her clever tutor Sisyphus. Discovered, she must face her father's fury, forbidding her to compete. Troubles increase for Timos when one friend betrays him and another commits suicide. He travels to Delphi to seek assurance of success from Apollo's Oracle but falls into more misfortune. Can Timos and Kyniska overcome their obstacles, reunite, and win their coveted olive-leaf crowns?