Paris Olympics 2024: Most iconic Olympic moments and the stories behind them

The Olympics, the world's biggest sporting event, is all set to get underway in Paris on Friday. For the next two weeks, the eyes of the world will be fixed on Paris to see new records being set and athletes turning into legends. The Olympics, throughout the years, have also given us moments that have forever been etched in our memories.

Here is a look at some of the most iconic Olympic moments:

When Jesse Owens Crushed Hitler

In 1936, the German capital Berlin was hosting the Olympics, and Adolf Hitler, who had assumed power in the country just three years ago, wanted to use it to showcase the racial superiority of the white ¡°Aryan¡± athletes. But to his utter shock, Jesse Owens, a Black American athlete, steamrolled the competition, setting a new Olympic record in the 200-meter and bagging four gold medals.

Team India Shocks Hitler

Owens was not the only humiliation Hitler suffered in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The other came courtesy of the legendary Dhyan Chand and Team India in the hockey finals. With Hitler in attendance, Dhyan Chand scored three goals against Germany to take India to a comfortable 8-1 win. This was India's first hat-trick in the Olympics. It is said that an angry Hitler left the stadium before the medal distribution.

Indian Men's Hockey team reached finals of the Berlin 1936 #OlympicGames unbeaten, losing only a practice game to Germany.#OnThisDay India's Hockey prowess and stick work triumphed, as captain Dhyan Chand won #TeamIndia its third Olympic?medal defeating the German side 8-1! pic.twitter.com/KA0UinnFIM

¡ª Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) August 15, 2019

When Black Athletes Raised Their Fists

If you have to make a statement, the best time to do it is when the world is watching. That is why most high-profile sporting events have banned political statements and protests. But the 1968 Olympics in Mexico saw one of the most impactful protests ever in the history of the games.

During the men¡¯s 200m medal ceremony, two Black American athletes, Tommie Smith, who won the gold, and John Carlos, who won bronze, raised black-gloved fists in solidarity with the Black Power movement.

The silent protest, which sent a loud and clear message, however, came at a personal cost to them as they were condemned and sent home.

Nadia Com?neci

When it comes to female athletes, there are not many who have had an impact on the sport like Nadia Com?neci. The Romanian gymnast is a five-time Olympic gold medalist and single-handedly redefined gymnastics. Com?neci also became the first gymnast in Olympic history to score a perfect 10 in an event ¡ª and she did it seven times at the 1976 Olympics.

Olympics

Kerri Strug's Gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics

American gymnast Kerri Strug injured her ankle on her second-to-last vault during the team competition. Strug under-rotated her first attempt, causing her to fall and injure her ankle. Yet she had to go once more and land on her feet, which she did, ensuring a gold for Team USA. At the medal ceremony, Strug was unable to walk and team coach B¨¦la K¨¢rolyi carried her to the podium.

Olympics

When North and South Korea United

The opening of the 2000 Sydney Olympics saw one of the most beautiful and positive messages being sent out when North and South Korea marched together under the unified Korean flag. North Korean judo coach Park Chong Chul and South Korean basketball player Chung Un Soon jointly held the blue-and-white unification flag, and 180 Korean athletes from the two countries marched together.

Reuters

Usain Bolt Looking at the Competition

The 2016 Rio Olympics was all about Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt. The Olympics was at the peak of Bolt's career and he had made it a habit to leave the competition behind by a few meters by the time he crossed the finish line. During the 100-meter semifinal, Bolt was photographed looking back at his competitors.

APF

Bolt won the final a short time later, becoming the first man in history to win the 100 meters at three straight Olympic Games.

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