The Olympics are a magical event that gives us tear-inducing moments either for being so touchy, or simply for being bizarre and hilarious. This list will try to touch upon all of these:

Mexico City, 1968: Todt vs. Ranchero
On a bright and sunny day, West German pentathlete Hans-Jurgen Todt was not having the best ride of his life. During the equestrian portion his horse Ranchero, guided by Todt, was reorganizing much of the course in exchange for some penalty points. This would all have been forgotten were it not for an enraged Todt going after poor Ranchero following the 'joy-ride'. Hans-Jurgen had to be held back by several of his team-mates just to stop him from engaging in a fist fight with the horse.

London, 1908: Did I win or did I not?
Dorando Pietri would have become a lucky marathon winner, as he lagged in second place for much of the race, yet inherited the lead when his adversary accepted a celebratory champagne that made him sick prior to reaching the finish. Pietri, however, managed to collapse several times due to dehydration only to continue on. During these collapses he managed to take the wrong path and had to be helped back in the right direction. He still managed to finish first, yet could not celebrate for long as he was disqualified for accepting outside help.

'The Eel almost drowned a few times on his way to the slowest-timed finish ever in the event'


Barcelona, 1992: Hamstrung Redmond finishes the race
This is just about as emotional as it gets in the Games. British athlete Derek Redmond was a medal favorite in the 400m dash. In his semi-final, he pulled a hamstring halfway into the race. Redmond fell to his knees and then decided he would not give up. He got up and practically hopped the second half of the race on one leg. With only the finish straight to go, his father ran beside him and helped him to the finishing line. True emotional stuff, and the perfect display of the Olympic spirit.

Salt Lake City, 2002: The luck of Steven Bradbury
This one was crazy to watch. If somebody told me Bradbury sold his soul to the devil for an Olympic gold, I would believe him. At the 1,000m short track speed-skating, Bradbury first advanced from his qualifying heat only by virtue of a questionable disqualification ahead of him. He then was dead last in his semi-final only to see three of the four in front of him crash. In the final, he then saw all four of his adversaries crash whilst he was too slow to go along with them. Thus Bradbury won the gold as the last man standing in the newest Olympic survival sport!

Melbourne, 1956: Won a gold, lost a gold
Vyacheslav Ivanov won a rowing gold, yet he only had the medal for a few minutes. He got all excited and started jumping up and down on his boat. Melbourne's Lake Wendouree has been the resting place of that jewelry ever since after Vyacheslav's vain dive into the water failed to recover it.

Seoul, 1988:I give thee my blood for the gold
Diver Greg Louganis was looking like a medal finisher prior to the Games. During the preliminary rounds he managed to smash his skull against the board. A wound and concussion, plus that low-scoring jump, were all he had to conquer to make it to the finals and eventually win the gold.

Sydney, 2000: Sink or swim time for Eric the Eel
Everyone remembers Eric 'The Eel' Moussambani swimming all alone in the Olympic pool. The competitor from Equatorial Guinea came to the Games with just eight months of swimming under his belt. He was to be included in a qualifying heat with two other adversaries, but both false-started so he had to swim the distance all alone. The Eel almost drowned a few times on his way to the slowest-timed finish ever in the event. To make this story even sweeter, rumor has it that since Equatorial Guinea didn't even have an Olympic-size swimming pool, Eric shed a tear as he saw his “proving ground” for the first time.

Montreal, 1976: The real heroes are long forgotten
Despite an injury which should make it impossible to walk, let alone participate in such an event, the gymnast goes on and completes an incredible routine. Kerri Strugg, right? Guess again, folks. Shun Fujimoto broke a kneecap during his floor exercise - and he then finished with a nice score on the pommel horse and managed to get the best total of his life with his rings exercise. On the dismount he tore several ligaments and had to withdraw from the last couple of exercises, but he had done enough to help Japan to the team gold.

Mexico City, 1968: If only you had kept your mouth shut!
We have all seen pictures of the black members of the US relay team standing on the podium making the Black Panther salute to remind everyone watching of racial segregation. What has since been forgotten is IOC president Avery Brundage saying: "They violated one of the basic principles of the Olympic Games: that politics play no part whatsoever in them." A dreadful statement to make at the time, yet the press outrage that followed showed Brundage how many people supported the gesture.

Munich, 1972: The final both teams won, but only one lost truly
Munich will forever be remembered for the biggest tragedy the sports world has ever witnessed. Yet a memorable basketball final saw the first time the US did not take away gold. And, my God, was it a funny/controversial affair! With three seconds left and the US down by one point, Doug Collins sank two free throws. During the second, the arena horn sounded, but the lead referee disregarded it. The Russians failed to score on their ensuing possession, yet the game was not over as one of the officials signalled that Russia had called a timeout prior to the second free throw. They awarded the time out, Russia missed again, and the US started celebrating. Alas it wasn’t to be their day as this time the clock had yet to be set back to the three seconds. They practically dragged the players back from the locker room, and had to set the clock back. Russia attempted a shot for the third time, this time making the shot and winning the gold.