The Olympics have included spectacular athletic accomplishments, heartfelt stories, and unforgettable moments. The Olympics never fail to inspire, whether via record-breaking performances or historic wins. Here, we look at the top eight most unforgettable moments in Olympic history.
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Consider Abebe Bikila the next time you're considering missing your jog. When the Ethiopian runner triumphed in the men's marathon at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he became the first African to win a gold medal. He also completed it barefoot.
He repeated as the winner four years later, becoming the first person to win the marathon twice. The second time, he donned shoes—and, a little over a month before the marathon, had an appendectomy. He yet managed to achieve a world record.
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Michael Phelps leads the team off, setting an American record on the first leg, but the US is in second place to France as anchor Jason Lezak dives in. EVERYONE believes they will place second. But Lezak comes from behind in the final 30 metres and manages to win. It's the most wonderful swim. Phelps is on the deck, and he is losing his mind. The commentators are losing their heads. Everyone is yelling. It is the best Olympic swimming race ever.
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Peggy Fleming, who has been credited with revolutionising figure skating, swam into the hearts of Americans watching from home in 1968 while capturing the lone gold medal for the United States at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France (for the first time live and in colour, mind you).
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The 1980 Winter Games, held in Lake Placid, New York during the Cold War, saw the United States men's hockey team, dubbed the "Miracle on Ice," shock the whole world by defeating the Soviet Union team, which was the favourite.
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At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, British sprinter Derek Redmond tragically tore his hamstring mid-race, but he bravely crossed the finish line—with his dad's arm around him—in a scene that will go down in Olympic history as a powerful father-son moment.
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A roster that included some of the best players in basketball history, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, and Karl Malone, represented the United States in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. After winning gold, they were admitted into the American Olympic Hall of Fame. The "Dream Team" moniker wasn't given to them for nothing!
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The runners' display of support for one another during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 touched fans.
Abbey D'Agostino of the United States collided with New Zealander Nikki Hamblin when she fell during the 5000m heat, and she also went down. But D'Agostino got Hamblin back on his feet. And Hamblin waited for D'Agostino when she fell again, helping her while she suffered an injury.
The competitors gave each other hugs after the race.
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Of his three gold medals from the Olympics, his 2018 triumph might be the most satisfying. After all, Shaun White made a triumphant return from finishing fourth in the men's halfpipe competition four years earlier in Sochi to win the gold in the last run at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. White became the first snowboarder to ever win three gold medals in that same period in history.
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Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics team final halfway through the Tokyo Games to concentrate on her mental health. The GOAT ultimately decided to skip all the next contests before making a comeback for the bronze-winning performance on the balancing beam.
Her openness and choice to prioritise her mental health over her physical demands started a crucial dialogue that affected people everywhere, not just among athletes.
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After making history by nailing his programme to a medley of Elton John classics and becoming the first Asian American athlete to win a gold medal in men's single skating at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Nathan Chen could feel the love that night.
After he faltered and placed fifth in the 2018 PyeongChang Games, Chen—who also won the silver in the team event—saw this as his big comeback.
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