Seven Memorable Olympic Moments

Derek Redmond -- 1992

British sprinter Derek Redmond returned to the Barcelona Games in 1992 after having to withdraw in 1988 due to injury. He entered as one of Britain's favorites to win a medal, and easily won the first round and quarter-finals. But in the semifinals, his hamstring snapped and Redmond went sprawling to the track. It was what he did afterward, though, that cemented him in Olympics lore.

	Derek Redmond and Dad

Redmond got up and began hobbling toward the finish line. Unable to continue very far, he again fell. A moment later, his dad appeared at his side, at first to talk him out of trying to continue. But when Redmond still tried to get up and keep running, his dad put his arm around him and helped his son around the track. The race was long over, and officially he got a disqualification, but the crowd gave Redmond and his father a standing ovation as he completed the remaining distance of the race.

Muhammad Ali -- 1996

The 1996 Games in Atlanta produced many memorable moments, from the feel-good story of Kerri Strug winning the gold medal on the vault on an injured ankle to the horrific late-night bombing in the Centennial Park. But one of the more emotional, and oftentimes overlooked, moments of those Games came at the very beginning, when the Greatest of All Time surprised the world and lit the torch.

Leading up to the opening ceremonies, there was speculation and rumor as to who the final torch-bearer would be to light the cauldron. Many thought it might be boxer Evander Holyfield, who carried the torch as he entered the arena. Then, he passed it to former gold-medalist swimmer Janet Evans, who began running up the ramp. Finally, with an estimated 3.5 billion people watching, Evans gave the torch to the surprise guest of the Games, Muhammad Ali. Visibly shaking from Parkinson's disease, Ali lit the cauldron as the arena chanted his name over and over, and the first Olympics in the U.S. in over a decade was under way.