Top 10 Inspirational Moments From The Olympics

Born in Romania, Nadia Comaneci rose to fame as not only one of the best gymnasts in Olympic history, and became one of the most recognizable athletes of the last 5 decades. Making her Olympic debut in 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympics at the astonishingly young age of 14, she became the first gymnast to ever receive a perfect score of ten (she earned seven perfect 10s in total at the Games). Securing her spot in history with a total of nine gold medals, Comaneci vaulted gymnastics onto the map as a competitive sport. She will forever be the youngest athlete to ever compete and hit these records, since the age requirements have since been revised.

Gold-medalist and record-breaking British athlete Derek Redmond has had many career highlights. However at the 400-meter semi-final, in 1992 in Barcelona, Redmond’s luck seemed to have run out. Tearing his hamstring, Redmond knew he would not win the race. The world, however, watched in astonishment as he continued to limp towards the finish line. With his father running over to assist him, he finally reached the end; and although disqualified, his Olympic spirit garnered him a standing ovation and worldwide praise for his fighting spirit.

The 1996 US women’s gymnastics team, known to the world as the Magnificent Seven, won the first ever gold medal for the women’s team competition at the Atlanta Games. Although things were looking fantastic at first for the Magnificent Seven, competing in their home country, their performance on the vault against Russia seemed lackluster, with Kerri Strug injuring her ankle. Unfortunately, Strug needed to give them one last shot at the vault, even with her injury. The world was watching closely and did not expect miracles; however Strug landed magnificently, winning the US the gold medal, before collapsing to the floor in pain.

Top speed-skater Dan Jansen seemed to have a curse following him during his decade-long career at the Winter Olympics. The American athlete, at his first shot in Sarajevo in 1984, left with no medals. In Calgary, four years later, Jansen competed, and finished medal-less, even after learning of his sister’s passing from leukemia that same afternoon. Although a favorite to win, Jansen lost for a third time at the Albertville Games. Deciding to give it one last shot, he finally took home his first and only gold medal a decade later at the Lillehammer Games in 1994, in the 1000-meter event.

Thanks to his performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Usain “Lightning” Bolt has become a living legend in the sporting world. The 8-time Olympic Gold medalist became the face of the Games and the Jamaican runner has broken record after record after record. Considered by many to be the greatest sprinter of all time, Bolt is the only athlete to have won gold for the 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400 meter relay at three consecutive Games (although the 2008 400 meter relay gold was eventually taken away from the Jamaican relay team for reasons unrelated to Bolt).

The Olympics are, at their best, meant to be a sign of unification and peace, a symbolic competition allowing countries and cultures to put differences and struggles aside and compete as fellow athletes. At the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Games, dubbed the Games of the New Millennium, the world was astounded to see North Korean and South Korean athletes entering together, under a new Unification flag. This was due to the new Sunshine Policy from 1998, strengthening the political contact between the two states. The flag was flown again in the 2004 games, and in January of 2018, it was announced that once again North and South Korean athletes would march under a single flag.

Known as one of the most iconic moments in US sports history, this underdog story wowed and inspired millions of people around the world, and even led to a Hollywood film. The Big Red Machine, the world-renowned Soviet hockey team, and the overwhelming favorite to win, went up against the very young, US team in the first round at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games. Not expected to even make a dent, the US team ended up, miraculously, winning, and continued their magic by winning gold later against Finland.

The 1968 Mexico City games, the first to ever be hosted in a Spanish-speaking country, gave the world a truly iconic moment in sports history. Having just won the gold and bronze medals for the 200 meters race, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos took to the podium in bare feet, representing black poverty, and gave the world the Black Power salute during the National Anthem. Despite this powerful moment for civil rights advocacy that was praised by many, they were nevertheless immediately banned from the Olympic village and suspended from the US team.

The 1988 Calgary Games, which gave us the inspiring failures of British ski jumper Eddie the Eagle, were also famous for the debut of the Jamaican National Bobsled Team. Everyone wondered the same thing: why does Jamaica have a bobsled team? How did this happen? Had they ever seen any snow? Well, it turned out that their determination, despite a lack of experience, made them underdog superstars (and also led to a Hollywood movie). Other teams gave them guidance, and let them use their more modern and professional bobsleds. Although never coming close to winning, they competed hard and continue to compete to this very day.



Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:



Abebe Bikila Wins Marathon Barefoot

1960 Rome Summer Olympics



Matthias Steiner Wins Weightlifting Gold after the Passing of his Wife

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics



Shaun White Secures Gold Again With the New Double McTwist 1260

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

American track and field gold medalist Jesse Owens was not just a star athlete; he was an American, and particularly African-American, hero. At the height of Hitler’s power, Germany hosted the Summer Olympics in an attempt to show off their erstwhile Third Reich. Owens didn’t let prejudice and racial animus stand in his way of competing and representing the US in 1936. Owens spectacularly won four gold medals and put the lie to Nazi ideology on the world stage, transcending even his mighty sporting accomplishments.