Amazing and memorable sports moments are few and far between. However, when they do occur, they are rarely forgotten. A “moment” doesn’t necessarily need to be a victory either. It can simply be something that contains a lot of meaning in the sports community. Either way, we are going to cover the top 10 most memorable sports moments of all time.
10. Steve Redgrave: Wins Fifth Gold Metal in 2000
After Steven Redgrave picked up his fifth consecutive gold medal in rowing in 2000, he quickly joined the ranks as one of the greats. Many people would joke and say “Shoot” him if they ever caught him near a boat again. Fortunately, he did get into a boat again, at the age of 38, and won another gold medal in Sydney. The dramatic race was won by a mere 0.38 seconds and it ensured his spot as a rowing legend forever.
9. Lance Armstrong: Wins Tour De France in 1999
Despite being outnumbered by all of the odds, Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France in 1999. The cycling great had been suffering testicular cancer that had eventually spread to his lungs and brain. However, this didn’t stop him from returning to the 1999 Tour De France and taking home the gold. He even managed to beat his toughest rivals by more than seven minutes. Let’s not forget that Mr. Armstrong went on to win the event another six times before he retired in 2005. Even though he has been accused lately of doping, his accomplishments can not be ignored.
8. Jesse Owners: Wins Four Gold Medals in 1936
Winning one gold medal is hard, imagine trying to win four of them. Well, this is exactly what Jesse Owns did in the 1936 Olympic Games. He won the long jump, 4 x 100m relay, and then both the 100m and 200m relay. It was rumored that the majority of his motivation came from Adolf Hitler, who was enraged to see Owns succeeding as much as he was.
7. Muhammad Ali vs. Foreman: 1974
Muhammad Ali is easily considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. At the age of 32, he was ready to claim that heavyweight title from a man named George Foreman. Now, for those who don’t know, Foreman was unbeaten in 40 fights and only 3 of those fights had “gone the distance”. Needless to say, the odds didn’t really stack up in Ali’s favor. However, Ali came into the fight and knocked out Foreman in the 8th round. Few expected this outcome, which is why it became a legendary moment in the history of sports.
6. The “Miracle on Ice”: 1980
During the 80’s, the Soviet Union hockey team was virtually unstoppable. They were undefeated in several years of play and no team had ever even come close to beating them. However, it wasn’t until the 1980 Olympic Games that Team USA battled (and won) against them. The “Miracle” was the fact that the USA team comprised of very young and relatively inexperienced players (at least compared to the Soviets). With seconds on the clock, one of the announcers stated, “Do you believe in miracles?” as the US team held their lead and won the game.
5. Mark Spitz: Wins Seven Gold Medals in 1972
The year was 1972 and the Olympic Games were underway in Munich. Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in the water, a record beaten in 2008 by Michael Phelps. Despite being completely exhausted, after participating in over 13 races, he kept on winning and winning. He claimed medals in several different events as well as became a world record holder in those events. To this day, he remains a legend in both the swimming and Olympic community.
4. Liverpool: Wins Fifth European Cup in 2005
Many would agree that no European final will ever come even close to matching the 2005 championships. Down 3-0 at the half, Liverpool decided that the game was far from over. The captain of the team, Steven Garrard, decided to make other plans and quickly amped up his team for the second half. Once back on the field, Liverpool scored a miraculous three goals in only six minutes of play. Eventually, they won the game by shoot-out. This is considered one of the greatest comebacks and greatest sports moments of all time.
3. Roger Bannister: Breaks Four-Minute Mile in 1954
Few can argue that one of the greatest running milestones that has ever been broken was when Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954. For a long time, beating a four-minute mile was something that coaches, athletes, and even scientists said was impossible. Deciding that he would be the one to break the record, but short on time, Bannister would train for about four hours per day. He broke the record with a time of 3 minutes of 59.4 seconds on May 6th, 1954,
2. John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg: Wimbledon Finals in 1980
There have been few moments in the history of tennis when two rivals match up as well as these two great players had done in 1980. In Wimbledon that year, McEnroe and Borg played a grueling fourth set and were fighting for a tie breaker. While most people believed that McEnroe would win the entire thing, Borg came back to take the match. It was one of the greatest upsets in tennis history as well as one of the greatest moments.
1. Derek Redmond: Finishes Race in 1992
Derek Redmond was from Britain and had a very promising sprinting career ahead of him. As a matter of fact, he was projected to win the quarter-finals of the 400m race of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. And despite his best efforts, Redmond snapped his hamstring about halfway through the race and was forced to the ground. However, this didn’t stop him from wanting to finish. In a lot of pain, he hopped towards the finish line. His father, who was in the crowd when it happened, came down to finish the race with his son. Derek’s father slowly helped his son off of the track, who was crying as 65,000 people watched. While it may have not been a victory, it was definitely one of the greatest sports moments of all time.
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