The Winter Olympics Giveaway

The Jamaican Bobsled Team

The Calgary Games featured a story that not even Hollywood could write! The Jamaican Bobsled team was made up of sprinters and some military men who had never before competed in a winter sport. They crashed on their final run, but managed to get up and walk to the finish line as the crowd cheered! Their experience was dramatized in the 1993 film “Cool Runnings.” 

 Torvill & Dean's "Bolero" dazzles the World

24 million viewers, on Valentine’s Day in 1984, watched British ice dancers Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean change the rules of their sport forever and mesmerize the world as they skated their way to Gold. Their choreography of Ravel's “Bolero” scored 12 perfect 6.0s and six 5.9s for technical merit – it was called “the perfect dance” and was the most memorable performance of Sarajevo.

Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

“Why, why, why?" It was the cry heard ‘round the world, and which started one of the most bizarre events in sports' history. US figure skater & gold medal favorite Nancy Kerrigan was savagely clubbed in the knee at the National Championships by the ex-husband of her rival Tonya Harding. She recovered in time to skate and an unbelievable 48.5% of American households watched. She finished second to 16 year-old Ukrainian Oksana Baiul. Harding finished eighth.

Crooked Judge creates Scoring Controversy

A scandal hit the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. The Canadian Pairs team was awarded the Silver Medal, when they should have received Gold after flawlessly performing “Love Story” on the ice. But the Russian team won the Gold, despite a noticeable error in their routine. The crowd was upset with the judgment and fishy officiating was suspected. Eventually the French judge broke down and admitted ceding to pressure to throw the competition.

 Michelle Kwan does not Win Gold

The artistry of nine-time US Champion Michelle Kwan could move even the most weathered judges to tears. In 1994 her 'earned spot' on the Olympic team was awarded to the injured Kerrigan. In 1998 at Nagano, the USA had 2 darlings in a showdown, and 17 year-old Kwan’s 7 triple jumps narrowly lost out to the 7 triple jumps of 15 year-old Tara Lipinski as she cried in the arms of her coach. In 2002 Kwan and Sasha Cohen carried America’s hopes, but 16 year-old Sarah Hughes stole the Gold.

Dan Jansen Wins Gold At Last

He was the favorite in Calgary, but his sister's death from leukemia left him shaken, and he fell in his two events (500m & 1000m). Four years later he finished 4th & 26th in Albertville. Lillehammer was his final try. A slip in the 500 left him eighth and just about broke America's heart, but his agonizing ordeal ended in the 1,000. Dan’s victory lap, in which he held a tiny American flag with his daughter Jane (named after his late sister, to whom he dedicated his medal), was one of the most unforgettable moments in Olympic history. 

The 1980 Soviet hockey team entered the Olympics as the most powerful sports dynasty in the world, having won 4 successive gold medals. No one could imagine that a rag-tag bunch of mostly college players had any chance of beating them. But somehow they kept the game tied and then put up a shocking third period goal for the 4-3 win as the world heard announcer Al Michaels exclaim the immortal words “Do you believe in miracles? YES!”

“No other Olympic performance has touched America the way that hockey team did,” writes columnist Kevin Allen. “People wept, strangers hugged each other, and groups around the country broke into stirring renditions of ‘God Bless America’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’” If you’ve never seen it, kick-back and enjoy the video  highlights above.

The "Miracle on Ice" was named by Sports Illustrated as the Top Sports Moment of the 20th Century, and its March 3rd issue ran a cover with just a photograph. It didn’t need any captions or a headline - because everyone in America knew what happened. The "Miracle On Ice" is without doubt the most well-known legend of the Winter Olympics.