Most Memorable Olympic Moments: Michael Phelps and More

Michael Phelps’ Golden Games

With 28 Olympic medals (23 of them gold), G.O.A.T. swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. In Beijing in 2008, he set the record for winning the most gold medals (eight) in one Games.

Kerri Strug’s Tenacity

Who could forget the image of Kerri Strug being carried to the medals ceremony by coach Béla Károlyi at the 1996 Atlanta Games? Despite hurting her ankle during her first vault, Kerri completed a second one before collapsing in pain, in order to secure the gold for the American team.

Muhammed Ali’s Surprise

At the 1996 opening ceremony in Atlanta, 1960 Olympic champ and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali — who once claimed to have thrown his gold medal into the Ohio River after encountering racism in his native Louisville, Kentucky, — surprised the crowd by lighting the torch.

Dream Team Dominates

The first Olympic basketball squad to boast NBA players — including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen — “was like traveling with 12 rock stars,” their coach said of the team, which easily won the gold by beating opponents by an average score of 44 points in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992.

Nadia Comaneci’s Perfect 10

At the 1976 Montreal Games, 14-year-old Romanian Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect 10 at the Olympics — so unusual that the scoreboard was only programmed to go to 9.99, so it flashed a 1.00. (She went home with three gold medals.)

Ryan Lochte’s Lie

After winning gold as part of the 4×200 meter relay in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, champion swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed he and three teammates had been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station — but video showed the intoxicated athletes tussling with security.

“I want to apologize … for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events,” Ryan, who finished fifth in his next race and was later suspended for 10 months, said of his lie.

Greg Louganis’ Comeback

In 1988, diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the springboard — suffering a concussion — during the preliminary rounds in Seoul, South Korea, but rallied to win two gold medals. He’s now known as the greatest diver of all time.

Derek Redmond’s Heartbreak

What a tearjerker! In 1992, British runner Derek Redmond, the favorite, tore his hamstring while running the 400-meter race in Barcelona, Spain. His father ran to the track to help the sobbing athlete cross the finish line as the crowd cheered on his resilience.

McKayla Maroney’s Pout

Though heavily favored for the gold, gymnast McKayla Maroney slipped and fell during the landing of her second vault, thus earning her silver in London in 2012. Her unimpressed expression during the medals ceremony went viral — and she and President Obama later reenacted it at the White House!

Sprinters Take a Stand

The now-iconic shot of sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had won the gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter event, shows how they took a stand against racism with their salute during the “Star-Spangled Banner.” They were quickly expelled from the Mexico City Games in 1968, and both runners, as well as Australian silver medalist Peter Norman, who wore a human rights badge in support of the gesture, were penalized amid heavy criticism. (When Peter died in 2008, Tommie and John were pallbearers at his funeral.)

Florence Griffith-Joyner

The late great Florence Griffith-Joyner set the world and Olympic records for the 200-meter sprint in Seoul in 1988 — and it still hasn’t been broken.