1992- Derek Redmond

    Moments to Remember Featuring... Derek & Jim Redmond

    As I have read in many articles, Derek Redmond has earned a memorable place in Olympic history, but I think he should have earned more than that.  His story, his experience in the Olympics, is heart breaking and heart warming at the same time.  For example, in 1988, Derek was forced to withdraw from a 400 meters race, due to an injury.  The people that run the Olympics didn't even give him a heads up, they just told him he couldn't compete ten minutes before the race.  I thought that was ridiculous and unfair because it should be up to the Olympian to determine whether they want to compete or not.  This was the heartbreaking part that I was talking about, but fortunately, things got better.

    The next Olympics that he participated in, which was 1992, he was ready to win a medal.  With his father, Jim, in the stands, they both agreed that no matter what happened during the race,  Derek would finish the race, at any cost.  So, as I was reading this I was like, "this is going really well," but things then things take an unexpected twist.  And I know, I am sorry that I told you all that things were going to get better, the good part is coming soon, I promise.  So, like I was saying, as he was running in the semifinal heat, Derek heard a pop in his right hamstring.  At first, he didn't feel anything, but then after a couple strides, pain attacked him.  He fell to the floor holding the back of his leg.  From the videos I have watched about this event, it looked like he was holding back a lot of emotion. Okay so now... the devastating part is over and this is the part where it gets good.

    After being on the floor for a couple of seconds, Derek got up and started wobbling towards the finish line.  At this point, from my perspective, he looked like he was in excruciating pain.  You could tell that he was struggling to get to the finish line.  As he was trying to accomplish this task, his father comes from the stands, to the track, to help his son.  Jim pushes past security, just to get to his son.  I thought this was really heartwarming because this was a major father and son moment.  And when Derek's father got to him and put his arm around him, Derek no longer kept back his emotion.  This got me all choked up and I started thinking about how my father carried me off the field when I injured my calf.  Anyway, Jim and Derek crossed the finish line together, as the crowd was going wild.

    In the end, people started to realize that Derek was really meant to finish the race.  And as Derek said in his documentary, people will not remember me from finishing a race, but from me not finishing a race.  I believe people will remember him from that heart warming-moment that he has with his dad and determination and commitment into finishing that race.

Links I used to support my claims and statements:
http://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/2008/09/top-15-most-inspirational-olympic-moments.aspx?p=12
https://nationalparentsorganization.org/blog/722-derek-redmond-a-grea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjkBPthoYVg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn5C8Coi5qU

1976- Gymnast Nadia Comaneci

Greatest Gymnast in the World  

     Nadia Comaneci was considered one of the greatest gymnast in the world and one of the youngest ones, as well.  She began training as a gymnast when she was very young and by the time she was fourteen, she was creating history.  At fourteen years old, Nadia scored a perfect 10 on the even bars event and got the score of 1.00.  Winning seven perfect tens, she won a gold medal and put her team in the silver bracket. Plus, she set a record as the youngest-ever Olympic medalist in history. After setting a record, a rule was passed requiring any Olympian to be at least 16 years old.  This means that Nadia's record will never be broken!!! Reading all of these facts and information about Nadia Comaneci, stunned and amazed me because I never thought a thirteen-year-old girl could accomplish all of this.  I also realized that she must have inspired many people and that she will forever be remembered for her incredible talent.

    Later Years

    After Nadia retired from the Olympics, she decided that she still wanted to be involved with gymnasts, so she worked as a coach for the Romanian team.  Personally, I think this is cool that she wants to continue to keep up with gymnastics, even if she is not actually competing.  She then settled down, got married, and had her first child.  A few years later, in 1999, for all of her hard work, Nadia received a World Sports Award of the Century after being elected "Athlete of the Century."  From then on, she will always be remembered for her amazing talent and her many achievements.

Links I used to support my claims and statements:

http://www.biography.com/people/nadia-comaneci-9254240#1980-olympics-and-later-years

http://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/2008/09/top-15-most-inspirational-olympic-moments.aspx?p=7

2008- Michael Phelps

8th Gold Medal Champion: Michael Phelps 

 http://affinitymagazine.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/michael-phelps-3-440.jpg

     Every time the Olympics roll around, Michael Phelps has to be one of my favorites to watch.  In the Olympics, each second that goes by, he gets faster and faster to the point that he out swims everyone and is far in the lead.  Meaning, that he is usually at one end of the pool, where his opponents are all the way on the other end. When this happens, it is very amusing to watch the other swimmers try to catch up to him. From this perspective of him, I like to call him a fish, due to his amazing ability.  

     As you may have read from the title, in 2008, he won his 8th gold medal. The gold medal that he won in Beijing leaves him as a swimming superstar.  At this point, I start to believe that he couldn't get any more famous, but I spoke too soon.  Michael Phelps actually breaks Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in the Olympics.  When I was notified that he had broken Spitz's record I was absolutely stunned and amazed. I could not believe what Phelps had accomplished.   

     From that point on, he was considered one of the best athletes of all time. He was so recognized by so many people around the world, that they started comparing him to Tiger Woods (another legend as well). Both athletes had big dreams and accomplished big things as well. I admire both of them very much and hope that they continue to make history, as well as many other people. 

Links that I used to support my statements and claims:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/China/story?id=5595376

https://www.olympic.org/michael-phelps

1936: Olympic Track Star, Jesse Owens

The Inspiration and Legend....
Jesse Owens

  In 1936, Jesse Owens, an African-American track star, won four gold medals in the 4x100 relay.  At this time, many people thought that the Aryan people were the dominant race, including Hitler, and he proved them wrong.  He became the most successful athlete and was the first American to win as many achievements as he did in the Olympics. For instance, he won four track and field gold medals at a single Olympic, a record that stood for 48 years.  Plus, his relay team set a new world record of 39.8 seconds, which held up for 20 years.  

The Rise to the Top

Jesse Owens wasn't just a superstar in the Olympics, but in high school as well. At East Technical High School, "Owens quickly made a name for himself as a nationally recognized sprinter, setting records in the 100 and 200-yard dashes as well as the long jumps."  Also, in the year of 1935, when he participated in the in Big Ten Championship, he succeeded and dominated the whole thing.   In the end, Jesse Owens completed exactly 42 events that year and didn't lose a single one.  

The End of Jesse Owens

 When Jesse Owens decided to retire and settle down, smoking cigarettes took over his life, and ended it. He died of lung cancer in Tucson, Arizona, on March 31, 1980, and is greatly missed by many people around the world. After all, he is an inspiration and a legend that never will be forgotten.

RIP Jesse Owens

Links that helped me support my claims and statements:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/owens-wins-4th-gold-medal

https://www.olympic.org/videos/jesse-owens-s-inspiring-history

http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-owens-9431142#later-years

                                                                             

1992: The "Dream Team"

1992: "The Dream Team"

    

1992, United States men's Olympic Basketball team or as many people called them, the "Dream Team," was the very first Olympic team to have NBA participates play with them.  Some of the NBA players on the bench were John Stockton, Scotties Pippen, Clyde Drexler, and David Robinson.  On the court, the starting players were the legends.....Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Karl Malone. They were considered the best team in basketball history, and their incredible talent led people to believe that they were, "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet."  Everyone enjoyed watching them play and continued to be amazed about how the team's ongoing progression increased.

  

Preparing for the Olympics

       There is not much knowledge about how the Dream Team prepared for their important events, but as I have dug a little deeper in my research, I have come to know that the team practiced daily. Their schedule was that they trained six times a week for two weeks, including games against other teams. From the videos I have watched, and put in the links below, the team must have done a lot of tactical and skill work in their drills.  I would also venture to guess that in their practice they did physical development,  as well. This includes working on their upper and lower body strength.

Moments of the Olympics

     During the time of the Olympics, " The team crushed the competition as it made its way towards the final, winning all eight games, and ultimately defeated Croatia to bring home the gold metal." Before retrieving their award, the basketball team beat all their other opponents by the average of 44 points. Being 44 points ahead usually, leaves a team in the dust, and makes it very difficult to catch up before the game ends. Even in the moments of trying to catch up, the Dream Team always pushes right past them and ends up victorious, every time. This is why this team is still celebrated today, as the GREATEST team ever assembled. 

Links that helped support my claims and statements:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhnj-kr9_Zs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_FCBeNewcA

http://www.rd.com/culture/13-olympic-moments-that-changed-history/

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/summer-olympics-dream-team.html

http://www.nba.com/history/dreamT_moments.html