Top 10 moments in Olympics history ft. Tommie Smith and John Carlos' Black Power Salute, Abebe Bikila's marathon world record running barefoot

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 24, 2024 06:45 GMT

The motto of the Olympics has been 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' (Faster, Higher, Stronger). The Olympics have been a symbol of excellence in sportsmanship. There have also been moments where athletes have created history by their conduct rather than breaking records.

From Luz Long helping Jesse Owens in qualifying for the long jump finals to Gianmarco Tamberi & Mutaz Essa Barshim sharing the gold medal for the Men's High Jump, several moments are written in golden letters in the history of the Summer Olympics:

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10 greatest moments in Olympics' history ft. The Black Power Salute and Abebe Bikila's barefoot victory

#10) The 'Golden Double' at Tokyo

The medalists of Men's High Jump at Tokyo Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

It is rare to see two athletes sharing an Olympic gold medal for an individual sport. But Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar managed to do just that. Both jumped up to a distance of 2.37m and completed the previous attempts successfully.

However, both of them failed to achieve a distance of 2.39m. Therefore, the jury decided to award both Tamberi and Barshim the gold medal, while Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus, who jumped 2.35m, secured the bronze medal.

#9) Fiji's 'Dream Gold' at Rio

Fiji's 'Dream Team' after winning the Olympic gold [Image Sources: Getty]

What is the value of an Olympic gold medal? For a nation like Fiji, it's probably everything. At the Rio Olympics, when rugby sevens made its debut, everyone cheered for New Zealand, one of the strongest teams in this sport.

However, none of the spectators expected the storm that was brewing in the form of Fiji. Winning every match without breaking a sweat, Fiji stunned New Zealand in the quarterfinals, defeating them by 12-7. However, the Fiji team wasn't done yet.

Fiji stormed into the finals and overcame Great Britain to win their first-ever Olympic medal in the last 70 years. Fiji began by participating in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. But it took them seven decades to get their first medal.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Fiji's 'Dream Team' defended their title in style, and the women's team complimented their victory with a historic bronze medal.

#8) Michael Phelps' record fest at Beijing

Michael Phelps at Beijing Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

At the Beijing Olympics, the biggest question was: will Michael Phelps overcome Mark Spitz? At 23, the young American swimmer had become a sensation, breaking records with ease. Michael Phelps would have broken Mark Spitz's record at Athens had he not been unlucky in two races.

However, winning six Olympic gold medals in one edition at 19 was no joke. Michael Phelps participated in eight races at the Beijing Olympics and won all of them. The races where he participated are as noted below:

1. Men's 200m freestyle
2. Men's 100m butterfly
3. Men's 200m butterfly
4. Men's 200m medley
5. Men's 400m medley
6. Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
7. Men's 4x200m freestyle relay
8. Men's 4x100m medley

Michael Phelps went on to win 12 more medals (including four gold medals from London 2012 and five Olympic gold medals from Rio 2016) to become the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time.

#7) The rise of Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt, the sprinting legend [Image Source: Getty]

The stage was set. The men's 100m at the Beijing Olympics would decide who would become the next sprinting legend. Asafa Powell was eager to break new records, while Tyson Gay aimed to extend his legacy beyond the World Championships. However, during the finals, a man surged ahead from the halfway mark and clocked 9.69 seconds to win the race, a new world record for 2008.

The man was Usain Bolt, and track and field has never been the same since. Usain Bolt won seven more Olympic gold medals and created near-invincible records in 100m as well as 200m.

#6) Derek Redmond's ultimate dedication

Derek Redmond [Extreme Left], who won more than just an Olympic medal [Image Source: Getty]

How far would you go to prove yourself?

Well, Derek Redmond could be a good example. The British sprinter, who represented the UK in 400m was in good form before the Barcelona Olympics and aimed for a respectable podium finish. However, during the semi-finals, Redmond had crossed the halfway mark when he tore his hamstring at 250m.

Derek Redmond collapsed in pain, even as the medical team came to his assistance. However, refusing the immediate help, he hobbled to the finish line with some assistance from his father. Although he got disqualified for the same, Derek Redmond's dedication did not go unnoticed. He got a standing ovation from the crowd, and even today, his efforts have been listed among the greatest Olympic moments of all time.

#5) Steffi Graf's 'Golden Slam'

Steffi Graf , the only tennis player to achieve the 'Golden Slam' [Image Sources: Getty]

Who is the greatest female tennis player to you? Serena Williams? Maria Sharapova? Chris Evert? or Martina Navratilova?

All of the above are respected champions in their own right, but none could ever manage what a 19-year-old German managed to do in 1988.

Representing West Germany at that time, Steffi Graf won the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon, as well as the US Open. However, Graf wasn't done yet and topped it off with an Olympic gold medal in women's singles at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

To date, no other female tennis player has managed to achieve the unique 'Golden Slam' that Steffi Graf achieved in 1988.

#4) Nadia Comaneci's 'Perfect 10'

At the Montreal Olympics in 1976, a Romanian teenager was performing in the Uneven Bars section. She delivered a brilliant performance, but the score read as '1.00'. However, it turned out that the 14-year-old teenager had delivered a 'Perfect 10', something unheard of before in women's artistic gymnastics, especially at the Olympics.

But that was Nadia Comaneci. She went on to receive six more 'Perfect 10s' to win three Olympic gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Comaneci went on to win two Olympic gold and two silver medals at Moscow to become one of the greatest female gymnasts of all time.

#3) The 'Beamonesque' Record

Bob Beamon's gold medal in long jump from the Mexico Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Bob Beamon. This name will be remembered till the kingdom comes. The American long jumper wasn't exactly one of the greatest in his game, and he was extremely nervous the night before his finals at the Mexico City Olympics.

Beamon somehow calmed himself, and when he leaped for his first jump, he had something unthinkable. He knew that it was good, but he had no idea what he was in for. The officials took a good 20 minutes to determine the distance of his jump. When the results came out, Bob Beamon almost collapsed after realizing he had jumped 8.90m, breaking the previous world record by a huge distance of 55cm!

Even today, if someone jumps this distance, he would have won the Olympic gold medal at London 2012 by at least 59cm, at Rio 2016 by 52cm, and at Tokyo 2020 by a distance of 49cm!

#2) Abebe Bikila wins the marathon barefoot

Abebe Bikila, the barefoot wonder [Image Source: Getty & BBC]

At the Rome Olympics, one man was the center of attraction. He was running the entire marathon barefoot! This was Abebe Bikila, a member of the Ethiopian army, who couldn't run with shoes, as his feet were too big, and the only shoes he had were torn out!

Yet, it never stopped Bikila from racing ahead of his opponents. He edged past champions like Sergey Popov from the Soviet Union, who held the then-world record. Abebe Bikila completed the race in two hours, 15 minutes and 16.2 seconds, a new world record. Interestingly, Abebe Bikila felt nothing much and said that he could have run for another 10-15kms.

Abebe Bikila returned to the Tokyo Olympics to defend his title, but this time with shoes. Despite having just received treatment for appendicitis, Abebe Bikila won the Olympic gold medal by breaking his own record to clock two hours, 12 minutes & 11.2 seconds.

#1) The 'Black Power Salute' of Tommie Smith & John Carlos

The Black Powered Salute by Tommie Smith & John Carlos [Image Source: Getty]

At the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals in the men's 200m, with Peter Norman of Australia receiving the silver medal. However, their conduct at the victory ceremony led to a huge furor, and both were suspended from the team and sent back home. While Peter Norman received no such treatment, he never represented Australia at the Olympics ever again.

But why did this happen? At the victory ceremony, Tommie Smith & John Carlos wore black gloves in one hand and climbed the podium with just black socks on their feet. They bowed their heads during the national anthem and raised their fist with black gloves.

When asked if he regretted this move, Tommie Smith nonchalantly mentioned:

"The only regret what that it had to be done" [via BBC]

This 'Black Powered Salute' was aimed to pay homage to the victims of racial discrimination in the USA, and prove that African Americans would not tolerate this injustice. Peter Norman indirectly supported them by wearing the badge of the Olympic Project for Human Rights on his chest.

When Peter Norman passed away, the Australian government issued an apology, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos themselves reached Australia to pay homage.