Favorite 'USA Olympic Moment'

[Beefcake]

Something to kill the time until Olympic qualifying and really get ramped up ...

Universal Sports has selected its top 20 Team USA Moments in Olympic history, and is polling us to determine our "favorite Team USA Olympic Moment" [Of those listed .. there is no "other" option.]

What/who gets your vote? Tell it here ... and go vote, of course!

Greg Louganis winning gold in Seoul in 1988 after hitting his head in prelims

Jesse Owens wins four gold in front of Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1936

Kerri Strug secures team gold for the U.S. women in Atlanta in 1996

Muhammad Ali carries the torch in Atlanta in 1996

Michael Phelps out-touches Mildrod Cavic in the 100m fly and Jason Lezak comes from behind to win 4x100m free relay, enabling Phelps to win a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Games

Karch Kiraly wins first Olympic beach volleyball gold medal at 1996 Atlanta Olympics, becoming first athlete to win Olympic volleyball gold indoors and outdoors

Carl Lewis repeats Jesse Owens' four-gold medal performance in the 1984 L.A. Olympics

Rulon Gardner upsets Aleksandr Karelin in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Games

Mary Lou Retton wins women's gymnastics all-around at the 1984 L.A. Olympics

Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics in 1972

Michael Johnson becoming the first man to complete the 200m and 400m win in history

The Original Dream Team wins gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Paul Hamm comes from behind to win gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics

Men's Volleyball wins gold for Coach Hugh McCutcheon in Beijing

Misty May and Kerri Walsh are perfect in the 2004 Athens Olympics

Women's softball team perfect in winning gold in 2004 Olympics

Bob Beamon jumps a record 8.90m in the long jump in the 1968 Mexico City Games

Florence Griffith-Joyner wins four medals 1988 Seoul Games

Joe Frazier wins gold in the 1964 Tokyo Games

Ben Sheets and USA Baseball upset Cuba for gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympics

[Beefcake]

Of these, I'd say that the "top" moment was Jesse Owens' complete triumph/"eff you, Hitler" at Berlin. But obviously I did not experience it real-time.

Spitz's was a totally dominating thrill, but unfortunately it was in the shadow of the Munich massacre ... and the accomplishment was superseded by MP in 2008. So ...

Overall: The two moments (two? they're cheating, aren't they?) that helped Phelps keep the 8 medal dream alive. THRILLING! And I'm not as easily thrilled by sports accomplishments as I used to be.

Confession: I was probably never more thrilled at any certain time in a Summer Olympics than with Mary Lou's All-Around win. The passage of time / the understanding of gymnastics and of who wasn't in LA in 1984 has d e f i n i t e l y reshaped my vision of MLR and her gymnastics. But, it is what it is and she deserved her OGM. You compete in within the situation.

[Skittl1321]

For me, it is Kerri Strugg. I think it says so much about the determination of Olympic athletes, while the aftermath (finding out she didn't need to do it at all) says a lot about what athletes, many just children, are pressured into doing by parents, coaches, and their own desire to do whatever it takes.

But in that moment- WOW. Plus I loved her in the gala, doing nothing but walking on her hand in handstands, since she couldn't support her weight on her foot.


(This is also why I hope figure skating Team events are after individual. This vault took Kerri out of the individual competitions she was qualified for. Her first vault may have, but her second definitely did.)

[barbk]

I'm torn between Louganis' win after that crack on the head, and the Lezak's anchor leg of the relay -- both were truly results of Olympic proportions. Probably Lezak's even more so since he basically swam far beyond what anyone could really have expected, and the team had some serious ground to make up by that point.

(I'm surprised that Al Oerter's winning the discus at three successive Olympics when he was never projected to win it at any of them didn't make the list.)

[A.H.Black]

This list is all Summer Games, right? I don't see any winter moments and, as a figure skating fan, those are my favorite moments.

[allezfred]

I think the clue may be that this thread is in the "Olympic Games 2012" forum.

[Rob]

For me, Kerri Strug because I was rooting for the US team, and no-one knew she didn't need it. Mary Lou was not my favorite gymnast in 1984, and the boycott overshadowed her win for me a bit.

Of those I didn't witness on TV, Jesse Owens winning in front of Hitler has got to be the best.

Other moments I remember: The first Fosbury Flop I ever saw -- it was new in 1968 and my mother and I thought it was unreal! Everyone else went over the other way.
(Not USA)
Olga Korbut's back flip release move on bars -- I just gasped
Nadia's first 10
Shun Fujimoto landing his rings dismount onto a leg with a broken kneecap to help secure Japan team gold -- I remember them showing it in replay after it was known he was injured.

[Gazpacho]

In terms of glory, I'd add the 5-gold night in boxing in 1976.

Everything you list is a triumph in terms of finishes, but one moment stands out to me in terms of life triumph--when Marla Runyan, who is blind, crossed the finish line of her distance track race.