Photo by Wikimedia Commons 2.0
Becoming an Olympian and representing one’s country at any event is the ultimate goal for sports people across the world.
While many sports have their own accolades that are highly sought after, the Olympics gives a global platform to many sporting disciplines, and the biggest titles are on the line every four years.
Added into the mix the global intrigue of an Olympic Games, which pits people from all over the world against each other and the fact that the games take place in some of the most iconic cities on the planet, the Olympics is a true celebration of international sport.
The first Modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896 and there have been a litany of incredible moments to have taken place in both the summer and winter incarnations of the games.
Global audiences of Olympic Games often surpass many other sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl, with such variation within the games themselves appealing for fans.
In addition, betting markets on the Olympic Games have boomed in recent years, with online betting sites quick to get on board with the increase in popularity.
Every four years, the sporting world comes to a standstill and from Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028 alone, there will be dozens of incredible moments, that could define a games.
In an attempt to streamline proceedings, here is a look at five of the most iconic moments in Olympic history:
Nadia Comaneci’s Perfect 10 – Montreal 1976
In the world of gymnastics, being awarded a score of perfect 10 by the judges had been deemed impossible in many quarters, prior to the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
However, Romanian teenager Nadia Comaneci was ready to revolutionise the way in which gymnastics was scored moving forward and forge her way into Olympic folklore.
The diminutive 14 year old produced a flawless performance on the uneven bars, to break new ground within the sport and come of age on the biggest stage of all.
She backed that up with gold medals in the all-round and balance beam events too, to pick up three golds in her debut games, going on to win five in total, with two more collected in 1980 in Moscow.
However, the sporting world came to a standstill when Comaneci landed her perfect 10 scores in Montreal, and it was an iconic moment that transcended the Olympic Games.
Usain Bolt becomes the fastest man on the planet – Beijing 2008
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt had long been touted as a future star of sprinting and athletics in general but very few people could have foreseen quite how iconic his Olympic journey was.
Bolt arrived at the 2008 Beijing Games as part of a group of sprinters who had all regularly clocked 100m in under ten seconds in the years proceeding.
With his humungous stride length and effortless style, Bolt had a sense of invincibility about him in the Chinese capital, and he produced some incredible individual performances.
The stage was very much set for Bolt in Beijing and how he delivered.
In the 100m, he smashed the world and Olympic records, coming home in 9.69 seconds and even having time to showboat as he crossed the line.
While in the 200m, his supposedly least favoured event, he repeated the feat, running 19.19 to break both the world and Olympic records once more.
He went on to surpass both world and Olympic records in time, as he won gold in both events at the London 2012 games but his arrival on the Olympic stage in Beijing will never be forgotten.
Black Power Salute – Mexico City 1968
Racial segregation and division was rampant across the world in the 1960’s and two iconic American athletes used the Olympics and its global platform to stand up to hate.
Having finished first and third respectively in the 200m sprint in Mexico City, Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the podium, waiting to collect their medals.
What happened next proved to be one of the most iconic moments in global sporting history and its impact is still being felt today.
Both men stood with one arm aloft, with a solitary black glove on each hand and they remained silent as the US national anthem played for Smith’s race win.
The simple symbolism of this moment quickly became known as the Black Power Salute and came at a personal and professional cost for both athletes, who were sent home from the games by the American team.
However, their willingness to stand up for justice and fairness has subsequently been lauded by the International Olympic Committee and many observers of the Games regard it to be one of the most powerful moments in Olympic history.
Miracle On Ice – Lake Placid 1980
The Winter Olympics has also had its fair share of iconic moments, from Torvill and Dean’s perfect Balero in Sarajevo in 1984, to the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team four years later in Calgary.
However, the Miracle On Ice, as it quickly became coined, in Lake Placid in 1980, has been etched into Olympic legend, for its personification of the Olympic spirit and its show of anything being possible.
Heading into the 1980 games, nobody could see past the Soviet Union for ice hockey gold, who had controversially given places on the team to many professional athletes.
While this was against the spirit of the Olympics, these athletes had been given symbolic military or university positions, to enable them to still be ‘amateurs’ in the eyes of the Olympic committee and to be able to participate in the games.
The American team was made up of predominantly amateurs, with some only having had minor league experience.
As expected, the Soviet Union team cruised to the final, while USA were made to work very hard to get there and only one outcome was expected.
However, USA came from 3-2 down in the final period, to win the game 4-3, sparking wild scenes of celebration and fast becoming known as the Miracle On Ice.
Michael Phelps becomes the most decorated Olympian of all time – London 2012
Legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps has already registered himself into the Olympic record books in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, with Phelps winning gold in all eight events he was eligible for in the Chinese capital
Yet the American approached the London 2012 games with a very clear objective, to become the most decorated Olympian of all time – a record he managed to achieve.
Phelps secured six golds and two bronze medals in Athens, to go with his perfect eight golds in Beijing, meaning he had 16 medals to his name prior to London.
Six more medals followed in 2012, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time, which he then backed up with another half dozen of medals at Rio in 2016.
Phelps finished his remarkable career with 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which were gold, as well as three silvers and two bronze medals – a record that will be very tough for anybody to surpass.
