MEMORABLE OLYMPIC MOMENTS
Aside from being the sole credit card provider to actually work in Sochi’s Olympic Park, Visa does a great job dominating the Olympics: the company's ads play on nostalgic (or throwback, if you will) elements that have the power to resonate… as long as they pick up on the memorable moments.
Unfortunately for the athletes, not every Olympic moment or medal is memorable for the general population. Of the 98 events held this Olympics, chances are the masses will recall only a few of them. Grace, power and beauty; strength, speed and skill; sacrifice, devotion and execution; triumph in the face of adversity—together these make up the essentials for creating a memorable Olympic moment. This Throwback Thursday, we’re featuring some of the most memorable Winter Olympic moments.
“Do you believe in Miracles?”
The 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics set the stage for a David vs. Goliath battle: the United State’s amateur players vs. the decorated Soviet Union national team. The game wasn’t even the final (the US went on to play Finland for the Gold), but it’s one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history because (plain and simple) the US was not supposed to win; but, with sheer heart and hard work, they did.
“Jamaica, We Got a Bobsled Team”
Unlike the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game, the Jamaican bobsled team didn’t medal its way into Olympic memory. The world thought the bobsled team was a bit a of joke with the team coming from the Island country of Jamaica to compete in Calgary in 1988, but the Jamaicans proved themselves to be worthy competitors. The Jamaican bobsled team's medal hopes came to a halt, however, when the crew lost control of the sled. But, when the team crashed, it didn’t burn. All four team members got up and walked to the finish line—a journey that has solidified itself into Olympic history.
Women’s Inaugural Bobsledding
The Salt Lake Olympics are memorable in and of itself. That was made clear during the opening ceremonies, less than a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when our burned and tattered Star Spangled Banner from ground zero was brought in front of the world’s stage to show them “Our flag was still there.” Hosting the games right after the attacks was a win for America, but the 2002 Olympics were memorable for the games as well. After 46 years away from the podium in bobsledding, America made it back during the inaugural women’s bobsled event. Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers took the podium. Not only did they end the US’s bobsled drought, but Flowers became the first African-American ever to win Winter Olympic gold.
Young and Graceful, Tara Lipinski
At 15, Tara Lipinski became the youngest woman to win the gold medal in the ladies’ singles figure skating. In the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Lipinski out performed her competitors, including the favored Michelle Kwan, with a spectacular program that included a historic triple loop/triple loop combination.
What do you think will be the most memorable moment from the Sochi Winter Olympics? Share them with us in the comments!
Cover Photo Source: jps / Shutterstock.com
