When Madeline Manning-Mims won her gold medal at the 1968 Mexican Olympics, she believed she was running in praise of the Lord. Next month, as an Olympic chaplain, she will be telling America's athletes that they have God on their side. She is part of the growing connection between Christianity and sport in the United States. Forty per cent of professional athletes claim to be believers, but there are those who question that faith and accuse them of merely praying to win.