121 replies to this topic

[Mood Indigo]

There are always those Olympic moments that either have me jumping off the couch in excitement or close to tears. There have already been a few so far...

Notably, the Irish gymnast who wasn't even supposed to be able to walk. Such resilience! Some of these athletes have such determination to succeed, which I find so admirable.

[sienna gold]

I think this just speaks to how people can be forgiving (which is a big heart indeed). but when I heard that Kerri Walsh was going to take someone else to the Olympics and then when Misty May decided that she didn't want to retire, Kerri called the other girl and pretty much told her so long - and the other girl said that's okay and they are still going to compete after the Olympics?

That's... really great. (because my reaction wouldn't have been that civil)

Also you stole mine with the Irish gymnast.

[Raachel2008]

Oh, whenever they cry... sniiiifff.

[WhitneyWhit]

My favorite moments are always watching the athletes who don't have a shot at a medal, yet they realize how much pride comes from just being an olympian. They always seem to enjoy the moment far more than the medal contenders.

[Good Queen Jane]

I nominate Kayla Harrison (First USA Gold in Judo) for Best Performance During the National Anthem. Her joy just traveled across the ocean to cause me to get teary-eyed with her. Boo to NBC for not showing it in primetime!

[lleykian54]

One of my all-time favorite Olympic moments is one where unfortunately I can't remember the athlete's name or whether it was the Sydney Games or Athens. I want to say it was Sydney. Anyway, I can still see the moment clear in my head. It was one of the swimming events and the guy was deaf. He apparently had to watch for the light to go off to know when the buzzer for the start of the race went off. Anyway, he won silver and I honestly cannot remember a thing about the person who won the gold because all I remember is the pure joy and happiness from this guy. I cried like a baby.

[RainOnATinRoof]

Today's Women's 10K. I said it in the track and field thread, but it was beautiful. I hope I never forget and can use for motivation the mental and physical strength those ladies displayed after running 20+ laps. I cried more watching that than any of Phelps', Franklin's or the gymnastics events.

[Mood Indigo]

One of my all-time favorite Olympic moments is one where unfortunately I can't remember the athlete's name or whether it was the Sydney Games or Athens. I want to say it was Sydney. Anyway, I can still see the moment clear in my head. It was one of the swimming events and the guy was deaf. He apparently had to watch for the light to go off to know when the buzzer for the start of the race went off. Anyway, he won silver and I honestly cannot remember a thing about the person who won the gold because all I remember is the pure joy and happiness from this guy. I cried like a baby.

Seriously. How amazing is that? I love hearing stories such as these because it just highlights how special the Olympics are to watch.

[katisha66]

One of my all-time favorite Olympic moments is one where unfortunately I can't remember the athlete's name or whether it was the Sydney Games or Athens.

You're right - it was Sydney 2000, and the guy's name was Terence Parkin from South Africa and he medalled in the 200m breastroke. I remembered this too so I did a bit of research.

And in the same vein, I just watched a 400 metre heat featuring this guy. Utterly amazing that if you didn't know he was wearing prosthetic legs, you would just never be able to tell. Remarkable.

[lleykian54]

You're right - it was Sydney 2000, and the guy's name was Terence Parkin from South Africa and he medalled in the 200m breastroke. I remembered this too so I did a bit of research.

Thank you. I tried to search for video but it looks like YouTube has nothing from the Sydney games.

[selkie]

Terrence Parkin reminds me how before there was Ian Thorpe, there was West Germany's Michael Gross, known as 'The Albatross' for his giant wingspan. The West Germans were heavily favored in the 4x200 free relay in Los Angeles because of his amazing anchor speed, but the Americans would not go quietly. . Jeff Float, who was almost entirely deaf, said it was the only time in his life when he could hear the corwd when he raced.

[tip and fall]

When the Korean women's epee team came in second. Okay, so they ended up losing to China in the end (DAMMIT, CHINA, STOP HOGGING THE MEDALS *cries*), but at least this means that Shin walked away with a real Olympic medal after all. Considering that they came in as the lowest-seeded team, silver's a good color!

Edited by tip and fall, Aug 4, 2012 @ 4:18 PM.

[lizg]

I have so many favorite Olympic Moments. Personally my fondest was being allowed to stay home from church to watch the Gold Medal match in 1980 ice hockey. I'll never forget my Dad telling Mom that we'd be praying more during that game than we would at church. Of course that is winter, not summer but the impact of watching that game and all of the flags flying and stuff really impacts one at a young age.

Jason Lezac's swim in 2008, Kerri's vault in 1996, Mary Lou's vault in 1984, the Iraqi Soccer team after the invasion, the former Yugoslavian athletes training in the Sarajevo ruins, the archer lighting the torch in Barcelona, the fact that every nation in 2012 had both male and female athletes, so many Kleenex moments.

My tearjerker is in Seoul where in one of the boating races, one of the leaders gave up his race to rescue a team from bad conditions on the water. I remember him pulling fellow athletes from the waters after their boat capsized and I think he was the only one who stopped and helped them. I don't remember his name but I remember his humanity.

[legaleagle44]

Oh, if you're going to go for tearjerker moments in any Games, Winter or Summer, then Dan Jansen should own this thread. Having to deal with his sister's death while in the middle of competing in Lillehammer, crashing and burning in every single race, and then finally winning gold in the one event that he actually was NOT favored to win, with the Norwegian home crowd cheering him on as if he were one of their own, and, to top it all off, skating that victory lap while carrying his one-year-old daughter -- damn, where did I put my Kleenexes?

[growsonwalls]

I don't know that this can be counted as "favorite" but to me the most memorable Olympic moment will always be Roy Jones' wuz-robbed boxing match in Seoul. I recently watched a clip of the match and it's amazing how I was only 9 at the time but all my memories matched the video: the utter shock at the outcome, Jones crying into a towel, the South Korean boxer embarrassed and uncomfortable, and the most awkward medal ceremony ever.

I also remember Greg Louganis's amazing comeback after hitting his head on the diving board.

[Greeneyedbelle]

I think my favorite Summer Olympic moment comes from the 2000 games. Eric Moussambani, from Equatorial Guinea, was competing in the 100 freestyle and he had never even been in an Olympic sized pool. He had earned a wild card entry along with 2 other athletes from developing nations. The 3 swam in their own heat but the other two DQ'd and Eric swam the race in this big pool all alone. He was dog paddling most of the way and often looked like he was on the verge of drowning. In the last few meters he looked like he was going to stop but the crowd was cheering for him and he just kept going. It took him almost 2 minutes to complete the race but he was so happy. Half the stadium was crying and I was in tears. It was one of those great moments where NBC didn't have to manufacture and drama. It is always what I think about when I think about what the spirit of the Olympics is supposed to be about.

[Danny Franks]

I can't say it was a favourite moment, but it was definitely a tearjerker. Though I guess, given the courage and stubborn determination on display, perhaps it should be remembered more fondly.

Derek Redmond had undergone eight operations on injuries in the years between Seoul, where he had to withdraw ten minutes before the race, and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but was in great form going in, and qualified for the 400m semi-finals with the fastest time. Then his hamstring pretty much exploded halfway through the semi-final, and he tearfully insisted on finishing the race. His dad pushing past security to rush onto the track and help him get all the way around.

[The Mee]

I can't say it was a favourite moment, but it was definitely a tearjerker. Though I guess, given the courage and stubborn determination on display, perhaps it should be remembered more fondly.

Derek Redmond had undergone eight operations on injuries in the years between Seoul, where he had to withdraw ten minutes before the race, and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but was in great form going in, and qualified for the 400m semi-finals with the fastest time. Then his hamstring pretty much exploded halfway through the semi-final, and he tearfully insisted on finishing the race. His dad pushing past security to rush onto the track and help him get all the way around.

Yup, that's mine too. It has stayed with me ever since.

[growsonwalls]

I also loved Muhammad Ali's look of total defiance and triumph as he lit the cauldron in Atlanta. Still gives me the chills, watching his shaking hands but his face that totally said "yeah, I'm the greatest."

Usain Bolt's 2008 performances were amazing too. Loved his showboating.

[CdnTVwatcher]

They interviewed Derek Redmond and his dad on CTV on Friday. Still classy gentlemen. Apparently, Redmond gets letters from kids who weren't even born when he raced in 1992.



Speaking of class, Paula Findley was just interviewed on CTV. She placed dead last in the triathlon after being a medal contender but having issues with injuries over the past year and apologized just after the race. I agree with the interviewer, she has nothing to apologize for. Plus, she has more class in her little finger than most people have all together.



I'll also never forget Mo Farah after his win in the 10,000 meter race. His stepdaughter running out to him, his 8 months pregnant wife (with twins!) hugging him, and his crazy jumping up and down hugging dance with one of the freaky Olympic mascots.


Great minds think alike, sienna gold. ;)

Edited by CdnTVwatcher, Aug 4, 2012 @ 9:16 PM.

[jynni]

Shalana Flanagan winning bronze in the Women's 10K in Beijing. Awesome.

[sienna gold]

Paula Findlay's very emotional last place finish after trying to come back from a hip injury last year. Her sobbing and saying I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." just broke my heart, but she finished.

[azazel]

I also loved Muhammad Ali's look of total defiance and triumph as he lit the cauldron in Atlanta. Still gives me the chills, watching his shaking hands but his face that totally said "yeah, I'm the greatest."

One of my favorite torch lightings ever. I also loved that he got a replacement medal.

[superior olive]

Aw, Paula Findlay. I hate it when athletes apologize to the nation. I wish I could just tell them that we're proud of them competing every year, and all we ask is that they give it their all in competition. They don't owe us an apology. Also, what is up with her coach leaving her a couple of months ago? Is that what I heard, in June? In which case, she was amazing to finish the tri, with an adjustment like that. Seeing her on the run, hugging her (current, awesome) coach who told her to finish, sniff.

Going a ways back, in Barcelona, watching Silken Laumann row to a bronze medal only a couple of months after a horrific accident on the water. She was practicing for a regatta (in Germany, I think?) when another doubles sculls boat hit her shell, tearing her boat to pieces along with her lower leg. From her wiki page: in her words, "I looked at the leg for a few seconds and knew it was serious when my muscle was hanging at my ankle and I could see the bone" Yikes! And, yuck. That was in May, and after 5! operations, she was back on the water by the end of June. I remember watching the press conference after her operations, and how she said she was still going to compete. The general sense of the media and public was, Oh, how gritty, how brave of her, but not bloody likely. I stayed up for the race, I think it was about 2am, and she went out hard, lost some ground, but hung on for bronze. She needed a cane to walk to the dock area where the medals were being handed out!

I got a little teary hearing about Rosie MacLennan's grandpa, who qualified for the 1940 Olympics as a gymnast, but didn't compete because the Olympics were cancelled for the war. (stupid war.) He saw her qualify for Beijing, but died shortly before being able to see her compete.

[Forgetful Jones]

Silken Laumann's bronze performance will always be my ultimate Olympic moment. I was a kid in '92 and I will never feel as utterly enraptured by the Olympic magic as I did watching that race. I wish it could say that it inspired me to great things, but anyway it's one of the first times I remember thinking that in really concrete terms, people are capable of achieving things that seem impossible.

I got a little teary hearing about Rosie MacLennan's grandpa, who qualified for the 1940 Olympics as a gymnast, but didn't compete because the Olympics were cancelled for the war. (stupid war.) He saw her qualify for Beijing, but died shortly before being able to see her compete.

That was a sweet story. I really like the family legacy stuff for some reason. His event hasn't started yet, but Mark Oldershaw in the canoe racing will be following in his grandfather's footsteps more literally this time around - grandpa competed in the canoe racing in the London '48 Olympics. So I hope he does well, for sentimental reasons.

[RainOnATinRoof]

Eric Moussambani, from Equatorial Guinea, was competing in the 100 freestyle and he had never even been in an Olympic sized pool. ... It took him almost 2 minutes to complete the race but he was so happy. Half the stadium was crying and I was in tears. It was one of those great moments where NBC didn't have to manufacture and drama. It is always what I think about when I think about what the spirit of the Olympics is supposed to be about.

I don't remember watching this, but dammit, I am crying just reading it. Reminds me of cheering for that one poor track athlete struggling to finish 1600m at high school track meets that gets just a tiny burst of wind as they round the last corner because the crowd starts cheering for them.

Another of my favorites was Phelps' last race in Beijing. I had traveled to Atlanta for a cousin's funeral and was flying back. I didn't realize the race was being played, so I was watching political debates. As the plane was taxiing into the gate, no one even tried to get up. And when we docked, the tvs shut off and the entire plane erupted. They got it running back in time for us to see him touch. Random strangers were hugging and high-fiving on a plane after a VERY long and bumpy flight. We all found something to cheer for, which I needed after that trip.

It's one of the reasons I love Phelps so damn much.

[superior olive]

I wish it could say that it inspired me to great things, but anyway…

HA! I know, right? Man, Olympic athletes are inspiring, but also a little humbling. (or do I mean humiliating? :P) One of the reasons I started watching the Olympics as a kid is that I fancied myself an athlete (not totally unrealistically--I was on a lot of teams through jr. and high school, and won some awards as "female athlete of the year"). But life moved on, I was just not focussed enough, and unfortunately never got the growth spurt to take me past 164cm (about5'3")--everything I was good at required height to advance past high school level (wah wah sad trombone). It really is amazing the commitment these people have to their sport.

The legacy families are so sweet. It reminds me of how happy I was when I went to city and provincial meets, because my Papa competed in those meets too.

[katisha66]

I don't know if I'd call it a Kleenex moment rather than an incredibly memorable one, but it was 28 years ago and I've never forgotten it. From about two minutes in.

[kenyaj]

I can't say it was a favourite moment, but it was definitely a tearjerker. Though I guess, given the courage and stubborn determination on display, perhaps it should be remembered more fondly.

Derek Redmond had undergone eight operations on injuries in the years between Seoul, where he had to withdraw ten minutes before the race, and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, but was in great form going in, and qualified for the 400m semi-finals with the fastest time. Then his hamstring pretty much exploded halfway through the semi-final, and he tearfully insisted on finishing the race. His dad pushing past security to rush onto the track and help him get all the way around.

NBC did a profile on him last night during the late night coverage. It was difficult, but heartwarming, to see that moment again.

[ccridernyc]

On Friday morning during the early track heats, there was a woman representing a middle eastern country for the first time, running in her long sleeves, pants and headscarf. She came in last but she was so happy to be there. Maybe not kleenex, but an heart catching moment for me. Unfortunately I forget her name or country as my brain has been pummeled with one too many freaking volleyballs.