The 9 Most Dramatic Moments in Olympic History

This year’s Olympic track races have not disappointed. Last night, the world held its breath as Allyson Felix and Shaunae Miller went head to head for the 400-meter dash gold, Miller literally diving over the finish line to take the final lead. This came just after Mo Farah was accidentally tripped in the 10,000-meter race, falling in the herd of runners before picking himself back up only to, against all odds, win the race. Such nail-biting moments are what Olympic spectator dreams are made of, pushing the competitors to their limits of athletic performance—and of spirit. And what are the Olympic Games if not a showcase for the mental and physical makings of champions? From Kerri Strug clinching the 1996 U.S. gymnastics team gold for the Magnificent Seven by landing a vault on one foot to Michael Phelps sneaking in his seventh top medal with a fingertip lead in the 2008 100-meter butterfly, here, a look back at the most incredible finishes in Olympics history.

Kerri Strug
In the 1996 Atlanta summer games, Kerri Strug shrugged off a debilitating ankle injury for one final performance on behalf of her gymnastics team. “It was pretty dramatic how things came down to that final vault,” Strug said years after taking home the first-ever U.S. women’s gymnastics team Olympic gold.

Mo Farah
Vying for the inside lane, British runner Mo Farah was accidentally tripped by his competitors during this Olympics 10,000-meter race. Within a blink, he was back on his feet and working his way to the front of the pack, only to take home the gold.

Greg Louganis
After a head collision on the diving board, Greg Louganis went on to execute a jaw-dropping series of flawless, splash-less dives to take home the gold in 1988.

Shaunae Miller
With event favorite Allyson Felix in her periphery, Shaunae Miller dove across the finish line rather than give up her lead in Rio’s 400-meter dash.

Dan Jansen
When Dan Jansen stepped onto the ice in 1994 for the 1,000-meter speed skate race, he had a lot on the line. Six years earlier, he had fallen to his knees mid-race after finding out moments before the event that his sister had passed away from leukemia. And, earlier in the 1994 games, he slipped and fell again in the 500-meter dash even though he was a favorite for the gold. But in his final race, he managed to overcome a small stumble and a storied past to set a world record and win gold.

Derek Redmond
It was mid-race when Derek Redmond felt the snap in his leg in the 1992 400-meter dash semifinal. He dropped to his knees, but resolved to complete the race. Watching in anguish, Redmond’s father ran from the stands to assist his son across the finish line for one of the most heartwarming Olympic moments in the history of the Games.

Michael Phelps
For his seventh Olympic gold medal, Michael Phelps took an unlikely lead that would leave spectators and commentators baffled at the 2008 summer games, coming from behind to win the 100-meter butterfly on good stroke timing and a mere fingertip lead.

Gail Devers
Multiple replays were required to determine, in one of the most neck-in-neck 100-meter dashes of all time, that Gail Devers actually won. The 1992 Barcelona race was so close that Merlene Ottey, who finished about one-tenth of a second behind Devers, took fifth place.

Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer
Audiences were on their feet screaming in the stands of the 1984 Olympics as Hogshead and Steinseifer swam in near unison, side by side, toward the finish line for the 100-meter freestyle. They finished with the exact same time of 55.92 seconds, both taking home the gold.

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