Nearly every country on Earth participates in the games, which showcase the cream of the athletic crop.
So when the starting gun sounded, Redmond took off sprinting along with the rest of the runners.
Tragically, mid-race, Redmond tore his hamstring.
He recalled, “As I described it, I hear a funny pop.
And two or three strides later, it’s then when I felt it.
I felt the, sort of, rip of the hamstring.”
But then something amazing happened.
Redmond refused to lay down and give up.
Instead, he got up, hobbling toward the finish line, determined to finish the race.
He said, “I just thought, ‘You know what?
I’m going to finish this race.'”
And he didn’t have to do it alone.
Redmond recalled, “He always had been there with me.
And together, they finished the race with the crowd on their feet, roaring.
And she fell on her first vault, injuring her foot.
Strug nailed the landing on one foot, saluted the judges then collapsed in pain.
And sure enough, her score was enough for the women’s team to win gold.
Strug was carried to the podium by her coach.
Of the moment, she said, “I’ll remember the moment on the podium forever.”
She does acknowledge, however, that she had mixed feelings.
She continued, “I definitely had some contrasting emotions.
I thought I was going to look like Mary Lou [Retton] and instead I’m crying.
I have no pants on.”
But Biles is down to earth about her accomplishments.
She toldCNN, “I’m not a celebrity.
That doesn’t mean, however, that she’s unaware of her place in the Olympic pantheon.
As Biles waits to learn her scores on the floor exercise, Raisman embraces her.
And when it’s confirmed, Raisman smiles for her teammate, and Biles cries tears of joy.
So did countless Americans in their homes.
Biles latertweeted, “dreams DO come true” regarding her victory.
The footage was shown on national television, wherein an emotional Kerrigan wept and asked, “Why?”
But she acknowledges that it seems like it happened in another life.
And she’s rightfully proud of her career.
She continued, “I have two Olympic medals … they didn’t just give them to me.”
She earned them with her hard work and perseverance.
Spitz, also a swimmer, won seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich games.
He held onto the record until Phelpsbroke it, winning gold medals in eight events in Beijing.
And for a good portion of the event,it looked like both dreams were dust.
It’s fun.”
Neymar slammed the ball into the goal, which sent the stadium into a frenzy.
He was mobbed by his teammates, and visibly overcome with emotion.
And to the haters, he said, “That’s it.
Now they’ll will have to eat their words.”
Some people might have opted out of competing in this situation, but not Rochette.
As her teammate Cynthia Phaneuf toldESPN, “She’s going to get through this.
She is just so strong.
By being here and being able to compete after that happened, I’m just very impressed.
I think she’s doing the right thing.
She won’t get any stronger in her room.”
Rochette skated a beautiful program that made everyone cry.
After the performance, she spoke about her motherin an interviewwith Brian Williams onCTV.
“I was very, very close to my mother.
I was an only child.
Even Celine Dion called with her condolences, showing just how much the world felt Rochette’s loss.
She’s also the world record holder for both events to this day.
The gold medalist was joined by her teammates for the 4x100 meter sprint that same year.
She was in a class by herself especially for all the women she opened the door for.
Her star will always shine.
And it has the right to shine.”
He also doesn’t get nervous.
I prefer to not think about it and just interact with people as normal.
Bolt is also a man of faith.
It’s no wonder he’s the best of the best.
The routine was so beloved that February 14, 1984 is forever known as Bolero Day.
The couple knew that they had created something special together.
But neither of them knew how profound the impact would be.
The miracle on ice
No Olympic games happen in a vacuum.
The 1980 winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York were no different.
In an interview withMeet the Press, he said, “The build-up was slow.
Butthe USA stunned everyonewhen they took down the Soviet juggernaut in a 4-3 victory.
Almost 40 years later, the game still brings viewers to tears.
There she won the gold medal, sending favorite Michelle Kwan home with the silver in a historic upset.
Now acommentator for the Olympicsalongside Johnny Weir, Lipinski sat down onNBCto react to her gold winning performance.
“This was the most terrifying and exciting night of my life,” she said of the performance.
Weir remembered watching her skate as a young boy; he aspired to be just like her.
“I remember my parents cried when you won,” he said.
Not only was her on-ice performance unforgettable, but so was her post-skate reaction.
Lipinski memorably broke out in screams when her scores were announced.
Her program still gives viewers chills 20 years later.
Plenty of athletes speculated who it might be, including those who carried the torch to its destination.
Ali, himself an Olympic gold medalist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984.
And when he took the torch, his symptoms were visible as his hands shook uncontrollably.
But that didn’t stop him from lighting the torch, heralding the beginning of the games.
Olympic gymnast and seven-time medalist Shannon Millerrecounted how it feltwatching him in that moment.
