Come on then, time for everyone to show their age.
Los Angeles 1984 really stands out for me, maybe because I was old enough to really understand what was going on but still young enough that it was all a bit magical. Specifically Daley Thompson winning the decathlon, as commentated by Ron Pickering. (Javelin: ''It's a better one, it's a better one, it's a BETTER ONE!'' OK Ron, calm down...) I remember the massive rivalry with the big German fella Jurgen Hingsen, and Daley having a stormer in the pole vault - backflip on the crash-mat - and long jump in particular. I also have a very particular memory of tinkering with my bike in the hallway as Daley did what seemed like a processional 1,500m to take the gold.
Good work fella!
Comments
was that the one where he whistled the National Anthem?
That would certainly be on my list, the Coe/Ovett battles, plus more recently Kelly Holmes with her eyes popping out when she realised she'd got her first gold
1980, I'm obviously a year to two older than Phil . But I'm hard pressed to decide between summer & winter.
Summer - Alan Wells and that photo finish. Seemed to be replayed so many times and took ages to decide. Coe/Ovett in the 800 & 1500 m.
Winter - Robin Cousins winning gold (which I watched mostly from behind a cushion). The most memorable bit about this Olympics being that at school we had to write about the Olympics. I disliked writing; was perfectly happy to read, but my writing was brief to say the least! For some reason this caught the imagination and I wrote pages and got awarded 4 stars. 1 star being 5 housepoints and you maybe racked up 4 to 5 housepoints in a normal week! Those were the days.
Cathy Freeman after she'd won the 400m in Sydney. She'd been under a massive amount of pressure and the look on her face afterwards said it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMsIRizICMw
There was also a massive rivalry in the swim relay between the Americans and the Australians and it was a brilliant race. One of the American swimmers made a comment about them planning to smash the Australians like guitars. After the Australians won, Thorphey did a brilliant air guitar.
And I also remember Muhammad Ali lighting the flame at the 1996 Olympics.
Inspired me to get into the sport (as a cox, ironically) and that genuinely did change my life
Same as Phil Pub with the Daley Thompson one
Also have very clear memories of sitting in a car in the pouring rain, looking out to sea and screaming at the radio as this was happening http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvY0WVLFnpc
I also remember Comenaneci in 1976. It was what started a long love affair with gymnastics. aaaaahhh
V. boring to all you non-gymnastic fans
Derek Redmond - When his hamstring went twang, and being helped round the last 100 metres by his dad, you could see the pain on his face and i don't think i have ever cried before or since over a sporting matter but i did that day.
I think it was Barcelona 92
Linford's epic 100metre win in Barcelona 92.
An innocent time when the mad unbreakable stare was put down to "focus", and not anything more sinister.
That's your BEST memory? If so, that is really very sad.
Linford Christie - you knew he had a chance but you never really believed he'd do it - well I didn't anyway.
Winter Olympics 2006 Tanja Freiden Boardercross final, Ed Leigh's commentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKmCCIjgY4E
Ovett kicking away over 800 metres -
Ben Johnson in 1988 - the let down that I felt afterwards remember to this day -
Peter Elliott's silver in 1988 proving the Daily Mirror wrong - he wasn't an old cart horse - and I haven't bought or read the Mirror since the day of that cartoon.
Linford and his gold, Sally and hers - Charlie Spedding - Daley's two gold medals - he certainly had the beating of Jurgen Hingsen, Derek Redmond and of course Atlanta 1996 the flame lighting ceremony - when in front of the world, the greatest and most famous sportsman on the planet shuffled out of the darkness and Muhammad Ali was handed the torch to light the flame.
Jonathon Edawrds, the greatest triple jumper of them all finally winning Gold - and of course kelly Holmes.
So many memories and so much to look forward to this year
ps are there other sports in the Olympics?
pps oh yes the woman's beach volley ball too!!
Similar in many respects to my first Olympic memory............ Winter Olympics (2002) Someone falls, someone else wins.
Steven Bradbury Speed Skating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHgMiN6Nlc
Struggling to come up with a Summer Olympic memory.
Summer Olympics 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5nqeFWufrE
not quite as bad as I remember, but watch video to the end theres a one
.
Also, the final lap of Tergat vs. Gebresallaise in the 10,000m in 2000.
However, to pick just one I second Sussex Runner. Ovett winning the 800m in Moscow, 1980. The build up to that race was huge (maybe the only time an athletics rivalry has been the biggest sporting story for months and months). As a massive Ovett fan, it was fantastic to see him "boss" the 800m final and win gold. Ironically, before the Games the majority view was that he would win the 1500 (having been pretty much invicible over that distance for the past 3 years) but wouldn't win the 80m, which was seen as his weaker event.
The only disappointment was he didn't go on and win the 1500 as well and arguably he was never quite the same force again.
Away from athletics, I always find the weightlifting fascinating and watching the Iranian super-heavyweight gold medal winner lifting an unimaginable weight in 2000 (or was it 2004?) was another highlight.