The Olympics has provided us with
hundreds of memorable moments throughout its history, but some are more
inspirational than others. Here are five moments that transcend sports,
and show us the power determination and sportsmanship.
#5.
Derek Redmond
Some things are just more important
than Olympic medals – family is one of those things. British runner Derek
Redmond seemed to have finally broken free of the injuries that had plagued his
entire career coming into the 1992 Olympics. However, in the final 250
meters of the 400m semifinals, Redmond began to hobble. He fell down on
the ground in pain, with the medical staff quickly running over. However,
he got back up, and hobbled towards the finish. His father, Jim, broke
free from security and dashed onto the track. The two of them slowly made
their way across the finish line, as the crowd cheered them on. Redmond
was disqualified for being assisted, but no one really cared about the results
at that point.
#4.
Greg Louganis
American Greg Louganis, one of the
greatest divers of all time, won gold in both events in the 1984 Olympics, and
was the overwhelming favorite in the 1988 games. However, he suffered a
concussion during the preliminary round of the 3 meter event after hitting his
head on the springboard. Louganis came back to win the preliminary round,
and won the gold medal in the finals. He would also win the 10m gold a
few days later. Louganis, who is openly gay, created controversy in 1994,
when he revealed he was HIV-positive. However, experts say the other
divers were at no risk, since the chlorine in the pool would’ve killed any
trace of the HIV.
#3.
Yael Arad
Israel has dealt with a lot of
tragedy in their relatively short history as a nation. One of those
tragedies was the 1972 Munich Massacre, where 11 Israeli athletes were killed
by a pro-Palestinian terrorist group, Black September. Israel pulled out
of those Olympics afterwards, and failed to medal for decades. But
in 1992, female judoka Yael Arad won silver on the 20th anniversary
of the Munich Massacre. An emotional Arad dedicated her medal to the
victims. After retiring, she now serves as a TV commentator for
judo. She was named in a list of the 200 Greatest Israelis by the website
Ynet.
#2.
Kerri Strug
Coming into the 1996 Olympics, the
Soviet Union had never failed to win the gold medal in woman’s team
gymnastics. Their successors, Russia, were heavy favorites. USA
held a slight lead on the final rotation on the final day of competition.
However, the Americans performed poorly, lowering their lead. It all came
down to Kerri Strug. On her first vault, she under-rotated and landed
badly, damaging her ankle. Her coach, Bela Karolyi, told her she “better
do it”, so Strug stepped up and performed a nearly perfect vault, landing on
one leg. She then collapsed in agony, and was carried off by
Karolyi. Strug didn’t have to perform her vault, as Russia had a series
of mistakes on their floor exercise. But no one had any way of knowing this
at the time.
#1.
Muhammad Ali
Not every inspirational moment is
because of an athlete competing. Muhammad Ali was chosen to light the
Olympic torch at the 1996 Olympics, despite suffering from Parkinson’s in
1984. Ali has gone through a lot of controversy during his decorated
boxing career, but remains one of the most revered and respected athletes of
all time. As he carried the flame to light the torch, Ali was visibly
shaking from his disease. Despite his frail state, he remained a
determined and brave figure. The crowd quickly grew silent in respect and
awe of the outstanding athlete.
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