6) Ballet on Ice- Torvill and Dean
Widely regarded as the most moving and sensual performance ever staged on a sports arena, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Great Britain mesmerized the television and stage audience to an experience of a lifetime. At the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, Torvill and Dean figure skated (ice dancing) to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero and in the process, the pair became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time receiving twelve perfect 6.0s and six 5.9s which included artistic impression scores of 6.0 from every judge. The performance was so well received that Torvill and Dean became instant celebrities and household names in Britain.
Pic: Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean during their infamous Bolero performance.
5) An emotional outcry- Derek Redmond.
During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Derek Redmond of Britain left the spectators in shock when half-way the semi-finals of 400m sprint, Redmond tore his hamstring. He burst into tears after discovering his unfortunate state but continued the race, refusing to be taken out on a stretcher. His father, watching from stands rushed to the pitch and joined his son as he helped Derek cross the finishing line. The spectators in the Arena stood on their feet and gave the Father-son duo an emotional ovation. The incident has touched the emotional aspect of Olympics like no other and has been the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Celebrate Humanity’ videos.
Pic: Derek Redmond (left) and his father completing the race together.
