I think one of the reasons I’ve always loved the Olympics are the iconic moments. Overcoming personal tragedy and obstacles, coming back from the brink of defeat, bringing athletes together from competing countries for an epic showdown of patriotism and peak athletic performance.
I haven’t been around for a lot of Olympic games but I’ve read some books and seen some movies and news clips and below are some of the best feel-good historic moments in winter Olympic history that I wish I experienced live:
Miracle on Ice
Arguably the best Olympic moment ever. There was a clash of world powers. There was a group of misfit college athletes divided by their undergrad rivalry that came together under the unique personality of a coach given an impossible task. There were the unbeatable “bad guys” of the Soviet national team that had advantages from a state-run program compared to many traditional amateur athletes of the time. And of course, there was an anti-climatic Gold Medal match after everyone had already declared the US the winners of the Olympics (Remember that part? The U.S. beat the Soviets in the semifinals. It wasn’t even a gold medal match. But it also shows how much of an underdog we were not to face the Soviets in the finals).
Eric Heiden wins 5 gold medals
Eric Heiden is the Michael Phelps/Michael Johnson of Speed Skating. He was able to win multiple races in one Olympics across distances that are typically not tackled by a single athlete. He absolutely dominated the 1980 Olympics with 5 gold medals from the 500 to 10,000. He single-handly won more golds at those Olympics than all countries except USSR and East Germany. He seemed like a humble and down to earth guy as well. He had already won 4 gold medals, supported his teammates by watching the Miracle on Ice and the next day got a world record by 6 seconds in his final race. He saw his countrymates do the impossible and he did the same. And just look at that goofy smile. Pretty sure he was an extra on Dazed and Confused and loved every moment of it.
Jamaican Bobsled Team
We’ve all seen the movie so I don’t need to go into details (will be writing a separate blog about Winter Olympic movies). But this is one of those fantastic stories about the world supporting the underdogs and a group of guys just trying to live out their Olympic dreams. Not every country has the infrastructure or resources to support all of their athletes. You often hear Bob Costas during the opening ceremonies say how that moment will be the biggest crowd and most support many of the athletes will experience the entire games. Many competitors are eliminated in a qualifying round at 9:00am to a live audience of coaches and digital audience of NBC subscribers from the other side of the globe that couldn’t sleep. The Jamaican Bobsled team got some extra love and support from across the world in a unique showing of support for following your dreams, no matter how high the odds are stacked against you.
Dan Jansen’s Quest for Gold
Dan is a hometown speedskater from Wisconsin that rose to world prominence right before the 1988 Olympic games and was favorited to win the 500 and 1,000. His sister, whom he was very close with, passed away from Leukemia shortly before his first race and he left the games without any medals after falling in the prelims for both races. The 1992 games were no kinder, but because of the switch to separate Winter and Summer Olympics, he was given a last chance in the 1994 Lillehammer games. After a disappointing finish in the 500, he won a surprise gold in the 1,000 and finally received the gold medal he rightfully deserved. He did a victory lap with his daughter, who he named after his sister. (I’m not crying, you’re crying).
So here’s to hoping we see some more iconic moments in Pyeongchang this year!
Royer's Olympic Blog 