The Olympics aren’t for the faint-hearted, and the dedication and sacrifice that goes into merely qualifying for the Games makes watching them something of an emotional rollercoaster.
Over the years we have landed a number of medals (76 at the Summer Games), but certain moments will always stand out from the crowd.
BusinessTech have put together a list of five that give us goosebumps, so let’s run through them.
Josia Thugwane – Gold in the marathon at Atlanta 1996
This one really does tug on the heartstrings, and I can remember exactly where I was when I watched Josia storm the home straight whirling his arms in celebration.
We’ve covered his full story HERE before, but it’s worth noting that he was carjacked and shot just three months before the race.
Skip to 13 minutes in the video below to watch that finish:
Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – Athens 2004
Roeland and Ryk, two names everyone remembers. Not so much the case for Lyndon Ferns and Darian Townsend, but it takes all four swimmers pulling their weight to set a new world record.
Chad Le Clos – London 2012
Unbelievable – which is also the name of the documentary SuperSport just aired about Chad’s build-up to Rio (HERE).
His 2012 heroics will long be remembered, ousting Michael Phelps from top spot and setting in motion a rivalry that makes this year’s 200 metre butterfly event one of the most highly anticipated.
Magic Chad, you certainly made your old man proud.
Lightweight Coxless Four- London 2012
This one should still be fresh in the minds, a freakishly strong finish propelling our boys to a come-from-behind gold.
If you weren’t screaming at the top of your lungs on the home stretch when watching this one I don’t want to be friends.
Cameron Van Der Burgh – London 2012
Nothing like a new world record to capture the world’s attention on the grandest stage of all, something swimmer Cameron knows all about.
His time of 58.46 in the breaststroke 100m final was one for the record books – the race starts at 3:30 below:
Something tells me this Olympics might provide the kind of moments we’ll be talking about for quite some time.
Wayde van Niekerk – no pressure champ, we’ll all be rooting for you when that 400 metre final rolls around.
[source:businesstech]
