Some of the most memorable Olympic moments have had very little to do with sporting brilliance. One of the enduring things about the Games is that they expose the the full spectrum of the human condition. From the agony of defeat to the joy of competition, the full range of human emotion is on display for the world to see.

These are moments when sport transcends nationalism, when it goes beyond religious, racial or cultural divisions and gives us a true demonstration of its purity and meaning. Here’s my list of the top 10 memorable Olympic moments that still resonate for reasons other than the sporting prowess of the protagonists.

1. Eric Moussambani (Sydney 2000): Eric the Eel really didn’t belong at the Olympic Games. He had never even swum in an Olympic-sized pool before and had only gained entry thanks the IOC’s controversial “wildcard” system. Thank goodness they did, because Eric delivered one of the most heart-warming performances of the Games.

'It was painful to watch - the human being inside was screaming for someone to help her, while the competitor in you knew that to do so would have been to invalidate her pain. Compelling and horrifying'


After the only two other competitors in Eric’s heat were disqualified, he cut a frightened figure standing alone on the blocks. At the gun, he hit the water with a flurry, but his technique failed after about 15m. By the time Eric had swum 90 metres the crowd were on the edge of their seats (and the lifesavers on the edge of the pool) urging him to the finish.

The final two metres proved the toughest of all with his stroke now degenerated to an impersonation of a washing machine agitator. When he finally hit the wall in a shade over 1minute 50 seconds, Eric received a roar of applause equal to any world record-breaker in the days to follow. It was pure Olympic magic.

2. Smith and Carlos (Mexico 1968): Tommy Smith and John Carlos used their medal presentation ceremony to give the Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. They were subsequently expelled from the Olympic village and condemned by the IOC and the US government for politicising the Olympics, but their protest struck a chord. Peter Norman’s quiet support added an air of legitimacy to a potentially explosive situation and earned the undying respect of these two courageous athletes.

3. Ben Johnson (Seoul 1988): The sight of Johnson’s menacing physique had already raised eyebrows and murmurings that something wasn’t right, but his scintillating demolition of the world’s best sprinters and smashing of the world record in the 100m final left everyone speechless. We all know what happened next, but we had been given a glimpse of what the human body was actually capable of. Stunning.

4. Greg Louganis (Seoul 1988): Diving has the potential to go very wrong, very quickly. The rapid rotation and proximity to the diving board make for an uncomfortable relationship, but rarely do the two come into contact. Greg Louganis was one of the unlucky ones. While performing a reverse 2 1/2 pike dive, Louganis gave his bonce a fearful whack before hitting the water hard. Most of us would have walked away (or been carried) but Louganis recovered and continued to capture the gold medal. Incredibly, he repeated the dive in the final with almost perfect scores.

5. Derek Redmond (Barcelona 1992): As a parent, seeing your child in pain is the worst thing you can possibly imagine. To see it happen in a crowded stadium and in front of a massive television audience was more than Jim Redmond could cope with. After watching son Derek destroy his hamstring and initially collapse and then struggle to finish the race, Jim fought his way on to the track.

Killjoy Olympic officials tried to stop him, but Jim was determined and helped his son complete the race to the rapturous approval of everyone who saw it. It was a moment to soften the hardest heart – except bloody-minded athletics officials who insisted on recording a DNF against Derek’s name. The record books can say what they like - those who saw it know the truth.

6. Ali lighting the torch (Atlanta 1996): The name Muhammad Ali is instantly recognised the world over, but the man who lit the flame at the Atlanta Games may not have been. The ravages of Parkinson’s disease had robbed the great man of his body, but the close-ups revealed the fire was still in the eyes and he was still – and always will be – the champ.

7. Mary Decker & Zola Budd (Los Angeles 1984): The highly-anticipated clash between world champion Mary Decker and Zola Budd in the 3000m was to be one of the highlights of the track program. Just over halfway through the race, Budd and Decker started bumping and Decker eventually tumbled onto the infield injuring her hip. A bleeding Budd slipped from the lead and finished to the boos of the crowd. The race was eventually won by Maricica Puica. Budd and Decker are still arguing over whose fault it was.

8. Gail Devers (Barcelona 1992): Devers was on the verge of making history. Having secured the 100m gold medal, she was attempting to become the first person to ever win the 100m and 100m hurdles double. After a flying start, things were looking good and she edged ahead and with only one hurdle to go looked a certainty to go on to win. But the old saying about falling at the last hurdle is hard earned and the sight of a flailing Devers battling to retain her balance added a new chapter to the book of almost – but not quite – miracles.

9. Gabriella Anderson-Schiess (Los Angeles 1984): If you ever needed a reason not to run a marathon, the sight of an exhausted Gabriella staggering towards the finish line in a state of near collapse would probably do the trick. In the painful eternity it took her to complete the race, she embodied everything that the Olympics is about. It was painful to watch - the human being inside was screaming for someone to help her, while the competitor in you knew that to do so would have been to invalidate her pain. Compelling and horrifying.

10. Jane Saville (Sydney 2000): Competitive walking is one of the stupidest sports imaginable. But, although it looks ridiculous, the 20km walk is tortuous to the human body and, as if that’s not enough, it’s also mind-bogglingly technical. It was this that led to the undoing of poor Jane Saville. With a comfortable lead and about to head into the Olympic stadium in front of her home crowd, Jane was disqualified by the chief judge at the entrance of the tunnel.

The look of pain and disbelief was unforgettable, particularly to us Aussies, and the sight of Jane sitting inconsolable in the gutter provided the perfect metaphor for the pain of an Olympic dream when it all falls apart.

The Beijing Games have a lot of baggage to overcome with all that has preceded them, but we will watch in hope that the athletes will redeem that name of sport and reclaim its rightful place at the heart of a global society. Good luck to everyone who has made the sacrifice.