After a year-long wait, Tokyo Olympics 2020 is going to take place very shortly ie 23rd July. Over the years we have witnessed several spectacular moments in the Olympics. It is an event where every player unleashes his or her A-game to ace the events. Over here we will be reminiscing some of the special moments from the past editions. So, let’s hit the rewind button before the real action kicks in.
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A Tight Slap on the ugly face of racism
Image Credits: Daily Express
The occasion was the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the atmosphere was not conducive for anything but equality as the event was held under the supervision of Adolf Hitler. In such a scenario, Jesse Owens took part in the track and field event for America. Resultantly, he was subjected to a lot of toxicity by the German authorities, who were intoxicated by the superior Aryan race propaganda of Hitler and his Nazi party. Belying all hatred and negativities, Owens went on to win gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4*100 relay and the long jump events. The exploits by Owens were a stark reminder that it is the talent that shines bright even against the might of hostility.
One Love
Image Credits: Yonhap
The symbolic gesture by Korean nations reminded everyone of singer Bob Marley’s masterpiece “One Love”. The nation of Korea, South and North, was having a torrid time with war and insurgency. This brought them together and they marched together under a common flag with similar attires during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This solidarity happened to be a statement aimed at conveying what the entire Korean people desired, and a moment from the history of the Olympics that will always stand out.
Miracle on Ice
In 1980, America’s Ice Hockey team decided to take part in the Winter Olympics, there were zilch expectations from the US team. Also, the team had amateur and collegiate players who have never plied their wares in high-voltage encounters. However, the team comprising wily operators stunned the much-fancied Soviet team, which had previously grabbed the gold medal in 5 out of 6 previous winter Olympics. This outcome of the match was termed as a ‘miracle on ice’. After this, the US team beat Finland in the final to pocket the gold medal.
The Golden Boy of Beijing Olympics
Image Credits: YouTube Screengrab
The US swimmer, Michael Phelps is the ultimate poster boy of the Olympics with the highest number of medals, including gold. Phelps demonstrated perfectly in the 2008 Beijing Olympics that he is second to none when it comes to grabbing ultimate honours. He got 8 gold medals, overtaking Mark Spitz’s former record of 7 golds in a single Olympic. By the time he called it quits, Phelps had bagged 28 medals from four outings to the Olympics, out of which 23 happened to be gold.
The Lightning Bolt
Well, the Olympic exploits are incomplete without the mention of excellent feats of speed machine, Usain Bolt. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Jamaican sprinter smashed the world and the Olympic records to bits and pieces in the 100m and the 200m categories. The famous ‘Lightning Bolt’, as he is fondly called, also set a record in the 4×100-meter relay with the Jamaican team and became the first one to emerge victorious in three sprinting events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984.
