Olympic Moments That Ring True as Some of the Most Memorable in History
These Olympic moments deserve their own podium.
Because even if they didn’t all include a medal, they still secured their place in the history books.
Often, these moments featured celebratory highs. Who could forget when the U.S. men’s ice hockey team beat the favored Soviet Union in what was dubbed a “miracle on ice” at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York? Or, when Michael Phelps won his first-ever Olympic medal (more like medals given his six golds and two bronze) at the 2004 Games in Athens—with the American swimmer later going on to become the most-decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals.
However, some notable moments featured devastating lows. Take, for instance, when British sprinter Derek Redmond tore his hamstring mid-race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (though, determined to finish, he fought through the pain and tears to complete the course with his father by his side), or when U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked just a month before the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer (where she still took home the silver).
And sometimes, Olympians help generate bigger conversations. Like when Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s team final at the 2020 Games after experiencing a case of the “twisties” and fueled discussions on mental health (the U.S. gymnast ended her time in Tokyo by coming back to earn a silver in the team event and a bronze in balance beam).
Time will only tell what this year’s competition will bring. The Olympics will run from July 26 to Aug. 11 followed by the Paralympic Games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.
For now, keep reading to look back at more memorable Olympic moments throughout the years.
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One of the most legendary athletes of all time, Alabama native Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, breaking world records while simultaneously defying the Nazi agenda promoted by Adolf Hitler.
The next time you're debating skipping that jog, think of Abebe Bikila. The Ethiopian runner became the first African to win a gold medal when he won the men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. And, he did it barefoot.
Four years later, he won again, marking the first time anyone had won the marathon twice. He wore shoes the second time around—and underwent an appendectomy just over a month before running the race. And yet, he still set a world record.
While winning the only gold medal for the United States at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, Peggy Fleming skated into the hearts of Americans watching from home (for the first time live and in color, mind you) and has since been credited with changing figure skating.
With their black-gloved fists in the air, black socks on their feet and their heads bowed, sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos—who won the gold and bronze medals respectively—left their mark on history as they used the podium to protest racism.
At just 14 years old, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect 10.
Deemed the "Miracle on Ice," the United States men's hockey team stunned the world when they defeated the favored Soviet Union team at the 1980 Winter Games, held in Lake Placid, New York amid the Cold War.
Famously known as Flo-Jo, the late California native and three-time gold medalist remains the fastest woman of all time after setting the existing Olympic records for the 100 and 200 meter-dashes in 1988. More than three decades later, they still stand.
Despite hitting his head on the diving board during the preliminary rounds, Greg Louganis went on to win two gold medals at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, bringing his career total to four.
It was a striking moment between a father and son forever memorialized in Olympics history. British sprinter Derek Redmond unforgettably suffered a torn hamstring mid-race at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, but tearfully made it to the finish line—with an arm around his dad.
The United States basketball team for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona was a lineup of some of the sport's greatest, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson and Karl Malone. They won gold and were later inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. They weren't nicknamed the "Dream Team" for nothing!
While American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan ended up bringing home the silver after competing at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, it was the attack she suffered after a practice a month earlier that will live forever in infamy.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, then-18-year-old gymnast Kerri Strug secured gold for the women's team after landing her second vault with an injury. Strug was so hurt, she crawled away after landing and was eventually carried back in by coach Béla Károlyi to receive her medal.
The then-15-year-old figure skater became the youngest winner of an individual event in Winter Games history when she took home the gold at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano.
At the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Eric Moussambani, a then-22-year-old swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, competed in the first qualifying heat of the men's 100-meter freestyle. If you're wondering why this is a significant moment history, we should mention that he had never even seen a 50-meter pool before that day.
There was also the fact that he did not know he would be competing in the 100 meter until arriving in Australia and had instead been mistakenly told he would be swimming half that.
Despite not having a coach and having trained with limited access to a swimming pool, Moussambani's story took another turn when his fellow competitors were disqualified for making false starts. Alone, he ultimately completed the race.
German kayaker and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Birgit Fischer's story is a reminder that you really shouldn't put a time limit on winning a gold medal.
After all, there are more than two decades between her first—which she won as the youngest in the field—and her most recent at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens as the oldest competitor. She was 42 years old at the time.
The most decorated Olympian of all time, swimmer Michael Phelps kicked off his winning spree at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens when he took home six gold medals and eight total.
At his first Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, the Jamaican sprinter left his mark on the sport when he set world and Olympic records as he won the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Before retiring, Bolt won eight gold medals and continues to hold the Olympic records (he even set new ones in 2012) for the 100 meter, 200 meter and 4x100 meters relay.
The skier from Slovenia suffered a nasty fall during a warm-up run at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
“The skis were just gliding and they didn’t break,” Petra Majdič told Olympics.com. “They lost the contact with snow.”
While the athlete broke four ribs and punctured her lung, she still made it through the qualifying round and semi-finals—adding that she was screaming through the pain. At the finals, Majdič won the bronze medal.
“In that moment, I felt that Slovenians had some message to be told that it’s possible,” she continued. “And on the end of the path, the goal will be reachable. You will have suffered to do, but it doesn’t matter. You can do it.”
Gabby Douglas made history at the 2012 Olympics in London by becoming the first Black gymnast to win the gold medal in the all-around.
Fans were moved by the runners show of support for one another at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
After Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand fell during the 5000m heat, Abbey D'Agostino of the U.S. collided with her and went down, too. However, D'Agostino helped Hamblin back up. And when D'Agostino struggled with an injury, Hamblin waited for her and assisted after she took another tumble.
At the end of the race, the athletes hugged it out.
“Enjoying the journey is a massive thing that Rio gave me," Hamblin told Olympics.com. "Sometimes you get to that pinnacle event that you have been thinking about for four years and it is not going to go the way you want, but does that mean you are a failure? The answer is no."
Of his three Olympic gold wins, it's possible his 2018 victory is the sweetest. After all, Shaun White nabbed the gold with the final run of the men's halfpipe competition at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, a victorious comeback after placing fourth four years earlier in Sochi. In that moment, White made history as the first snowboarder ever to win three gold medals.
Midway through the Tokyo Games, Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics team final to focus on her mental health. Ultimately, the GOAT chose to sit out all subsequent competitions until returning for the balance beam final, in which she took home bronze.
Her candor and decision to put her mental needs first sparked an important conversation not only among athletes but throughout the world. "I know that I helped a lot of people and athletes speak out about mental health and saying no," she said. "Because I knew I couldn't go out there and compete. I knew I was going to get hurt."
Nathan Chen could feel the love that night at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after he nailed his routine set to a medley of Elton John’s hits and made history as the first Asian American athlete to win a gold medal in men’s single skating.
The moment served as the ultimate comeback for Chen—who also took home the silver in the team event—after he stumbled at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and finished fifth.
“I spent all my life practicing figure skating, but it’s the one place where I feel truly at home,” he told CBS Mornings in 2022. “So to then have the opportunities to do that at a scale in which that I’ve been dreaming for a long time is really special.”
