Greatest Olympic Moment.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:24:29 GMT

hi, is my greatest olympic moment: the 4x100 free relay in Sydney 2000 www.youtube.com/watch the turn of michael klim is amazing :bow: and ofcourse Moussambani, www.youtube.com/watch (don't mind the french commentors laughing at him :/, still funny though :P )

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Rob Copeland — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:17:40 GMT

I remember watching this really gorgeous young lady at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 100-meter breaststroke... fourth place at the 50, and comes back for the win. Boy, that was a moment. :cheerleader:She also had a pretty decent swim on the 400 Medley Relay.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:51:19 GMT

The '84 men's 800 freestyle relay with Bruce Hayes anchoring against Michael Gross. I knew Bruce from growing up in San Antonio. He was several years younger than me, but he was one of the fastest 10-and-unders in the country. The strange thing I remember about that race is how the commentators basically gave up on the U.S. after Gross caught up with and passed Hayes midway through the final leg. As I recall, they talked about how the long streak of relay wins for the U.S. was over, Gross was the greatest, blah, blah, blah. And then Hayes came back at the end and outtouched Gross. Then, a while later (weeks, months, can't remember exactly), the network put together a highlights show about the Olympics, and needless to say this race was one of the highlights. But they changed the commentary! Once Gross passed Hayes, instead of the commentators (the same ones as on the original broadcast) saying that the U.S. was finally going to lose a relay, they said something to the effect of, "Don't give up on the U.S. just yet--Bruce Hayes is known for his strong finishes." And, when the U.S. did win, the commentators seemed prophetic. If you hadn't watched the live broadcast of the event, you'd never know that they changed the commentary. In non-swimming Olympics events, Dave Wottle's 800 is one of my earliest Olympic memories. Bob Hayes' anchor leg in the men's 4x100 m. relay in 1964 is one I don't remember seeing live, but many people swear that might still be the fastest 100 meters ever run.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:18:00 GMT

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Rob Copeland — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 04:08:20 GMT

I'm suprised that no one said anything about the swimmer from Africa. I think it was in 96 but not totally sure. He couldn't swim much at all, but they said that he had only one small hotel pool to practice in. I just remember thinking that took some balls to do that.It was Sydney 2000 and the swimmer was Eric Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea. Moussambani was a wildcard entry in the race, part of a FINA program encourages the sport in countries where it is not traditionally practiced. He swam the 100 Free in a heat by himself because the other 2 in his heat appeared to intentionally false start to allow him to swim alone. Qualification Heat 1 1, Eric Moussambani, Equatorial Guinea, 1:52.72. NR, Karim Bare, Niger, DQ. NR, Farkhod Oripov, Tajikstan, DQ.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:24:23 GMT

Me either, since I never did. It would be cool to swim that fast though. Nicely played:applaud:

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

That Guy — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:10:40 GMT

Originally posted by aquageek I have never understood how that guy qualified for the Olympics. Me either, since I never did. It would be cool to swim that fast though.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:29:11 GMT

Sporting moment? Mark Spitz's sweep. I was only a couple of years younger and swimming on a HS team. No dreams on my part (smart enought to know that I'd NEVER be that good!!) ... but a lot of respect and awe. In general ... ABC-TV's coverage of the Olympics, Winter or Summer. Jim McKay in his prime could not be beat. Cheers!! Ken

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:23:42 GMT

What is your favorite memory. The opening and closing ceremonies of the more recent ones. They're getting quite elaborate and entertaining.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:31:54 GMT

Best moment for me is historic: Hitler's exit. "OK back to the drawing board on the whole master race thing..." The 1936 Olympics are documented in a wonderful film, "Olympia," by Leni Riefenstahl. I checked it out from my local library; you can probably get it from Netflix or Blockbuster. Note that there are two parts; together they're over 3 hours long but well worth it. Synopsis for Part I from IMDB.com: www.imdb.com/.../ "After being commissioned by the 1936 Olympic Committee to create a feature film of the Berlin Olympics, Riefenstahl shot a documentary that celebrates the human body by combining the poetry of bodies in motion with close-ups of athletes in the heat of competition. Includes the marathon, men's diving, and American track star Jesse Owen's sprint races at the 1936 Olympic games. The production tends to glorify the young male body and, some say, expresses the Nazi attitude toward athletic prowess. Includes the lighting of the torch at the stadium and Adolf Hitler looking on in amazement as Jesse Owens wins an unprecedented four Gold Medals.--Written by Fiona Kelleghan" Anna Lea

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:32:14 GMT

The opening and closing ceremonies of the more recent ones. They're getting quite elaborate and entertaining. Well, since you brought it up, I HATE this part. I want to cut right to the action and see the racing. :bump: Yeah I must agree, the opening ceremony is a bit naff barring the parade bit...but the closing ceremony is just like the opening ceremony all over again. It's like replaying the opening...but with medals. Best moment for me is historic: Hitler's exit. "OK back to the drawing board on the whole master race thing..." Sportingwise for me any Brit Gold was awesome because we get so few. Of course Eddie the Eagle was great from a "Awwwwwwww, good for him!" for trying point of view. Plus we had the song "Fly Eddie Fly" www.youtube.com/watch

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:57:28 GMT

Originally posted by aquageek I have never understood how that guy qualified for the Olympics. Yeah, I believe they instituted the 'A' and 'B' Olympic time standards so only good athletes make it now. They didn't then. If memory serves he was the ONLY Olympian (or the ONLY swimmer) from his country which, under rules at the time, did qualify him. They put him in a heat of his own to spare him the embarrassment of being still in the pool while the other heat participants would have been in their street clothes. It took guts but................. he will always be able to say that he was an Olympian.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

The Fortress — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:21:04 GMT

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:21:08 GMT

If I haven't said it before, Misty Hyman's 200 fly win at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney is my favorite and is probably one of the greatest upsets. But I've only really been watching the Olympics since the mid 70's/early 80's...so I'm sure I missed seeing many other great moments. I was 6 when Spitz swam in Munich, and although I don't remember watching it, I do remember having a stars & stripes swimsuit. :banana:

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Jeff Commings — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:05:46 GMT

Janet Evans' 400 free in Seoul. I don't need to find it on YouTube because it's seared into my brain.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

swimr4life — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:47:13 GMT

My favorite Olympic moment hands down was seeing the Magnificent 7 win the team gold medal in 1996. I'm from the Atlanta area so those Olympics were very special to me. The buildup, planning and anticipation were so exciting to be a part of! I was blessed to have an old family friend who was very wealthy. He gave us BOX tickets to the FINALS of the Women's Gymnastics Team competition!!! It was incredible!! When Keri Shrug nailed her vault to win the team competition,despite her badly injured ankle, the whole Georgia Dome shook with all the applause and cheering! I had tears in my eyes. The fortitiude and determination it took for her to do that.....truly the Olympic spirit in human form! My two daughters were with me and despite their young ages, 5 and 8, they remember it well. It was an awesome moment. I have priceless pictures of my family with the team on the medal podium in the background. My 5 year old cried when we had to leave the Dome when the competiton was over....she didn't want it to end and neither did I.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

swim4me — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:25:18 GMT

Not swimming, but the 1980 US Hockey team was awsome!!!!:woot:

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

FlyQueen — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:37:25 GMT

The Mag 7 (gymnastics) in 96 was a huge one for me. I remember thinking I should quit right then because I sucked ... I cried, I still do every time I watch the tape ... My swimming moments ... the women's 800 fr relay in Athens was awesome, Beard's 200 *** win, Phelps' 100 fly win, the men's medley relay and all that was involved with that, Gary's 50 win, Coughlin's 100 back, and on and on ... In 96 I remember Thompson, Van Dyken, Fox, and Martino kicking major butt in the 400 free relay, with their matching tattoos. Very cool!

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 17:38:15 GMT

I'd ignore the drugs too unless you have iron clad proof that a) one person did it and b) that nobody else did. It don't make it right but I'm just saying. NB I don't think Linford did them...Daley Thompson possibly...just look at the trapezius muslces and compare 84 to 88.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 16:49:23 GMT

Bruce Hayes, trained a while in our pool, the Northside Aquatic Center, preparing for the 1984 Olympics. George Block, the head coach at Northside must have loved every minute of his attendance. I watched from our weight room as he swam his 200 meter sets (I think they were a lot on the 2min). Anyway, during the end of the set and just when he finished one of them, he began to heave his guts into the gutter but didn't miss his interval onto the next 200 (yup I said, that's why he's an Olympian). When he left the pool, he went right into the weight room and lifted like an animal. Now watch this video and see if it doesn't give you the shivers. Remember, Micheal Gross set the 200 Free World Record at these very Olympics. It was 1984, the Men's 800 Freestyle relay and here's the video, www.goggleawards.org/.../84Relay-Perfect Race.WMV

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 16:27:04 GMT

I just took a look at Dave Wottle; that run definitely floated my boat. Donna

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

Former Member — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 14:49:43 GMT

There's a whole separate thread on La Lance and whether he was drugging. Go search for it nimble fingers. The latest I read in Outdoor Magazine was that Lance was still defending Floyd Landis even though the French all but declared Oscar Peirero the winner. But I recall Lance won an Olympic bronze. (It was Tyler Hamilton, an EPO positive tester, that got to keep his Olympic gold.) You must be mixing up all Lance's Tour de France victories. I hope you're at least watching that if you're not watching the Olympics. What could be better to watch on TV? The "Biggest Loser?" :rofl: Ah the joy of posting while under the influence. I meant Lance's recent history, and the gold I referred to in the sentence you quoted was Linford's.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

poolraat — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:33:30 GMT

I love track and field too. And, as I seem to recall, Rich's pick of Lindford Christie is wrong for the same reaasons. You must know I'm an ex-runner from my posts. Let's go pre-drug older runners. I loved Billy Mills underdog victory. So does Poolraat. You're right about Billy Mills. 2 others I rate among the greatest; The US Hockey team's victory in 1980 and Bob Mathias' decathalon victory in '48 as a 17 year old.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

The Fortress — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:17:00 GMT

You have a point, I'm trying to ignore the drug thing. My background is track and field so I'm more "desensitized" to the drug thing (sad). It seems more common there than swimming. The only time I can remember it coming up in swmming was China's womens swim team at Barcelona, they kinda looked like guys. I love track and field too. And, as I seem to recall, Rich's pick of Lindford Christie is wrong for the same reaasons. You must know I'm an ex-runner from my posts. Let's go pre-drug older runners. I loved Billy Mills underdog victory. So does Poolraat. I also loved when Alain Mimoun finally beat Emil Zatopek in the marathon. But how could you forget about the East German women?!?! Kornelia Ender and Kristin Otto? No speculation there.

RE: Greatest Olympic Moment.

rtodd — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 11:28:30 GMT

How about Pyrros Dimas: Three golds, three different olympics, three weight classes. www.youtube.com/watch Also Bill Johnson olympic gold in the downhill. First American to do it. His gold medal run was a controlled crash. Unfortunately he suffered a bad crash in a comeback attempt. I am a new swimmer, so I don't have any olympic swimming memories. Please post more swimming stuff!!! I am definately looking forward to Beijing.