1992–A very special year for me. My son (firstborn was born) and I was home on maternity leave so I got to spend some quality time with him and we both watched the Olympics. Although he doesn’t remember…hehe. Alright moving on to highlights for that year!

• Host Country was Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
• Can we say American Dream Team (and we haven’t had one since then)…Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen.
• She’s my girl and I always loved to see her win–Evelyn Ashford. She won her fourth Olympic gold medal in the 4×100 metre relay, making her one of only four female athletes to have achieved this in history. (SOURCE)
• Outside of the events listed above, everything else was pretty hum-drum for the American athletes. But, I did note the following: In women’s artistic gymnastics, Tatiana Gutsu took gold in the All-Around competition edging the United States’ Shannon Miller.
• South Africa was allowed again to participate in the Olympics after a 28 years suspension in the Olympic Games for its apartheid policy. White South African runner Elana Meyer and black Ethiopian runner Derartu Tulu fought out a great battle in the 10,000 m (won by Tulu) and then ran their lap of honour hand in hand. Miracles never cease…
• How could I forget this…I remember crying as I witnessed this unfold on television–Derek Redmond of Britain tore a hamstring during a 400m semi-final heat. As he struggled to finish the race, his father entered the track without credentials and helped Derek complete the race to a standing ovation from the crowd. (SOURCE)
• Okay yawn…badminton was added as a sport…yep.

1996 Olympics

• It was the 100th anniversary of the modern day Olympics and some felt that the event should have been held in Athens, Greece…but there infrastructure sucked so they had to wait until 2004 before the Olympics would grace their homeland.
• This event was marred by allegations of bribes (although Atlanta turned a profit) and the bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park on July 27, 1996 which killed one spectator, injuried 111 others and caused the death of Melih Uzunyol by heart attack.
• On the flip side, and in some regards a very sad note, Muhammad Ali, suffering noticably from Parkinson’s Disease, lit the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony. It was a poignant and heartbreaking gesture…one that I will never forget.
• Michael Johnson wins gold in both the 200 m and 400 m, setting a new world record of 19.32 seconds in the 200 m, the following year he would be called the ‘fastest man in the world.’ (SOURCE)
• At the age of 35, Carl Lewis takes his 4th long jump gold medal. Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Mark Spitz now share the record for most Olympic gold medals (9). (SOURCE)
• Dominique Dawes was a member of the gold-medal winning “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• Inspirational Moment–Kerri Shrugs twisted her ankle on the vault. Even tho’ she was in pain she didn’t want to let her team down…so she attempted a second time…stuck it and earned a gold medal for the team. Go Kerri!
• Cycling became an Olympic sports.

2000–Held in Sydney, Australia and officially known as the Millennium Olympics.

• Hmmm does anyone know why these games were held in September rather than August? I can’t remember.
• Cathy Freeman–ironic last name for an Australian Aboriginal. She first came on the scene in Atlanta where she won the silver for the 400m. At the Sydney Olympics, she lit the Olympic torch and went on to win the gold for the 400m. She treated her homeland much better than they have treated the Aborigines…as she draped the Aboriginal and Australian flags around her when she took her victory lap.
• Wonders never cease–North and South Korea actually put politics and hatred aside to come together as one country–under one flag! After the Olympics it was back to business as usual–two separate (and unequal) countries.

• The swimming 4 x 100-metre medley relay of B.J. Bedford, Megan Quann (Jendrick), Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres became the first women’s relay under 4-minutes, swimming 3:58 and setting a world record, claiming the gold medal for the United States. (SOURCE)

• Althought the US won more medals than any other country for the 2000 Olympics, for the life of me, nothing stands out except for the following: Marion Jones won five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia but has since been stripped of every Olympic medal dating back to September 2000 after admitting that she took performance-enhancing drugs.^{[1][2] (SOURCE)}

• Dang–this just in–doping seems to be out-of-control these days. ” On August 2, 2008, the International Olympic Committee stripped the gold medal from the U.S. men’s 4×400-meter relay team, after Antonio Pettigrew admitted using a banned substance.^[8]Three of the four runners in the event final, including Pettigrew and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison, and preliminary round runner Jerome Young, all have admitted or tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.^[8] Only Angelo Taylor, who also ran in preliminary rounds, and world record holder Michael Johnson were not implicated.^[8]The medal was the fifth gold medal for world record holder Johnson, who stated he had already planned to return the medal because he felt “cheated, betrayed and let down” by Pettigrew’s testimony.^[8]“

• 2004 Olympics–Hosted in Athens, Greece.

• When I think of this event the first name that comes to mind is MIchael Phelps. Remember him, the young, teenager destined for greatest as a swimmer–and you definitely can’t miss him at the 2008 Olympics; he is destined for more greatness. He was hyped to win eight gold medals; he only won six (gold) medals. I say only but that’s an accomplishment in and of itself and nothing to sneeze at or be embarrassed by.
• Gymnast Paul Hamm wins the all-around competition, a first for an American man. After a terrible fall in his vault landing, Hamm came back to score 9.837 on the high bars. His win by just .012 points over Kim Dae-Eun of South Korea is the closest win in Olympic history. Paul Hamm’s twin brother Morgan is also a member of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. NEWSFLASH–Neither twin/brother will compete in the 2008 Olympics.
• Carly Patterson was the 2004 Olympic All-Around Gymnastic’s Champion.
• Justin Gatlin won the gold medal in the 100 m (9.85 s) at the 2004 Summer Olympics, narrowly beating Francis Obikwelu of Portugal and the defending champion Maurice Greene
• The American beach volleyball teams earn gold and bronze. The winners, Misty May and Kerri Walsh, did not lose a set in the entire tournament…and they’re back for the 2008 Olympics.
• The United States basketball team loses its semifinal game against Argentina, 89-91. This will be the first time the U.S. team will not win the gold medal since it began using professional players in 1992.
• In spite of last-minute construction, scoring controversies, and dozens of disqualifications for doping, the Athens Games are widely viewed as a triumph for the city, and for the Games.

DISCUSSION QUESTION

APOOO wants to know what are your favorite Olympic highlights from the 1992-2004 timeframe?

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