Items17The creator’s order
  1. 1Peter NormanPeter NormanBorn Jun 15, 1942Mexico City 1968, men’s 200 meters, silver Norman came through to finish between Tommie Smith and John Carlos. On the podium he wore an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in solidarity with them. Watch the finish as well as the ceremony. The race explains why he was standing beside the two…0
  2. 2John Stephen AkhwariJohn Stephen AkhwariMexico City 1968, men’s marathon, 57th Akhwari completed the marathon after a fall left him injured. His result belongs beside the footage of his late arrival in the stadium. It gives you a way to look at an Olympic marathon from the back of the field, after the contest for the medals has already…0
  3. 3Gabriela Andersen-SchiessGabriela Andersen-SchiessBorn May 20, 1945Los Angeles 1984, women’s marathon, 37th Andersen-Schiess entered the stadium struggling in the heat and completed the last stretch on the track. The result sheet puts her 37th in the first Olympic women’s marathon. The finish is worth revisiting for what the final lap shows about the conditions…0
  4. 4Eddie the EagleEddie the EagleBorn Dec 5, 1963Calgary 1988, men’s ski jumping Michael Edwards set a British record with a 73.5-meter jump at Calgary and finished last in both individual events. The replay shows the gap between setting a national record and keeping up with the Olympic field.0
  5. 5Debi ThomasDebi ThomasBorn Mar 25, 1967Calgary 1988, women’s figure skating, bronze Thomas came into Calgary as a former world champion and left with Olympic bronze. The result also made her the first Black athlete to win a Winter Olympic medal. The standings tell two stories at once: where she placed in the event and what her place on…0
  6. 6Derek RedmondDerek RedmondBorn Sep 3, 1965Barcelona 1992, men’s 400 meters semifinal, did not finish Redmond pulled up with a hamstring injury and his father helped him down the track. The official result was a DNF. The footage is worth revisiting with that distinction in mind. The moment people remember happened after his attempt to…0
  7. 7Michelle KwanMichelle KwanNagano 1998, women’s figure skating, silver Kwan won Olympic silver in Nagano and returned for bronze at Salt Lake City in 2002. The two podium finishes are a good way into an Olympic career often told through the medal she didn’t win. Compare how her skating reads across two Games, with four…0
  8. 8Eric MoussambaniEric MoussambaniBorn May 31, 1978Sydney 2000, men’s 100-meter freestyle, 1:52.72 in the heats Moussambani swam his heat alone after the other two swimmers were disqualified for false starts. He finished the distance, but his time did not take him into the next round. Keep that difference between winning a heat and qualifying in…0
  9. 9Vanderlei de LimaVanderlei de LimaBorn Jul 4, 1969Athens 2004, men’s marathon, bronze De Lima was leading when a spectator grabbed him. He got back into the race and finished third behind Stefano Baldini and Meb Keflezighi. Watch the stretch after he resumes running. The result can tell you where he finished, but it can’t tell you where he would…0
  10. 10Joannie RochetteJoannie RochetteBorn Jan 13, 1986Vancouver 2010, women’s figure skating, bronze Rochette competed days after her mother died and earned Canada’s first Olympic medal in women’s singles since 1988. Look up her programs alongside the result. Both matter to understanding how she made the podium, even when the circumstances…0