Olympic Moments That Ring True as Among the Most Memorable in History

These Olympic moments deserve their own podium.

Because even if they didn’t all include a medal, they still secured their place in the history books. 

Often, these moments featured celebratory highs. Who could forget when the U.S. men’s ice hockey team beat the favored Soviet Union in what was dubbed a “miracle on ice” at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York? Or, when Michael Phelps won his first-ever Olympic medal (more like medals given his six golds and two bronze) at the 2004 Games in Athens—with the American swimmer later going on to become the most-decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals.

However, some notable moments featured devastating lows. Take, for instance, when British sprinter Derek Redmond tore his hamstring mid-race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics (though, determined to finish, he fought through the pain and tears to complete the course with his father by his side), or when U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked just a month before the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer (where she still took home the silver).