Every Olympics has its share of outstanding moments --
from unexpected victories and crushing defeats to voting scandals and
tragic accidents. On the eve of the 2006 Winter Games Opening
Ceremony, TV Guide magazine reflects back, naming TV's most memorable
of all time:
1. Heiden's Fantastic Five (Lake Placid 1980): In the equivalent of running -- and winning -- a sprint, a mile, a marathon and everything in between, thunder-thighed speed-skating machine Eric Heiden collected a record five individual gold medals in a single Olympics.
2. The Perfect Dance (Sarajevo 1984): In four minutes and 28 seconds, British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean took their sport out of the ice age with an electrifyingly sensuous interpretation of Ravel's "Bolero." They received perfect scores for artistic impression from every judge.
3. The Miracle on Ice (Lake Placid 1980): "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" was Al Michaels' famous call when a youthful U.S. hockey team upset the formidable U.S.S.R. in the semifinals. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland to clinch the gold.
4. Battle of the Brians (Calgary 1988): Two men named Brian waged an epic duel to be king of the ice. Skating first, American Boitano (above right) executed a near-perfect program. Then Canadian Orser two-footed a landing and downgraded a jump, just enough to give Boitano the edge.
5. Dan Jansen Finally Gets His Gold (Lillehammer 1994): An overwhelming favorite in 1988, speed skater Dan Jansen competed -- and fell -- only hours after learning his sister had succumbed to leukemia. He tried and failed again in `92. Two years later, in his final shot, he set a world record in the 1,000 meters, then took his daughter Jane, named for his late sister, on a victory lap.
6. Killy's Triple Crown (Grenoble 1968): The McDreamy of the 1968 Grenoble Games, sexy French skier Jean-Claude Killy swept all three Alpine events contested at the time.
7. Nancy and Tonya (Lillehammer 1994): Seven weeks after Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a man later linked to Tonya Harding, 78.8 million Americans tuned in to watch the skating soap opera continue in the short program. Two days later, Kerrigan won the silver and Harding, who was granted a reskate because of a bad boot lace, placed eighth.
8. America's Golden Girl (Innsbruck 1976): With her perky hairdo and girlish innocence, Dorothy Hamill captivated the American public. Her flawless skating had a similar effect on the nine Olympic judges, who made her their unanimous choice for gold.
9. The Herminator Goes Flying (Nagano 1998): What was more remarkable than the horrifying sight of Hermann Maier soaring through the air and slamming down through two safety fences during the downhill? That the Austrian superstar got up, walked away and, three days later, won gold in the super G. And three days after that, he won the giant slalom gold.
10. Bobsled's Equal Opportunity (Salt Lake City 2002): The inaugural Olympic women's bobsled competition was doubly historic. Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken ended the United States' 46-year medal drought in the sport, and Flowers became the first black athlete to win Winter Olympic gold.
1. Heiden's Fantastic Five (Lake Placid 1980): In the equivalent of running -- and winning -- a sprint, a mile, a marathon and everything in between, thunder-thighed speed-skating machine Eric Heiden collected a record five individual gold medals in a single Olympics.
2. The Perfect Dance (Sarajevo 1984): In four minutes and 28 seconds, British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean took their sport out of the ice age with an electrifyingly sensuous interpretation of Ravel's "Bolero." They received perfect scores for artistic impression from every judge.
3. The Miracle on Ice (Lake Placid 1980): "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" was Al Michaels' famous call when a youthful U.S. hockey team upset the formidable U.S.S.R. in the semifinals. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland to clinch the gold.
4. Battle of the Brians (Calgary 1988): Two men named Brian waged an epic duel to be king of the ice. Skating first, American Boitano (above right) executed a near-perfect program. Then Canadian Orser two-footed a landing and downgraded a jump, just enough to give Boitano the edge.
5. Dan Jansen Finally Gets His Gold (Lillehammer 1994): An overwhelming favorite in 1988, speed skater Dan Jansen competed -- and fell -- only hours after learning his sister had succumbed to leukemia. He tried and failed again in `92. Two years later, in his final shot, he set a world record in the 1,000 meters, then took his daughter Jane, named for his late sister, on a victory lap.
6. Killy's Triple Crown (Grenoble 1968): The McDreamy of the 1968 Grenoble Games, sexy French skier Jean-Claude Killy swept all three Alpine events contested at the time.
7. Nancy and Tonya (Lillehammer 1994): Seven weeks after Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a man later linked to Tonya Harding, 78.8 million Americans tuned in to watch the skating soap opera continue in the short program. Two days later, Kerrigan won the silver and Harding, who was granted a reskate because of a bad boot lace, placed eighth.
8. America's Golden Girl (Innsbruck 1976): With her perky hairdo and girlish innocence, Dorothy Hamill captivated the American public. Her flawless skating had a similar effect on the nine Olympic judges, who made her their unanimous choice for gold.
9. The Herminator Goes Flying (Nagano 1998): What was more remarkable than the horrifying sight of Hermann Maier soaring through the air and slamming down through two safety fences during the downhill? That the Austrian superstar got up, walked away and, three days later, won gold in the super G. And three days after that, he won the giant slalom gold.
10. Bobsled's Equal Opportunity (Salt Lake City 2002): The inaugural Olympic women's bobsled competition was doubly historic. Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken ended the United States' 46-year medal drought in the sport, and Flowers became the first black athlete to win Winter Olympic gold.
© 2006 Business Wire
