From team spirit to individual glory, the Olympics has provided a platform for some incredible stories over the years. There have been plucky losers and record breakers – all aiming to be ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ as the Olympic motto famously states.
We are asking you to VOTE for your favourite moment of all time from our long list, which will be whittled down to a shortlist after a few days of voting.
Here, we look at two of the earliest memorable moments from the games which feature at the top of our list.
JIM THORPE – 1912
Never has there been an athlete quite as versatile as Jim Thorpe. Many consider him to be the best all-around athlete all-time.
The Native American won gold medals in the pentathlon as well as the decathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics.
In January 1913, he was stripped of his titles by the Amateur Athletic Union having played professional baseball prior to the Games, thereby violating the strict amateurism rules at the time.
Thorpe soon signed for the New York Giants and went on to play years of professional baseball, football, and basketball!
PAAVO NURMI – 1924
Some regard Paavo Nurmi as the greatest Olympian of all-time.
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris he incredibly ran seven times in six days and ended up with five gold medals.
The most trying part of that feat was when he ran the 1500 and 5000 metres finals within the span of a couple of hours and secured gold in both events.
