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Last Updated: Aug 10, 2008 - 9:26:39 AM |
The Olympic Games embody just the kind of bold attitude towards life
and history that we’ve always been keen on here at spiked. So, after a
lively discussion over an Olympian amount of alcohol and bar snacks,
we’ve come up with a list of our 10 favourite Olympic moments.
There were plenty of contenders that didn’t make the list - though we
hope to return to some of these over the course of the next two weeks
as the Beijing Games unfolds. And while we’ve put these in order, we
can assure you that if you ask us tomorrow, the pecking order would be
different. How do you compare a barefoot marathon runner to a boxing
legend, or a record-breaking sprint that created a scandal with a
century-old parade ground insult? After you’ve read our top-10
countdown, let us know what you think.
10. When the Americans insulted royalty
Twelve years after Baron Pierre de Coubertin realised his vision of a
modern Olympiad, the games arrived in London in 1908. These were the
first full games to include a parade of teams behind their national
flags. But in what was considered a major insult, the US flag was not
dipped to the royal box by the team. The US team captain, Martin
Sheridan, explained that ‘This flag dips to no earthly king’.
While one explanation is that the move was a protest at the failure to
fly the Stars and Stripes over the stadium, American academic Mark
Dyreson argues that ‘history reveals the original patriots who refused
to dip to the British monarch were animated as much by Irish as
American sentiment. Many of the US athletes, including the flag-bearer,
were Irish immigrants or descendants and were incensed that their
former countrymen were forced to compete under the Union Jack rather
than an Irish flag. They intended to insult the British - and the
furore that ensued indicates they succeeded.’
Uppity colonials…
9. Sebastian Coe retains his 1500 metres title
Lord Coe isn’t exactlyour cup of tea. While we’re delighted that London
will be hosting the 2012 Games, the successful London bid - led by Coe
- pressed all the kind of sustainability and
sport-as-social-engineering buttons that we deplore. But in 1984, in
Los Angeles, Coe proved he was a supreme athlete and a gutsy
competitor.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Coe and fellow Brit Steve Ovett were
engaged in a personal struggle for middle-distance domination, swapping
world records over 800 metres, 1500 metres and the mile. In the Moscow
Games, in 1980, Ovett beat Coe over 800 metres (where Coe was
favourite), only for Coe to bounce back days later to take the 1500
metres crown. In 1984, Peter Elliott was victorious at the UK
championships, but the selectors controversially picked Coe ahead of
him. Coe again came second in the 800 metres. Under intense pressure to
justify his selection, Coe defended his 1500 metres title in style,
beating the world champion (Steve Cram) and the world record holder
(Ovett) in the process. His reaction, while understated by some
standards, is one of pure vindication.
For those who fret about the risks involved with Beijing’s air quality,
the 1984 race is also a reminder that Los Angeles had pretty dreadful
air, too. Coe’s great rival Ovett - who had suffered bronchitis before
the Games - was stretchered away from the stadium after dropping out of
the race, badly affected by the LA smog.
8. Barefoot Ethiopian runs to marathon glory in Rome
Abebe Bikila wasn’t even in the original Ethiopian team picked for the
1960 Olympics in Rome. Competing as a late replacement, and in only his
third marathon, he ran a stunning race and broke the world record. What
makes the performance even more remarkable was that the shoes supplied
to him were making his feet sore - so he ran the full 26 miles 385
yards barefoot.
Bikila was the first East African to win an Olympic gold medal and
proved the feat was no fluke by retaining his title in Tokyo four years
later, breaking the world record again in the process. That he won that
first title in Italy, the country which had occupied Ethiopia when it
was Abyssinia back in 1936, must have made his victory all the sweeter.
7. Beamon takes off in Mexico City
New Yorker Bob Beamon was favourite for gold in the 1968 long jump
competition. But nobody could have predicted what he would do. Beamon
produced what was described as ‘the perfect jump’, leaping 8.90 metres,
or 29 feet 2½ inches. Nobody had previously come close to jumping 28
feet, never mind 29. Most world records are broken in tiny increments -
a fraction of one per cent. Beamon broke the previous record by an
astounding six per cent. His leap was so unprecedented that the
measuring equipment didn’t go that far and the jump had to be measured
manually.
Beamon’s mark was finally beaten by Mike Powell - nearly 23 years
later. While the altitude in Mexico City, and a following wind, helped
Beamon, the performance is still jaw-dropping.
6. Cassius Clay: a star is born
The ‘Louisville Lip’ was just 18 years old when he travelled to Rome in
1960 to compete as America’s representative in the light-heavyweight
division. Despite his youth, his exceptional hand speed, footwork and
power enabled him to tear though the opposition. Even his legendary
shuffle was in place. In the final, he beat a far more experienced
fighter, three-time European champion Zigzy Pietrzykowski of Poland.
When he returned home, Clay threw his gold medal into the Ohio river
after being refused service at a whites-only restaurant - despite being
an Olympic champion. Four years after winning Olympic gold, Clay beat
Sonny Liston to win the world heavyweight championship. Shortly after,
he announced that he had become a Muslim and changed his name to
Muhammad Ali.
How times change. Now Ali is feted as the most famous figure in sport.
In 1996, he lit the Olympic Flame to start the Atlanta games and was
later presented with a replacement gold medal.
5. ‘Blood in the water’
In 1956, the Games were held in Melbourne in November. The Hungarian
water polo team, regarded as the pre-Games favourites, were in training
camp when an uprising began against Soviet rule on 23 October. They
were quickly moved to Czechoslovakia to complete their training, but it
was only when they arrived in Australia that they learned that the
uprising had been brutally crushed by Soviet troops. Many of the
players knew they would never be able to return home.
The Hungarian players were soon given the opportunity to do something
about it when they met the Soviet Union in the semi-final. As Sports
Illustrated described it: ‘In scoring the first goal, Dezsö Gyarmati of
Hungary, who would eventually win medals in five Olympics, nearly KO’d
his Soviet opponent. Minutes later, the USSR’s Vyacheslav Kurennoi was
sent to the penalty box for slugging. Then the Soviet Union’s Boris
Markarov and Hungary’s Antal Bolvari went at it. It was open warfare
thereafter, with players from both teams trading blows and headlocks.’
The game had to be abandoned with a minute still left to play;
Hungarian ex-patriates threatened to storm the pool after one of the
Soviet players thumped Hungary’s Ervin Zador, leaving him requiring 13
stitches. Hungary, who were leading 4-0, were declared the winners and
went on to take gold.
4. How an Italian lost the marathon - but still won
Once all the controversy over the dipping of flags was over, the most
famous event of the 1908 London Games was the marathon. The original
distance was 25 miles, but it was extended to 26 miles to allow the
race to go from Windsor Castle to the White City stadium in West
London. It was further extended by a short lap at the castle, giving
the race its bizarre modern distance: 26 miles 385 yards. The pre-race
favourite, a Canadian called Tom Longboat, collapsed after nearly 20
miles in the warm July sun. Some say he was undone by champagne drunk
en route. So, it was left to an Italian pastry chef, Dorando Pietri, to
lead the race. But as he entered the stadium, he was exhausted by the
effort (not helped by the odd brandy and a little strychnine on the
road), tried to go the wrong way round the track, and then collapsed
five times in the last 200 yards.
Pietri was helped over the line by officials to win gold, with the
American Johnny Hayes in second. The US team quickly lodged a protest -
something it did on a daily basis during the Games. Pietri was
disqualified for receiving illegal assistance, with Hayes declared
winner. There was uproar, and the following day, Pietri was presented
with a silver cup by Princess Alexandra in honour of his achievement.
Pietri, Hayes, Longboat and others went on to compete against each
other in professional races in the USA, and Irving Berlin’s first hit
song, Dorando, was inspired by the Italian runner. Berlin’s song is a
cautionary tale about gambling on marathons - and the 1908 race
suggests alcohol and marathons don’t mix, either.
3. An affront to the idea of Aryan supremacy
The Berlin Games in 1936 were an opportunity for Hitler and the Nazis
to show off to the world. But the star of the games - James ‘Jesse’
Owens - was a one-man contradiction of the ideology of racial
supremacy. Owens was a star of college track and field, winning eight
national titles while at Ohio State University. In just 45 minutes in
May 1935, Owens broke three world records and equalled another, and the
long jump record he set in the process lasted for 25 years. Yet, like
other African Americans, he had to live off-campus.
In Berlin, Owens won gold in four events: 100 metres, 200 metres, long
jump and 4x100 metres relay. Hitler’s pained expression at Owens’
victory is captured in Leni Reifenstahl’s film of the Games, Olympia.
Hitler’s aim had been for the German team to top the medals table,
which it did. But Owens’ stellar performance undermined that success.
Like Muhammad Ali, Owens was America’s representative, but life didn’t
get any better for him after his victories. Owens’ story is as much a
condemnation of American racism as it is of Nazi ideology. Commenting
on the idea that Hitler had snubbed him by not shaking his hand, Owens
said: ‘Hitler didn’t snub me - it was FDR who snubbed me. The president
didn’t even send me a telegram.’
2. Black power - what a real Olympics protest looks like
If Beamon produced the standout athletic performance of the 1968 Games
in Mexico City, the major talking point will always remain what
happened after the men’s 200 metres final. The event was won by black
American Tommie Smith in a world record 19.83 seconds, with his
compatriot John Carlos taking bronze. During the medal ceremony, Smith
and Carlos bowed their heads while the US national anthem was played
and raised gloved fists in what became known as the ‘Black Power
salute’. The pair were immediately suspended from the US team and told
to leave the Olympic village.
At a time of feverish political tension over the issue of black rights
in America, Smith and Carlos took some considerable risk when they
stood on the rostrum and raised their fists. Their gesture was a far
cry from the kind of protests that have marked the Beijing Games. Now,
athletes seem to be queuing up to make some kind of grand statement, or
sitting at home figuring out just what ribbon or wristband they can
wear for maximum effect - and in the sure knowledge that when they get
home, they’re far more likely to get a pat on the back than face death
threats, as Smith and Carlos did.
1. Ben Johnson runs like the wind - and into scandal
In 1984, Carl Lewis had matched Jesse Owens’ achievement of winning
four gold medals in the sprint events and long jump. The main barrier
to him repeating that feat in 1988 was Ben Johnson of Canada. The
previous year, Johnson had beaten Lewis at the world championships in
Rome, knocking a full tenth of a second off the world record in the
process - a gigantic leap by 100 metres standards. Lewis, unaccustomed
to defeat, implied that Johnson must have cheated. ‘There are gold
medallists at this meet who are on drugs’, he told the BBC.
At the Seoul Games in 1988, Johnson trounced Lewis once more, and
lowered his world record to 9.79 seconds. He would have run even faster
had he not stuck his arm up in triumph before crossing the line.
However, an anabolic steriod, Stanozolol, was found in Johnson’s urine
and he was disqualified. While Johnson now admits he took steroids, he
claims never to have taken Stanozolol. In his defence, he argues that
he took drugs because it was widely known that all the leading
sprinters were doing it. Johnson was banned for three years, and was a
shadow of his former self when he returned to competition.
But regardless of whether he was the target of a conspiracy by the
athletics establishment, what was most impressive about Johnson was
that he just ran really, really fast. No one has since run as fast at
the Games. There have been performances at least as striking as
Johnson’s in subsequent Olympics, like that of his namesake Michael
Johnson in the 200 metres in 1996. But the 100 metres is the event for
the fastest men on Earth. And no one has out-run all the other fast men
quite as decisively as Ben Johnson did when he blew away the opposition
in South Korea.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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