Most Memorable Olympic Moments

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

The Olympics provide the greatest athletes in the world an opportunity to compete against one another on the grandest stage.

The rest of us watch as they test the physical limits of human capability. How fast can we run? How far can we jump? How much pain can we endure?

For the participants, the Olympics represents the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and years of personal sacrifice. Inundated with a competitive spirit and the patriotic fervor of their native countries, these athletes pour every ounce of their beings into the competition.

The combination of awesome athleticism and deluge of emotions makes for lasting images of remarkable feats, euphoric tears, colossal disappointment and unprecedented courage.

These are the 10 most memorable moments from the summer Olympics over the past 25 years.

Top 10 Olympics Moments

10. Down Goes The Russian

Rulon Gardner was an All-American son of a dairy farmer from Afton, Wyoming, and looked the part, with his shaved head and a wide-eyed smile. The 2000 Olympics in Sydney was just his second international competition in Greco Roman wrestling and he faced the daunting task of going up against the “Russian Bear,” Aleksandr Karelin, in the gold medal match. Karelin won gold at the ‘88, ‘92 and ‘96 games, was undefeated in 13 years of international competition and hadn’t even surrendered a single point in the six years coming into the match. Gardner pulled off the historic upset by tiring the Russian out and scoring a late point to secure a 1-0 win and became an instant hero in the United States.

9. The Man With The Golden Shoes

Michael Johnson delighted the home crowd and earned the title of “world’s fastest man” at the 1996 games in Atlanta. In that Olympics, he became the first male sprinter to win both the 200 meter and 400 meter races in the same games. It looked as if his gold shoes weren’t even touching the ground as he zoomed past the competition with his unorthodox, upright style. Johnson shattered his own world record in the 200 meter by .34 seconds and putting up a time of 19.32 seconds that still stands to this day.

8. Stitch Him Up and Send Him Back Out There

American Greg Louganis won two gold medals in diving in 1984 and was favored to repeat at the Seoul Games in ‘88. During the preliminary competition, he banged his head on the diving board while attempting a reverse 2 1/2 pike. He had to be rescued from the pool and taken to the lockerroom to have his wound stitched up, and many thought he may be unable to compete. Despite a concussion, the courageous champion returned to the board minutes later and completed the preliminary round with his highest score of the day. The next day, the most celebrated athlete in the history of the sport flawlessly executed the same dive he was injured on and won both gold medals he was competing for.

7. Flo Jo’s Flair

Florence Griffith-Joyner captivated audiences at the 1988 Seoul Games with her distinctive sense of style, a catchy nickname and unfathomable speed. Before races, the cameras focused on her long fingernails, three of which were painted red, white and blue, and a fourth one gold for the medals she intended to win. Flo Jo won gold in the 100 meter, 200 meter and 4x100 meter relay and silver in the 4x400. The most astonishing aspect of her races was the lengthy margins of victory, especially in the 200 meter, in which she set a world record that still stands.

6. World’s Greatest Athlete

Leading up to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Carl Lewis boasted that he would duplicate Jesse Owens’ feat of capturing gold medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter, long jump and 4x100 meter relay. After winning the first three events fairly easily, he consummated his legendary achievement by anchoring the U.S. relay team to a gold medal and world record. Based on his epic showing in Los Angeles, he was referred to as the “world’s greatest athlete” for years to come.

5. Redmond’s Resolve

After missing the 1988 Olympics due to injury, Derek Redmond of the United Kingdom entered the 1992 games in Barcelona as one of the favorites in the 400 meters. During the semifinal heat, he appeared to be cruising towards the finals, when he tore his right hamstring and collapsed to the ground in agony. Determined to finish the race, he waived off the medical crew and began hopping around the track, tears streaming down his cheeks due to the pain. Redmond’s father, who was in the stands, made his way to the track, pushing officials away in the process, and helped his son finish the race.

4. Johnson Leaves Lewis In The Dust

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson mesmerized viewers in 1988 by exploding past his rival, Carl Lewis, on the way to breaking his own world record in the 100 meter dash. Johnson raised his arms in victory and peered back at Lewis before he even crossed the finish line in world record time. Three days later, the IOC announced that he’d tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He was stripped of his medal, which was given to Lewis, and banned from the sport.

3. The Dream Team

In response to increased competition from the rest of the world, and after losing in the ’88 Seoul Olympics, the United States enlisted its professional basketball players to compete in the 1992 Games. The “Dream Team,” headlined by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, is still considered to be the greatest basketball team ever assembled. They were treated like rock stars and destroyed their awe-struck opponents by an average of 43.8 points per game on their way to the gold. The image of the 12 teammates standing on the medal stand has become symbolic of the team’s role in the subsequent surge in popularity of basketball worldwide.

2. Strug’s Courage

Kerri Strug was the last remaining competitor for the United States as they stood neck-and-neck with gymnastics powerhouse Russia for the gold medal in all-around team gymnastics competition at the 1996 Olympics. She needed an excellent score on the vault to secure the gold for the U.S. However, she fell during her first attempt and badly sprained her left ankle. In obvious pain, she limped back to the runway and performed her routine, concluding with a majestic one-foot landing. The judges awarded her a 9.70 and the U.S. won the gold medal. The home country fans roared at the indelible image of Strug’s coach carrying her onto the podium to join her teammates for the medal ceremony.

1. The Champion Of The World

Muhammad Ali first made a name for himself on the international scene, as an 18-year-old named Cassius Clay, when he boxed his way to a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. In the years that followed, Ali became an international icon, revered for both his strength and his audacity both in and out of the ring. In the summer of 1996, the world watched with bated breath as its champion, quivering from the effects of Parkinson’s Disease, lit the Olympic flame to kickoff the games in Atlanta.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Cathy Freeman - Lit the flame at the 2000 Sydney Games and would become the first-ever Aboriginal Olympic champion when she won a track event for her native Australia.

Mary Lou Retton - Scored a perfect 10 on the final two gymnastic events before an enthusiastic home crowd to win the gold medal in 1984.

Antonio Rebollo - Shot an arrow into a cauldron from across the stadium to light the Olympic flame at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

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(If you’re watching the Olympics, you may need a couple beers to get yourself through all the garbage gymnastics NBS will be showing. If that’s the case, visit our sister site, The Love of Beer, to find out what we’re serving today!)