Olympic moments frozen in time
There are timeless moments in Olympic history that we can cherish forever.
We remember heavyweight boxer George Foreman in the 1968 summer games in Mexico City, parading around the ring while clutching a miniature American flag after winning a gold medal in his bout against Jonas Cepulis of the Soviet Union.
Foreman’s patriotic moment occurred only days after a controversial medals-podium protest by track stars John Carlos and Tommie Smith who defiantly stood on the medals stand with heads lowered and black-gloved fists raised to protest racial discrimination and social injustice in America.
In an interview marking the 50th anniversary of that event, Foreman said he decided to wave the flag so that other athletes in the Olympic Village knew he was an American and that if he had to do it all over again, he would have had two flags.
Another enduring image is of hockey goalie Jim Craig, who wrapped himself in the American flag after the team’s gold-medal-winning victory over the Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Called the “Miracle on Ice,” this historic USA victory is was one of the greatest surprises in Olympic history. While the Americans were the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history, the Soviets were made up of veteran professionals with long histories of international play.
The dramatic victory on ice came at a pivotal time in the nation’s geopolitical history. Still recovering from the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, the young American hockey players had the country’s weight on their shoulders.
Reflecting on that moment, Craig, an All-American at Boston University, admitted that the feeling of being an Olympic champion - the best in the world - is unbelievable.
He also better understood the significance of representing your country under the flag and what it stands for. Politics, he added, will always be happening around the time of the Olympic Games but what should make the games so special is their ability to put politics aside and bring the country together.
Our third memory of U.S. Olympic glory involves Mary Lou Retton, the spirited athlete with the million-dollar smile who turned millions of little girls into gymnasts with her gold-medal performance in the 1984 Summer Games. The first American woman gymnast to win the all-around gold, Retton turned into America’s Sweetheart, becoming one of the few female athletes who can be identified by her first name alone.
International politics undermined the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. Stung by the U.S. refusal to attend the 1980 games in Moscow because of the Russian intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, the Soviets reciprocated by boycotting the 1984 games in America.
Since the America was the host country in 1984, USA team members were the last delegation to walk in. Retton said that seeing the fans in the Los Angeles Coliseum wearing the red, white and blue and then hearing them rise to their feet to cheer on Team USA was an incredible moment in her life. In receiving her medal on the victory podium, Retton said that seeing the U.S. flag rising and hearing the national anthem being played were also among the proudest moments of her life.
Retton and her fellow gymnasts took great pride in wearing their stylish “USA Forever” outfits, which sported a patch of stars on a blue background on one side and red and white stripes stretching across the body and down the arm. The USA gymnasts turned into fashion icons, not only in the Olympic Village but throughout towns and cities across the nation.
Last week, U.S. wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock captured the world’s attention by becoming the first black woman and the second woman ever to claim a wrestling gold for this nation. Her unabashed comments during the gold medal presentation also made headlines.
When a reporter asked how it felt to represent America, Mensah-Stock, bubbling with enthusiasm and wearing an American flag draped around her shoulders, said it felt amazing.
“I love representing the USA. I love living there. I love it, and I’m so happy I get to represent USA!” the 28-year-old grappler gushed.
When asked what she plans to do with the money that comes with winning a gold medal, Tamyra said she would give her mother $30,000 to buy a food truck and fulfill a dream of having a little cooking business (specializing in barbecue).
Mensah-Stock, who began wrestling in the 10th grade in Katy, Texas, said that when she first started wrestling, she wanted to be a light to younger women and show them that you can be silly, have fun and you can still be strong.
The gold medal she earned now ranks her as an elite world athlete. Couple that with her enthusiasm, joy for life and devotion to family and friends and Tamyra’s story will endure as one of the most inspirational to come out of the Tokyo games.
By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com
The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.