Top 10 Olympic Moments

I love the Olympics.  This post isn’t about politics or controversies.  It’s about the athletes who demonstrate the epitome of the human spirit.  These aren’t athletes that are competing for multimillion dollar contracts or Nike sponsorships.  They are competing for the love of their sport and the honour to represent their country against the best in the world.  For many of these athletes, after a lifetime of dedication and training, may only get one chance to compete.  When the games are all said and done, most of these athletes will go back home to the normal life they led before.  This only makes the glory of winning, and the heartbreak of losing that much more dramatic and meaningful.

There are so many Olympic moments that matter, but these are the top 10 have had an emotional impact on me.

10.  Paying it forward
Back in 2006, Canadian cross country skier Sara Renner broke her ski pole mid race.  Seeing her situation, the Norwegian coach gave her a spare pole to use, allowing her to finish with a silver medal. It was turned into a nice commercial for Visa.  Fast forward to the Olympics in Sochi where Canadians had the chance to repay the favour to a Russian athlete when his ski broke.

9.  Pulling a Bradbury
Salt Lake City is where the number 9 memory happened.  Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury qualified for the 1000m final.  Bradbury was a long shot and the race started out as everyone expected…until the last turn.  Someone in the leading pack fell, taking the rest of the group with him.  Bradbury was so far behind he was unaffected by the crash and easily coasted past the finish line winning the first gold medal ever for Australia.  “Pulling a Bradbury” is now an Australian expression for when you win despite being in a losing position.  (The link might not work.  click the link in the window for the full video and skip to around the 1:30 mark, or watch the whole race)

8.  It’s the little things
There’s something about this moment that always stood out to me.  Before his race, the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt, gives a volunteer a fist bump.  The look on the volunteer’s face says it all.

7.  Fencing Heartbreak
This story is a bit confusing if you’re unfamiliar with the rules of fencing.  The gist of it is this, due to a time keeping mistake made by a 15 year old volunteer, a South Korean fencer was denied a chance at competing for a gold medal.  She remained on the platform after the match to protest (which is legal as leaving the platform is viewed as accepting the judges ruling) until security forced her to leave.  The International Olympic Committee has offered her a honorary Olympic medal in consolation, which she has refused.

6.  Badass Torch Lighting
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic games opened with the coolest torch lighting ever.  Organizers took the bold risk and let archer Antonio Rebollo shoot a flaming arrow into the cauldron, igniting the flame.  I’m not sure if they had a back up plan if he missed, fortunately he was dead on.  This clip shows a collection of torch lightings dating back to 1968.  It’s pretty interesting to see the evolution of the cauldron over the years.  (Skip to the 3:25 point for the 1992 Olympics)

5.  Michael Phelps
It’s probably impossible to not talk about this guy, the most decorated Olympian in history.  I have no personal connection with him or his success, but you can’t help but cheer for someone who has accomplished so much.

4.  Pride comes before the fall
I’ve always hated showboating and celebrating, especially before you actually win.  This is exactly why.

3.  Bronze is the new gold
During the London 2012 games, the underdog Canadians lost to the heavily favoured Americans in the semifinal round.  They were robbed of their chance to play for a gold medal when the referee made two bad calls in the last few minutes of the game.  Instead of focusing on the loss, Team Canada refocused and showed their determination to win the bronze medal against France, putting them on the world map as a force to be reckoned with.

2.  Determination to the end
Get some Kleenex for this one (and maybe some wine to go with the healthy dose of cheese in the video).

1.  The Golden Goal
There was one day, four years ago, when 35 million people jumped and cheered simultaneously.  It’s the day that Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal against USA in Men’s Hockey during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.  This was probably the most important gold medal in Canadian history and has become the staple moment in Olympic highlight reels.  It’s hard to put into words, but I feel as though this moment has given Canadians a confidence that was not previously there.  It’s evident during these Olympic games where we can own the podium and it is no longer a surprise.  We no loner believe our victories are flukes or miracles, we deserve them.  This clip opens with the goal, but continues with nothing but reactions.  Even though I know exactly what’s going to happen, it still gets to me watching the celebrations because I can still remember feeling the exact same thing – pride and joy.