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The 16 Most Iconic Moments in Olympic History

by YPB Team

Some of these lasted ten seconds; one was a man walking slowly with a torch. Nine decades, and the argument never settles.

  1. Simone Biles' Paris All-Around — ranked #11
    Simone Biles' Paris All-Around
    Biles reclaimed the Olympic all-around title in 2024, three years after withdrawing in Tokyo.
  2. Jesse Owens' Four Golds — ranked #22
    Jesse Owens' Four Golds
    Owens won four track golds at the 1936 Berlin Games in front of Adolf Hitler.
  3. Nadia Comaneci's Perfect 10 — ranked #33
    Nadia Comaneci's Perfect 10
    The first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics, scored on uneven bars in Montreal in 1976.
  4. The 1968 Black Power Salute — ranked #44
    The 1968 Black Power Salute
    Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised gloved fists on the 200m podium in Mexico City.
  5. Muhammad Ali Lights the Cauldron — ranked #55
    Muhammad Ali Lights the Cauldron
    A visibly shaking Ali lit the flame at the 1996 Atlanta opening ceremony.
  6. The Miracle on Ice — ranked #66
    The Miracle on Ice
    American college players beat the Soviet ice hockey team at Lake Placid in 1980.
  7. Bob Beamon's Long Jump — ranked #77
    Bob Beamon's Long Jump
    Beamon jumped 8.90m in Mexico City in 1968, beating the world record by 55 centimetres.
  8. Derek Redmond and His Father — ranked #88
    Derek Redmond and His Father
    Redmond tore a hamstring in the 1992 400m semi-final and finished the lap with his dad.
  9. Michael Phelps' Eight Golds — ranked #99
    Michael Phelps' Eight Golds
    Phelps won eight swimming golds at a single Games in Beijing in 2008.
  10. Kerri Strug's One-Foot Vault — ranked #1010
    Kerri Strug's One-Foot Vault
    Strug landed a vault on an injured ankle to seal team gold in Atlanta in 1996.
  11. Abebe Bikila Runs Barefoot — ranked #1111
    Abebe Bikila Runs Barefoot
    Bikila won the 1960 Rome marathon without shoes, the first gold for a Black African athlete.
  12. The Dream Team — ranked #1212
    The Dream Team
    The 1992 United States basketball team turned the Barcelona tournament into an exhibition.
  13. Cathy Freeman's 400m — ranked #1313
    Cathy Freeman's 400m
    Freeman won the 400m in Sydney in 2000 after lighting the cauldron at the same Games.
  14. Usain Bolt's Beijing 100m — ranked #1414
    Usain Bolt's Beijing 100m
    Bolt broke the world record in 2008 while slowing down before the line.
  15. Greg Louganis Hits the Board — ranked #1515
    Greg Louganis Hits the Board
    Louganis struck his head on the springboard in Seoul in 1988 and still won both diving golds.
  16. Eddie the Eagle Ski Jumps — ranked #1616
    Eddie the Eagle Ski Jumps
    Britain's Eddie Edwards finished last in both ski jump events in Calgary and became a folk hero.
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Comments

Withdrawn from five finals in Tokyo, back for a beam bronze, then the all-around title again in Paris at 27, one of sixteen moments: https://youpick.best/articles/simone-biles-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·
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