What is your favorite memory.The most amazing race I ever saw was the 200 Breaststroke in the 1968 Olympics. The only gold medal won by a Mexican at the Games Was by Felipe Munoz. Every time he breathed the crowd screamed MEXICO, I have never experienced such passion for a swimming event,(I only saw it on T.V. I can't imagine what it was like in person.)
More knowledge of running (new to the swimming world--tho admire Janet Evans' staying power)...
That said, my favorite Olympic moment was Joan Benoit Samuelson's '84 Oly. Marathon. I wasn't a runner at the time, but was so taken with her utter focus and concentration--she seemed almost Zenlike. And for me it was a telling moment in women's running and sports generally. For so many years, women were told they could not handle long distances... and JBS told of pretending to pick flowers when cars drove by during her training runs, b/c it was so frowned upon for women to be athletes.
When I finally (and only once) had a chance to run the Boston Marathon, I got to a point where a blistering foot almost made me want to drop out, but I knew I could not. Why? Because when I thought of all the courageous women who opened the door for women to run this great marathon, I felt that quitting would somehow be letting them down. I had worked so hard to make it to Boston, and no way could I quit!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
