Great moments from Olympic Games history

 

Few events have the ability to capture the public’s imagination like the Olympic Games.

 

Each Games seems to produce flashbulb moments that live in our collective memory for years. Here is a look at some of the most unforgettable moments in Olympic history.

 

Usain Bolt bursts into the world scene in Beijing

 

The Jamaican sprinter, who will be centre stage during the athletics competition at the Rio 2016 Games, first burst onto the world scene at the Beijing 2008 Games.

The towering Jamaican sprinter dominated the field, posting a time of 9.69 in the 100-metre sprint, a record that redefined the sport. After winning gold again at the London 2012 Games, Bolt hopes to add third Olympic 100m win to his tally in Rio, making him arguably the greatest sprinter in history.

 

Michael Phelps dominates in the pool

 

Like Bolt, swimmer Michael Phelps became an international sensation at the Beijing Games, winning an unprecedented eight medals.

 

Phelps’s eighth gold medal came in the 4×100m medley relay. Phelps and his team-mates set a new world record with a time of 3 minutes and 29.34 seconds, more than a second faster than the previous world record. With 22 medals to his name, Phelps is the most decorated Olympian ever and he hopes to add to his total at the Rio Games.

 

Bob Beamon’s incredible leap

 

World records are usually broken in small increments – hundredths of a second or fractions of a centimetre. But Bob Beamon shattered the long jump record at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games in a way that may never be repeated. The USA athlete jumped 8.90 metres, breaking the previous record by 55cm. Beamon was not a highly-touted long jumper heading into the Mexico City Games.

 

In fact, he barely qualified. But on a windy night, he sailed through Mexico City’s thin air to set a record that stood until 1991 when the USA’s Michael Powell set a new mark.

 

Even now, whenever an athlete shatters a record, the achievement is often described as “Beamonesque.”

 

Ethiopian runner wins marathon in bare feet

 

A late addition to the Ethiopian team, runner Abebe Bikila didn’t like the new shoes he was given after his old pair fell apart in training. He decided to run the marathon barefoot.

 

In a tightly fought race through the streets of Rome, Bikila pulled away from his opponent by the famed obelisk of Axum – a monument that was taken from Ethiopia to Rome by Italian troops – to become East Africa’s first gold medallist.