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By Glenn Mueller
Senior Writer/Editor
On August 8, the 2008 Olympic Games will begin in Beijing. While most of us won’t be making the trip to China to watch in person, just watching the events on TV is always very inspiring.
And so, while we’re looking forward to the Games, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look back. Below are a few of my personal favorite Olympic moments. (By the way, I limited the list to the Summer Games. That’s why I didn’t include the “Miracle on Ice.”)
2004 Athens Games
Swimmingly Good: Michael Phelps went to Greece hoping to match Mark Spitz’s record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics (7 of them). He fell just short and had to settle for a tie for the record for the most overall medals, when the American swimming star took home six gold medals and two bronze ones.
Fans Flipped Over Her: Carly Patterson became just the second U.S. gymnast to win the all-around gold (the first being Mary Lou Retton in 1984).
Having a Ball: If you don’t know much about women’s competitive beach volleyball, all you really need to remember is the following two names: Misty May and Kerri Walsh. The way this dynamic duo has completely dominated their sport puts them in an elite group of athletes. So it should come as no surprise that these two Americans didn’t drop a single set in the entire 2004 Olympics. (Trivia question: Do you know who Misty May is married to? I’ll give you a hint. He plays baseball in South Florida. That’s right! It is none other than Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor. Give yourself 10 points if you knew the answer to that one!)
2000 Sydney Games
David and Goliath on the Mat: Four-time Olympic champion Aleksandr Karelin hadn’t lost a match in 13 years. In fact, in the 10 years leading up to the 2000 Olympics, the giant Russian had only given up a single point. So to say that American Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner was a heavy underdog would be an understatement. However, the farm boy from Wyoming won the gold medal match in overtime.
1996 Atlanta Games
Still the Greatest: Before the Atlanta games, a host of celebrities, dignitaries and small-town heroes carried the Olympic torch for more than 15,000 miles across the country over a period of 84 days. But who would light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremonies? This information was kept top-secret. Not even President Clinton knew the answer, and he was speaking at the event.
Many famous American Olympians took turns running with the torch as they made their way towards the podium. It seemed as if swimmer Janet Evans would be the last one to carry the flame, when suddenly, a trembling figure stepped out of the shadows to take over. The capacity crowd absolutely erupted when they saw that Muhammad Ali had been selected to light the flame. Fighting a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, Ali proved once again that he was still “the greatest of all time.”
According to ESPN, President Clinton later put his hands on Ali’s shoulders and told the champ: “They didn’t tell me who would light the flame, but when I saw it was you, I cried.” Don’t feel bad, Bill. So did I! I’m just glad I was watching the games from home, so nobody could see.
Kerri-ing Her Team: Just when the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad seemed to be on their way to making history and winning the team gold, something terrible happened; Dominique Moceanu fell down after both of her vaults, leaving the American women with only a slim lead over the Russian team. The final American gymnast to perform: an 18-year-old girl by the name of Kerri Strug.
Though this was one of her best events, Strug fell after her first vault, too. She also managed to sprain her ankle in the process. With one chance left, Strug limped back and tried again. She stuck her second vault perfectly. After her perfect landing, Strug posed for the judges on one foot before finally collapsing in pain.
During the medal ceremony, Strug was carried out to the podium by her coach. (As you sports history buffs may remember, it was later determined that the U.S. team would have won the gold without Kerri’s second vault. But that didn’t matter — a new American sports hero was born.)
1992 Barcelona Games
Hoop Dreams: In 1988, the U.S. men’s basketball team had to settle for the bronze medal. However, the International Olympic Committee decided to change its policies and allow NBA players to compete. This led to the creation of quite possibly the best basketball team ever assembled — America’s so-called “Dream Team.”
The squad featured 11 of the best players from around NBA, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Oh, and just for good measure, they threw in the NCAA Player of the Year, Christian Laettner. The final game against Croatia was by far the closest game the U.S. team faced in the entire Olympics, but that’s not saying much. The Americans ended up winning by 32 points to bring home the gold.
1988 Seoul Games
Making a Splash: After winning two gold medals in Los Angeles in 1984, Greg Louganis set off for South Korea to try to do it all over again. However, during the preliminary round, the popular diver hit the back of his head on the diving board. The injury didn’t stop Louganis from bringing home gold medals for the men’s springboard and platform events though.
In the interest of time and space, I am going to stop my list now. However, even though I wasn’t around yet to see it, I do feel like no feature about the Summer Olympics could ever be complete without at least mentioning “the man who outran evil” at the 1936 Games in Berlin. As a disapproving Adolf Hitler looked on from the stands, American Jesse Owens made history by winning four gold medals.
OK, there you have it! Those are my personal favorite Olympic moments. What about you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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