Greatest Olympic Team Upsets
By Chad Klassen
Love of Sports Correspondent
The Olympics have typically been center stage for some of biggest upsets in sports history.
It was no different in Beijing, as the Japanese women’s softball team shocked the U.S., and the rest of the world for that matter, to take home gold and leave the American squad wondering what went wrong.
I’ve compiled a list of team upsets, as I know the individual ones could keep us here for months.
These are the biggest ones, from both the Summer and Winter Games, with the list based on the greatest shock-and-awe factor.
Top Eight Olympic Team Upsets
8. Belarus “Bounces” By Swedes (Salt Lake City, 2002)
Only true hockey fans, who follow the game internationally at the Olympics, will remember this upset for the ages. Ever since 1998, when NHL players were granted permission to play in the Games, the Swedish national team has been contenders for gold, thanks to the likes of Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg and Daniel Alfredsson. But the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City meant absolute embarrassment for the country, when the Swedes were eliminated from the tournament by underdog Belarus, which had been outscored 16-2 in its previous two contests. What’s even more unbelievable is how Belarus won the quarterfinal game. With things tied 3-3, and with 2:24 remaining, a Belarusian shot from outside the attacking blue line bounced off the mask of Swedish goalie Tommy Salo and landed in the back of the net behind him, resulting an international hockey upset reminiscent of the “Miracle on Ice.”
7. Sweden Kicks Reigning Champs (Paris, 1924)
With few goals tallied in soccer, there are opportunities for unsung countries, like Greece in Euro 2004, to catch some breaks, score timely goals and go deep into a tournament. Sweden was one of those teams at the 1924 Summer Games, but did it convincingly, beating the defending Olympic champion, Belgium, 8-1 in the medal round. This particular game has survived a handful of soccer upsets throughout the years in order to remain the biggest in the sport’s history, including every major international match at both the Olympics and World Cup. The underdog Swedes kept filling the back of the net in this one, getting remarkable performances from Sven Rydell and Rudolf Cock, who notched a pair of rare soccer hat tricks, to smash the Belgians. The Swedes kept the miracle run going into the semifinals before falling to the Swiss in a 2-1 loss, forcing them to beat the Netherlands for bronze, which they did.
6. U.S. Swims past Juiced East Germans (Montreal, 1976)
When the Berlin Wall fell, it became pretty common knowledge that East Germany was pumping its athletes full of anabolic steroids. It obviously gave the country a tremendous advantage at every international competition and in every sport. Even swimmers were juiced when they took the pool and developed a ridiculously dominant national swimming program. In 1976, the swim team captured every 4x100 freestyle relay race and was appropriately favored to win gold at the Montreal Games. Their swimmers were posting times almost two seconds faster than any American, setting the scene for a major Olympic upset. After the East Germans had won every gold medal but the 200-meter breaststroke, the U.S. relay team beat their communist rivals and broke a world record in the miraculous victory.
5. Puerto Rico Ends Dream Team Era (Athens, 2004)
Most sports fans tend to think the semifinal loss to Argentina was easily the biggest story of the 2004 Games. It was indeed shocking, since it denied the U.S. a chance to win another gold medal in basketball. However, a 92-73 round-robin loss to Puerto Rico will go down among the greatest upsets in Olympic basketball history. The same American squad had easily cruise the Puerto Ricans by 25 points in a tune-up exhibition a month prior to the Athens Games, but they lost when it counted and the image of the U.S. Dream Team was dealt a crushing blow. The loss was only the third defeat ever for the national team in Olympic competition (109-3), which added to the shock value.
4. Sweden Makes Hockey History (Torino, 2006)
In every World Championship, and ever since women’s hockey was officially introduced as a sport at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, it was a foregone conclusion that Canada and the U.S. would faceoff for the gold medal. But this soon changed at the 2006 Torino Games when the Swedish women’s national team pulled off the biggest upset the sport had ever seen. Sweden met the U.S. in the semifinal round and was competitive throughout contest. The country got two regulation goals from its leading scorer, Maria Rooth, who also scored the game-winning goals when it went to a shootout. Each team traded goals and saves during the sudden-death shootout, but it was Rooth who buried the clincher to pull off the women’s version of Miracle on Ice. The state of the women’s game has changed forever with that victory.
3. Soviets Win Controversial Gold (Munich, 1972)
Before the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, the U.S. men’s basketball team had never lost, sporting an impressive 63-game undefeated streak. But their remarkable dominance came to a crashing halt in the gold medal game against their communist-rival, the Soviet Union. The game was expected to be hotly contested, but the U.S. had won every gold medal since 1936. Against the Cold War backdrop, which obviously heightened the interest in any sporting competition involving the two countries, the Soviets beat the U.S. amidst a controversial decision, winning 51-50 to capture the gold. After the Soviet Union pushed the ball down the floor and failed to score, three seconds were mysteriously put back on the clock. The Soviets used it to tally the winning points. It’s arguably the most controversial game in basketball history and will always be remembered for that more than anything.
2. Japan Spoils the U.S.’s Going Away Party (Beijing, 2008)
With Beijing being the last appearance of softball as an Olympic sport, this was supposed to the USA’s swan song. However, the Japanese crashed the party and stole all the champagne that was seemingly awaiting the American women in the lockerroom. Led by pitcher Jennie Finch, the U.S. had claimed all three gold medals since Atlanta and brought a 22-game winning streak to the Summer Games. In Beijing, the team had outscored its opponents 57-3 along the way before meeting Japan in the final. Not only that, but the Americans had beaten the Japanese twice during round-robin play, 7-0 and 4-1. But the underdogs came through in the clutch to shut down the world’s most dominant softball country and win 3-1 for a golden upset.
1. Miracle on Ice (Lake Placid, 1980)
There’s almost no need to explain the significance of this historic upset at the 1980 Winter Olympics. For those old enough to witness the game live, and for sports fans who’ve watched the memorable clip over and over again, it hard to forget the clock counting down before future Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Michaels belted out, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” Not only was the semifinal game happening amidst the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union, but it featured amateur hockey players facing off against the world’s best. The Americans advanced with the miraculous 4-3 victory and beat Finland to win the gold medal one night later. The Miracle on Ice will be remembered as the greatest moment in Olympic lore and is arguably among the biggest upsets in sports history.
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