The Editors of TIME-LIFE - The Olympics: Moments That Changed History

Contents

FASTEST MAN ALIVE Usain Bolt of Jamaica blew away the field in the 100-meter race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing the race in a world record 9.69 seconds.

THE OLYMPICS

MOMENTS THAT MADE HISTORY

TORCHBEARER Australian track star Cathy Freeman stood before a home crowd as she prepared to light the cauldron at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Let the Games Begin

BOB BEAMON SETS THE LONG JUMP WORLD RECORD AT THE 1968 MEXICO CITY OLYMPICS How astounding was Beamons performance? The optic device judges used to measure the long jump could not register Beamons leap. They had to bring out an old-fashioned tape measure. The result: 29 feet, 2 inches. Beamon had bested the world record by 21 inches. When Beamon realized what he had done, he fell to his knees on the track. His competitors helped him back to his feet. I was thanking that good man up there for letting me hit the ground, he said.

All the training leads to this: thousands of people in the stands, millions more at home, watching from every corner of the world, as an athlete steps up to seize an opportunity for Olympic glory. In one breathtaking instanta lightning-fast finish, a soaring jump, an exquisite movethe Olympic moment fulfills four years worth of waiting for fans and a lifetime of hard work for the athlete.

When French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympics in 1896 as a modern sporting event, its unlikely he had any idea that they would grow into an international spectacle that would create countless legends and shape history.

In fact, the first modern Games, held in Athens, were a modest affair. Just 14 nations participated, and they were considered a success. But De Coubertin, passionate about the unifying power of sports, continued to build the event. By 1924 the modern Olympics were fully formed. Held in Paris, the Games featured more than 3,000 athletes, from 44 nations, including more than 100 women. The first Winter Olympics were also staged that year. In the decades since, the Olympics have showcased remarkable athleticism, courage, heart, and resolve. Here, we celebrate some of the most outstanding athletes who will never be forgotten.

MARK SPITZ WINS A HISTORIC SEVEN GOLD MEDALS AT THE 1972 OLYMPICS At the 1968 Games, Spitz fell short of his goal to sweep the six events he entered, and went home with only two golds. But the swimmer was determined to turn that disappointment into a new challenge and win all seven races in 1972. Not only did he pull off that record feat, he set seven world marks along the way. After the 1972 Games, Spitz, with this trademark mustache and good looks, became an instant commercial success, raking in $5 million in endorsements that year and appearing on television specials with comedians Bob Hope and Bill Cosby and singers Sonny and Cher.

THE UNITED STATES DEFEATS THE HEAVILY FAVORED SOVIET UNION AT THE 1980 LAKE PLACID OLYMPICS The joyous celebration following the greatest upset in sports historydubbed the Miracle on Icewas not confined to the rink. A rally soon choked the streets outside the arena, snarling traffic in Lake Placid. Across the country fans young and old stopped what they were doing to take in what had just happened. A team of no-name amateurs had beaten a hockey behemoth and U.S. political rival. The first Russian I shook hands with had a smile on his face, said Mark Johnson, who had scored two of the U.S. goals. I couldnt believe it. I still cant believe it. We beat the Russians.

GABBY DOUGLAS WINS THE INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND TITLE AT THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS Nicknamed the Flying Squirrel for her dynamic bar routine, 16-year-old Gabby Douglas displayed uncommon grace and poise on the balance beam. She led a U.S. team dubbed the Fierce Five to team gold in London, before becoming the first African-American gymnast to win individual all-around gold.

Pioneers

Flopping to the Top Dick Fosbury used his signature Flop, clearing the bar upside down and backward, at the 1968 Mexico City Games. The innovative move became the preferred technique of high jumpers.

THE OFFICIAL OLYMPIC MOTTO, CITIUS-ALTIUS-FORTIUS, IS LATIN for faster-higher-stronger and dates to 1881, when a priest named Henri Didon used it to open a school sports event in Paris. More than a decade later, organizers adopted those three ideals for the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896. The goals continue to embody the hopes of every athlete, and if a fourth could be added, it might very well be first . Every athlete strives to be firstfirst on the podium, and in some cases, the first to attain the unachievable. Here are a few groundbreaking individuals who had a lasting influence on their sport and beyond.

Jim Thorpe

With his epic performance at the 1912 Games, the multifaceted star set the standard for the title of Worlds Greatest Athlete.

The discus throw, high jump, and foot races.

JIM OF ALL TRADES : Thorpe posed on the field at the 1912 Games. He became the first Olympic decathlon champion, dominating an event.

Jim Thorpe was first a star in baseball and football, but it was his dominating showing in track and field at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics that caught the worlds attention. The 10-event decathlon and the five-event pentathlon were both relatively new competitions at the 1912 Games. The track-and-field events were designed to measure all-around athleticism, and Thorpe proved that he could do it all.

Before the pentathlon, Thorpes sneakers were stolen, so he pulled a replacement pair out of the garbage and competed in a pair of mismatched shoes. Despite his improvised footwear, Thorpe placed first in four events to win gold. The discipline in which he was not the top finisherthe javelinwas one that he had never competed in before 1912. Still, he had the third-longest throw.

Then came the decathlon. The U.S. trials did not hold a decathlon because it didnt have enough entrants. The Olympics marked the first time Thorpe took part in the event. Swedish hero Hugo Wieslander was expected to dominate on his home turf, but instead Thorpe defeated him by more than 700 points; his tally of 8,413 stood as the Olympic record for another 20 years. At the closing ceremonies, King Gustav V of Sweden summed up everyones thoughts when he told Thorpe, You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world.