INFORMATION VINE * 50 Great Historic Olympic Moments *.

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The Olympic Games are sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions where thousands of athletes worldwide compete. More than 200 nations participate. The games are normally held every four years and alternate between summer and winter sports.

The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, and were held on April 6, 1896. The Olympics have been held in Berlin, London, Athens, Tokyo, Paris, Amsterdam, United States, Rome, Mexico City, and so many more. 

Hermann Maier's Accident

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Hermann Maier, an Olympic skier, also known as the Herminator. During the 1998 Olympic games, millions of viewers worldwide watched in horror as Herman's downhill run ended in a terrifying flight and a top speed brush with death.

He dusted himself off and won both the super-G and giant slalom golds a couple of days later. He also almost lost his leg in a terrible motorbike accident. He was given the name the Herminator because he was relentless and determined; nothing could stop him. He retired in 2009. 

Torvill and Dean

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Torvill and Dean are ice dancers. At the 1984 Winter Olympics, the pair won gold and became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time. The two never had a relationship; they stayed only as friends.

Betty Callaway trained the couple. They were known as the couple that revolutionized the sport of ice dancing. They went on to win the world professional championships five times. The pair retired from competitive skating in 1998.

Rulon Gardner of USA

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Rulon is an American Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler. He competed in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000 and the bronze medal in 2004. Gardner shocked the wrestling world when he defeated Karelin.

Karelin was previously undefeated for 13 years and the projected winner. Rulon suffered some injuries after the 2000 Olympics, amputated toe and dislocated wrist. He did participate in the 2004 Olympics but came away with the bronze. After his match, he placed his shoes in the middle of the mat as a symbol of retirement. 

Jonny Moseley, 1998 Olympics

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John Moseley's innovative techniques and tricks changed the sport of freestyle skiing. John became the first skier to medal in both the X Games and the Olympics. In 2007 he was inducted into the Ski Hall of Fame.

He placed fourth at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games and the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics. He was a gold medalist in the 2000 US Open Slopestyle. John also had a career in TV hosting and commentary. 

Adolf Hitler, 1936 Olympics

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Hitler used the 1936 Games to promote his government and ideals of racial supremacy. The official Nazi party paper stated that Jews should not be allowed to participate in the Games.
Jewish athletes were prevented from taking part in the Games in a variety of methods. They were said to have been side-lined to avoid offending the Nazi regime. These were the final games for twelve years due to WWII. 

John Hayes Wins, 1908 Olympics

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John Hayes was an American athlete and was the winner of the marathon race at the 1908 Summer Olympics. His victory contributed to the early growth of marathoning and long-distance running in the U.S.
He was the first man to win a marathon but won because Pietri was disqualified. Hayes later became a trainer for the US 1912 Olympic team. He taught physical education and was a food broker. A statue of him is in front of the Nenagh Courthouse. 

Michael Johnson

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Michael Johnson is an American sprinter. In his career, he won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals. He also held the world and Olympic records in the 200m and 400m. and he once held the world's best time in the 300m.

Michael is considered one of the greatest and most consistent sprinters in track and field history. He was the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 and 400 meters events at the same Olympics. 

Mary Lou Retton, 1984 Olympics

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Mary Lou started in gymnastics when she was eight years old. She suffered a knee injury and had knee surgery five weeks before the 1984 Olympics. She recovered just in time to compete and won the all-around gold medal and became the first American to receive the all-around gold.

At the same Olympics, she won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. She appeared on a Wheaties box and was named Sports Illustrated's "Sportswoman of the Year." Mary Lou retired in 1986.

Joannie Rochette

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Joannie Rochette competed in the 2010 Olympics and won bronze. Her bronze medal was Canada's first Olympic medal in women's figure skating. Just two days before her short program, her mother passed away from a heart attack.

She chose to honor her biggest supporter and compete. She performed a personal best short program. Her Olympic performance in 2010 was her last competitive performance. She skated in various shows and tours.

Knud Enemark Jensen Tragedy, 1960 Olympics

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Knud Jensen was a Danish cyclist who participated in the 1960 Olympics. His race was held in very high heat. One of the men dropped out due to sunstroke after the first lap, while Jensen told his teammates that he was dizzy.

They sprayed him with water, but when they let go of him, he collapsed and fractured his skull on the pavement. He was brought by ambulance to an overheated military tent. He died that afternoon without ever regaining consciousness. 

Suzanne Lenglen 

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Suzanne Lenglen was one of tennis's biggest stars in the 1920s. She was the youngest major champion and was well known for her style of play and exuberant personality. Suzanne became the first professional woman tennis player.

Suzanne won the gold in women's singles and gold in mixed doubles. She won the bronze for women's doubles. In 1978, Suzanne was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and died in 1938 from Leukemia. 

Michael Phelps

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Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. He has won a total of 28 medals. He has 82 medals from major international long course competitions; 65 gold, 14 silver, and three bronze.

Phelps has earned the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times and the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2012 and 2016. He also earned Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award. He retired in 2016 and is regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time. 

Bob King, 1928 Olympics

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Bob King was an American athlete. He won a gold medal in the high jump at the 1928 summer Olympics. The 1928 Olympics were held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 
In the high jump event, 35 athletes competed. King's gold medal was the United States' eighth consecutive victory in the men's high jump. King attended and graduated from Stanford University and later became an obstetrician.

Dorando Pietri, 1908 Olympics

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Dorando Pietri was an Italian long-distance runner. Pietri competed in the 1908 Olympics. He trained very hard for them. During the run, in the heat, Pietri felt the effects of extreme fatigue and dehydration.
Pietri fell five times, but even though he was totally exhausted, he managed to finish the race in first place. Complaints were made because the umpires helped him up, so Pietri was disqualified and removed from the standings. 

Charles Jewtraw, 1924 Olympics

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Charles Jewtraw was an American speed skater. He won the first-ever gold medal at the first Winter Olympics in 1924. He finished eighth and thirteenth in other events. Charles won national titles in 1921 and 1923.

He also held the record in 100 yards at 9.4 seconds. After the 1924 Games, he retired and moved to New York. He then became a representative for the Spalding Sporting Goods Company. Jewtraw's gold medal is now located at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. 

Lance Armstrong

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Lance Armstrong is an American cyclist. He had seven consecutive Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005. He was regarded as a sports icon for his wins, which were the most in the event's history. His reputation was soon tarnished.

Armstrong was involved in a doping scandal. He denied involvement for years, but it was later found he was guilty. He was stripped of all of his achievements from August 1998 and on. He also was stripped of his seven Tour de France wins. 

Angel Valodia Matos

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Angel Matos is a former Cuban taekwondo athlete. He competed in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics. In the 2008 Olympics, he injured his foot and was given a Kyeshi. A Kyeshi is a one-minute medical break. After one minute, it must be decided if the athlete will return or not.

The Kyeshi elapsed without Matos returning to the center, so the referee ruled he had retired. Matos briefly argued with the referee and kicked him in the face, and punched a judge in the arm. He was escorted out and banned from WTF-sanctioned events for life. 

 DICK BUTTON 

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Richard "Dick" Button is an American former figure skater and skating analyst. He competed in the Olympics in 1948 and 1952. He was also a five-time World champion. Button is known to have been the first skater to land the double axel jump in competition successfully.

He was the first to attempt and land a triple jump of any kind, and he invented the flying camel spin. In the 1948 Olympics, he became the youngest man to win the Olympic gold in figure skating. He was the gold medalist in the 1952 Olympics. 

1972 Munich Olympics Massacre

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During the 1972 Munich Olympics, there was an attack by eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September. They took nine members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage after already killing two members and a West German police officer.

The men demanded the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners. Five of the terrorist group were killed during a failed attempt to rescue the hostages. The three other men were arrested but were released a month later in a hostage exchange. The Olympics still happened, but the eleven Israelis and one german were honored.

Zola Budd of Great Britain and Mary Decker of the USA

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Zola Budd and Mary Decker were neck in neck at the 1984 Olympics during their 3000 m race. At 1700 meters, the first collision happened. Decker came into contact with Budd's leg, knocking her slightly off balance.

A few strides further and Budd's left foot brushed Decker's thigh, causing Budd to lose her balance and sent her into Decker's path. Decker's spike shoe came down hard into Budd's ankle. They collided again, and Decker fell to the curb and injured her hip. She did not finish the race and was carried off. 

Russian Olga Korbut

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Olga Korbut is a former gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. She was nicknamed the Sparrow from Minsk. She received a total of four gold medals and two silver medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.

She later became a teacher. Olga was the first gymnast to be asked into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Olga retired in 1977 from competitive gymnastics. It is said that she sold her medal in 2017 to keep from going hungry.

Nikki Hamblin 

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At the 2016 Olympics, Nikki Hamblin and Abbey D'Agostino were racing against each other during the women's 5,000-meter race. They collided, and both fell. Nikki stopped and helped Abbey up and told her they were going to finish the race.

They both crossed the finish line. "Everyone wants to win, and everyone wants a medal. But as disappointing as this experience is for myself and for Abbey, there's so much more to this than a medal."-----Nikki Hamblin

Renaud Lavillenie

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Renaud Lavillenie was a French pole vault silver medalist in the 2016 Olympics. He was booed every time he competed by the partisan home crowd. It caused him to lose to home favorite, Thiago Braz da Silva.

As Renaud stood on the podium, he cried and put his head in his hands while the crowd booed. Gold medalist Da Silva later consoled him. "It's disgusting, there is a total lack of fair play, and I want to stress that the Brazilian is not involved at all."-----Renaud Lavillenie

Kerri Strug 

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Kerri Strug was an American Gymnast and a Magnificent Seven-member who represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In the vault competition, Shrug under-rotated the landing of her first attempt; she fell and injured her ankle.

The team needed her to land one more, so she slightly limped to the end of the runway. She briefly landed the vault on both feet, then hopped onto her good foot and saluted the judges. She then collapsed and had to be carried off. Her team won the gold medal. 

Memorial service for the victims of the bomb explosion. 

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During the 1996 Summer Olympics, there was a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park. It was a domestic terrorist pipe bombing. The blast killed one 44-year-old person and injured 111 others; another person later died of a heart attack.

There were three more bombings in 1997. Alice Hawthorne was the only person killed when a nail from the explosion penetrated her skull. A man suffered a heart attack while running to the scene.

Jamaican four man bobsleigh team

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The men's Jamaica bobsleigh team was debuted in the 1988 Winter Olympics. They were thought of as the underdogs. The team consisted of Devon Harris, Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Freddy Powell, and Chris Stokes.

They had little experience in the sport and had to appeal to other teams for basic equipment in order to compete. In the final run, they lost control of the sled, crashed, and never officially finished. Dudley and Michael entered the two-person bobsled event and finished 30th.

Shaunae Miller

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Shaunae Miller competed in the women's 400 meters event in the 2016 Olympics. She dove across the finish line. She won the gold medal and sparked a heated debate over her last move on sliding across the line.

However, the rules state that "the first athlete whose torso reaches the vertical plane of the closest edge of the finish line is the winner." Other Americans have used the tactic, so it wasn't unheard of. She was able to keep her gold medal. 

Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack

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The 1912 Summer Olympics held the first-ever women's swimming event. The event was the 100-meter freestyle. Fanny Durack set a world record in the heats and claimed the first-ever women's Olympic swimming gold medal.

Mina Wylie won her race as well. The women had to overcome many obstacles to be able to compete in the Olympics. It was Fanny that blazed the trail for the women to come to the Olympics and swimming.

Abebe Bikila, 1960 Olympics

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Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian marathon runner. He had back-back Olympic wins and was the first black African gold medalist. He won his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He ran the entire marathon barefoot.

He also received the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He became the first athlete to defend an Olympic marathon title successfully. In 1969, Adebe was in a car accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. 

Dorothy Hamill 

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Dorothy Hamill was an American figure skater. She was the 1976 Olympic gold medalist and 1976 World Champion in ladies' singles. She came in second in the figures but then won the short and long programs, winning the gold medal.

Hamill was the last single skater to win the Olympics without a triple jump. She is credited with inventing a new skating move, the camel spin that turns into a sit spin. Her hairstyle, the bob, started a fad, and she was known as America's sweetheart. 

Mark Spitz

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Mark Spitz is an American competitive swimmer. He was known as the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He won seven gold medals in world record times. Michael Phelps surpassed his record 36 years later.

He was named Mark the Shark by his friends. He won the James E. Sullivan Award in 1971. He left right after his events as a result of the Munich Massacre. Because he was a Jew, he was asked to leave for his own safety. He retired at 22 years old.

1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece

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1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece were the first international Olympic Games held. It was also known as the Games of the I Olympiad. Fourteen nations and 241 athletes, which were all males, took part in the games.

Winners were given a silver medal while runners-up got a copper medal. Ten of the participating nations earned medals, with the United States winning the most medals. Carl Schuhmann was the most successful athlete, winning four events. 

Nadia Comaneci

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Nadia Comaneci is a Romanian gymnast. At the 1976 Olympic games, Nadia was 14. During her career, she won nine gold medals and had two perfect 10s. She also won four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals.

Nadia was named as one of the Athletes of the 20th Century by the Laureus World Sports Academy. She owns the Bart Production Company and several sports equipment shops. She is still involved with the Olympic Games. 

Ethel Catherwood

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Ethel Catherwood was a Canadian athlete. She later became a Matchless Six member, a group of six Canadian women who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics. She went home to Canada with a gold medal in the high jump.

Catherine later was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. She was often surrounded by scandals when it came to men. She always refused interviews and died in California on September 26, 1987.

Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, 1994 Olympics

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Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan competed in the 1994 Olympics. As Nancy walked through the corridor after a private lesson, she was bludgeoned on the right lower thigh with a police baton. The assault was planned by Tonya Harding's ex-husband and Shawn Eckardt.

The goal was to prevent her from competing in the Olympics; however,  she did compete in the Olympics. Harding denied involvement but later pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution. 

Olympic Medalists Giving Black Power Sign

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During the 1968 Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos engaged in a victory stand protest against African Americans' unfair treatment in the U.S. They lowered their heads and black-gloved fists in the black power salute; they refused to recognize the American flag and national anthem.

"We were concerned about the lack of Black assistant coaches. About how Muhammad Ali got stripped of his titles. About the lack of access to good housing and our kids not being able to attend the top colleges."-----Tommie Smith

Samir Ait Said

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Samir Ait Said is a French male artistic gymnast. In the men's artistic gymnastics qualification phase, he suffered a double compound fracture in his left leg while landing badly on the vault exercise.
He was forced to be pulled out of the competition. He has since been qualified to represent France at the 2021 Summer Olympics, which were postponed from 2020. 

Larysa Latynina

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Larysa Latynina was a Soviet Artistic Gymnast. She went home with 14 individual Olympic medals and four team medals between 1956-1964. She held the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a gymnast.

For 52 years, she held the record for individual event medals with 14. She has been credited with helping to establish the Soviet Union in gymnastics. She made her Olympic debut at 21 years old and is known as the only woman who has won an all-around medal in more than two Olympiads.

Ryan Lochte

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Ryan Lochte is an American competitive swimmer. He is the second-most decorated swimmer with 12 Olympic medals. He holds the record in the 200-meter individual medley. In 2013, he earned the SwimSwam's Swammy Award for Male Swimmer of the Year.

He has won a total of 90 medals in major international competitions and specializes in the backstroke and individual medley. Lochte has had some controversy in Brazil and lost four major sponsorships. He was suspended for 10 months and required to complete 10 hours of community service. 

The Miracle on Ice

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The 1980 Winter Olympics, Miracle on Ice, was an ice hockey game. It was played between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was favored to win since they had previously won the gold four times.

The United States took the gold with 4-3. It became one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history. It was also named as the best international ice hockey story of the past 100 years. There was a movie made about the story as well.

Carl Lewis 

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Carl Lewis was a track and field athlete. He took home nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals. He is one of the Olympic athletes who won a gold medal in the same event four years in a row.

His father initially coached him, and many colleges tried to recruit Lewis. He became an actor, and in 2011 he attempted to run for a seat in the New Jersey Senate. He owns a marketing and branding company.

Peggy Fleming 

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Peggy Fleming is an American figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladie's singles and a three-time World Champion. At the 1968 Winter Olympics, Fleming won the gold medal. It was the only gold medal won by the United States in those Olympics.

Flemming has been a TV commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including commentating several Olympic Games. In 1998 Fleming was diagnosed with cancer but is now cancer-free. She is now a tireless champion for health-related causes.

Derek Redmond, 1992 Olympics 

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Derek Redmond was a British sprinter. At the 1991 World Championships, Redmond's team claimed the gold medal. He had injuries consistently, he had an injury to his Achilles tendon at the 1988 Olympics, and before the 1992 Olympics, he had eight operations due to injuries.

In the 1992 Summer Olympics, he started well, but he tore his hamstring in the back straight. He fell to the ground, but he wanted to finish the race. His father barged past security and helped Derek finish the race. He was disqualified, and the Olympic records state that he did not finish the race.  

Sonja Henie, 

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Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in 1928, 1932, and 1936. Henie won more Olympic, and World titles than any other ladies figure skater. She is known for being the first figure skater to adopt the short skirt costume in figure skating, wear white boots, and use dance choreography.

She also became a film star. With her acting career, she was one of the highest-paid. She starred in Thin Ice, Happy Landing, My Lucky Star, Second Fiddle, and Sun Valley Serenade. She died in 1969; she was 57.

Tug of War, 1920 Olympics

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Tug of War, a team event, was part of the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920. Originally, the teams were called clubs. A country could enter multiple clubs. The United States took home all three medals in the 1904 Games, and in 1908, all three medals were won by the British.

Teams consisted of six members in 1900, five in 1904, and eight members in the other Olympic Games. Tug of war is no longer an event at the Olympic Games. It was an event for five Olympic Games. 

Ervin Zador

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Ervin Zador, at the age of 21, represented Hungary at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He played four matches and scored five goals. He was a water polo player. The games could be very physical. Zador was struck in the face, opening a cut under his right eye.

There were many injuries during that game, and it was therefore called the Blood in The Water game. Zador emerged from the water with blood pouring down his face. "All I could think about is if I could play in the next match."------Ervin Zador

Duke Kahanamoku

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Duke Kahanamoku was a Native Hawaiian competition swimmer, and he popularized the ancient sport of surfing. He was a five-time Olympic Medalist in swimming. He participated in the 1912 Olympics and won a gold medal and a silver medal.

In the 1920 Olympics, he won two gold medals and one silver medal. It was after the Olympics that he traveled and made surfing popular. There is a statue of him on Freshwater Beach, New South Wales. 

Andranik Karapetyan

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Andranik Karapetyan is an Armenian weightlifter. He attended the 2016 Olympics. He did not place in the Olympics because he dislocated his left elbow while performing the clean and jerk. After only eight months since his injury, he is ready to get back into the game.

"I need to get back in the game again. It's very important for me to perform before the World Championship. I will compete in the new, 85kg weight category. I lift a ridiculous amount now, 300kg, but that's not important. I will add weight gradually. I definitely won't chase medals in Croatia."------Andranik Karapetyan

SCOTT HAMILTON

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Scott Hamilton is an American figure skater. He won four U.S. championships, four World Championships, and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. His signature move was the backflip.
He toured with the Ice Capades for two years and then created his own tour. He is also a skating commentator. He was diagnosed and treated for cancer in 1997 but made his way back to skating. Then in 2004, he had a benign brain tumor. He still makes guest appearances.