Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around gold in gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics. Muhammad Ali, struggling with Parkinson's, lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Kerri Strug stuck her second vault landing despite an injury to help the U.S. women's gymnastics team win gold in 1996. Michael Phelps won a record eight medals, including six gold, at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

1.
The Most Memorable Olympic Moments...
1 Retton vaults to fame
Sixteen-year-old gymnast Mary Lou Retton entered the 1984 Olympics with no major international
experience. She became the first American, woman or man, to win the all-around after earning perfect
10s for the floor exercise and vault.
2 Ali and the flame
Muhammad Ali, trembling from Parkinson's disease, lit the cauldron to open the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Ali received a gold medal to replace the one he tossed into a river after being refused service at a whites-
only restaurant.
3 Gritty Strug takes one for team
In the 1996 women's gymnastics team competition, little-known Kerri Strug injured her left ankle on her
first vault but gamely attempted a second and stuck the landing to ensure the U.S. women got their first
team gold.
4 Icebreaker for Jansen
Speedskater Dan Jansen won the 1,000-meter race in 1994, ending a 10-year Olympic medal drought
lowlighted by two falls at the 1988 Olympics while mourning the death of his sister. He took a victory lap
holding his infant daughter.
5 Tonya vs. Nancy drama
Nancy Kerrigan rebounded from the knee whacking heard 'round the world to win the 1994 Olympic silver.
Tonya Harding, whose ex-husband masterminded the attack, stopped her long program to cry about a
boot lace.
6 Johnson blazes to 200-400 double
Michael Johnson broke his own world record in the 200 meters by .34 seconds in 1996 en route to
becoming the first man to win the 200 and 400 at the same games. Johnson blazed through the last 100
in 9.20 seconds to finish in 19.32.
7 Lewis runs alongside Owens

2. Carl Lewis ran an 8.94-second anchor leg to lead the U.S. men to victory in the 4x100-meter freestyle
relay in 1984, winning his fourth gold medal of those games to match Jesse Owens' total from 1936.
8 Gardner turns Greco-Roman world upside down
Rulon Gardner, a Wyoming dairy farmer's son competing in only his second major international
tournament, upset three-time Olympic champion Aleksandr Karelin in the 2000 super-heavyweight Greco-
Roman wrestling competition. It was the RussianÕs first defeat in 13 years.
9 Louganis takes a hit, dives back in
On his ninth dive of the 1988 preliminary round for springboard, Greg Louganis hit his head on the board
and fell into the water. He got temporary stitches before completing his 10th dive, which earned the
highest score awarded in the preliminaries. The next day he won gold.
10 Dream Team dominant
The original Dream Team, with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as captains and other NBA superstars such as Michael Jordan and David Robinson
on the 1992 roster, was perhaps the greatest assembly of talent ever. They dominated as expected, beating Croatia 117-85 in the gold-medal
game.
11 Steroids catch up with Johnson
Three days after Canadian Ben Johnson won the 100 meters in 1988 in 9.79 seconds, the International Olympic Committee announced he had
tested positive for steroids. Johnson was the first big-name athlete to be caught. The gold went to Carl Lewis.
12 Torvill and Dean heat up ice
Britain's Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earned 6.0s in 12 of their 18 marks for their free-dance
interpretation of "Bolero" in 1984. They received unanimous perfect scores for artistic impression and
were the first non-Soviet or Russians to win ice dancing gold.
13 Flag day for Freeman
Cathy Freeman, an Australian with Aboriginal heritage who days earlier lit the cauldron to open the 2000
Sydney Olympics, won the 400 meters under a searing spotlight. She took a victory lap carrying the
Australian and Aboriginal flags,
14 Blair skates into history
Speedskater Bonnie Blair defended her Olympic title at 1,000 meters in 1994, winning by the largest margin in event history (1.38 seconds) and
becoming the first U.S. female Olympian, winter or summer, to win five gold medals. She also was the first American to win six Winter Olympic
medals.
15 Hughes in a stunner
In fourth after the short program at the 2002 Olympics, 16-year-old Sarah Hughes upset favorites Michelle
Kwan and Irina Slutskaya with a technically superior long program.
16 Phelps rules pool

3. Michael Phelps out-touched U.S. rival Ian Crocker in the 100-meter butterfly for the closest finish of his six gold-medal races at the 2004
Olympics. The tally was one short of Mark Spitz's seven golds at the '72 Games, but Phelps' eight medals overall were the most by any athlete at
a non-boycotted Games.
17 Bombing rocks Atlanta
In the early-morning hours of July 27, 1996, a pipe bomb exploded in the midst of a public Olympic celebration at Atlanta's Centennial Park, killing
two people and injuring 111. Nine years later, anti- abortion extremist Eric Rudolph was sentenced to four life terms for that and two other
bombings.
18 Maier's crash course
Austrian skier Hermann Maier lost control on the 1998 downhill course and somersaulted through two safety nets and over a small cliff. He
walked away from the crash and, three days later, won gold in the super G. Three days after that, he won another gold medal in the giant slalom.
19 Judges caught in skating scandal
Canadian pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who finished second to Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze in the 2002
final, were awarded a second set of gold medals after allegations of corrupt judging arose. The scandal led to the end of the 6.0 scoring system.
20 Dad there in son's time of need
Britain's Derek Redmond, forced by injury to withdraw from the 1988 Games, tore his right hamstring
while running in the 400-meter semifinal in 1992 and began hobbling on one leg down his lane. His father
ran down from the stands to help his son to the finish line.
21 FloJo fastest in Seoul
Florence Griffith Joyner, a 200-meter specialist, previewed her Olympic surprise at the 1988 Olympic trials, running a world-record 10.49 seconds
in the 100. Weeks later, she won 100 gold at the Seoul Games. She also won gold in the 200 and the 4x100 relay.
22 Decker's dream takes a tumble
The USA's Mary Decker and Britian's Zola Budd collided in the 1984 final of the 3,000 meters, leaving
pre-race favorite Decker with a pulled hip muscle, unable to get up and finish the race. Budd finished
seventh. Debate ensued over whether Budd had cut inside without establishing a clear lead.
23 Johnson king of the downhill
Bill Johnson, with just one World Cup victory on his resume, brashly predicted the 1984 victory that made him the first U.S. man to win an
Olympic downhill medal. He never won another world or Olympic medal. A crash during a 2001 comeback attempt left him with permanent brain
damage.
24 Jones aims for five, gets three
Marion Jones arrived at the 2000 Olympics aiming for five gold medals. Her first came in the 100 meters,
a distance she had ruled for three years. She would get two others, in the 200 and 4x400 relay, in the
midst of news that her husband, shot-putter C.J. Hunter, had tested positive for steroids.

4. 25 Last-place 'Eagle' flies in face of laughs
Michael "Eddie the Eagle" Edwards, the best and only ski jumper Britain had to offer, finished last in both individual events at the 1988 Olympics,
scoring less than half the points of any other competitor on the 70-meter jump. A plasterer by trade, he turned ignominy into fame through self-
deprecation.