(MOMENT: A MINUTE PORTION OR POINT OF TIME. AN INSTANT. A COMPARITIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.)
FOR ME, IT WAS WHEN COE KICKED PAST ABASCAL IN 84, JUST AS CRAM WAS MAKING A DECISIVE MOVE.
(MOMENT: A MINUTE PORTION OR POINT OF TIME. AN INSTANT. A COMPARITIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.)
FOR ME, IT WAS WHEN COE KICKED PAST ABASCAL IN 84, JUST AS CRAM WAS MAKING A DECISIVE MOVE.
Schul's 5000m and Mills 10000m - tie.
Least favorite - Pre v. Rock
Eamonn Coghlan punching the air as he drew level with his Russian opponent on the final bend. Not arrogance but sheer exhuberance that he had finally got it right. It must be awesome the very moment you realise you are going to become champion of the world.
The day Flagpole Willy was outed on this site.
Shorter - '72
Benoit - '84
"finally realizing his olympic dream!"
The last 150 meters of the '72 Olympic 800 when Wottle kicked past the field to grab gold at the line.
Benoit in '84.
Dixon / Smith in Central Park - NYC Marathon
1. Coe wins 1980 Olympic 1500
2. "Look at Mills! Look at Mills!"
3. Gebrselassie kicks past Tergat in Sydney
My favorite is personal.
Years ago, I coached a good hurdler at indoor Nationals. The shoes I had her wear in her heat weren't the best for the track (we switched afterward) and she made it to the final by a *thousandth* of a second. All the qualifiers for the final had extraordinarily similar times in the heats--hundredths of a second covered most of the field.
The next day, as the athletes came to their marks for the final, I was amazed: The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I'd heard of that, but never experienced it in 20+ years as an athlete and coach. The gun went off and that field came down the track as synchronized as a sister act. You could have thrown a blanket over them at the finish. Incredible race. (My kid finished fourth.)
Actually, now I'm not sure that moment was my "favorite"--I have a lot of good memories from 30 years in the sport--but it's got to be one of the most memorable, and the most intense.
Diemer passing Marsh down stretch in 2004 Olympic Steeple
1984 steeple......
1. Seeing Steve Spence come into clearer and clearer focus in the 1991 WV marathon, then the shot of him coming out of the tunnel in 3rd.
2. 19.32
3. Kampanien hurling in the trials marathon.
El Guerrouj... Lagat... final 100m... Athens Olympics. I almost wet myself.
When I finally broke 5:00 in the 1600m my junior year of high school. My dad was standing just beyond the finish line and gave a big fist pump when stopped his watch around 4:58. That was the last race he saw me run, as he died from a heart attack a few weeks later.
800M TO 5000M wrote:
(MOMENT: A MINUTE PORTION OR POINT OF TIME. AN INSTANT. A COMPARITIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.)
FOR ME, IT WAS WHEN COE KICKED PAST ABASCAL IN 84, JUST AS CRAM WAS MAKING A DECISIVE MOVE.
Ed Moses '76
Shorter '72
Viren '72 and '76
19.32
viren fall, mills kick,shorter win, Rogers shoe tie, EL G redemption double.
Damn, sorry to hear that.
At least you have the everlasting memory of him being there sharing your moment of personal achievement.
I turned on the TV and an indoor track meet was on. I thought, "what the hell I'll watch it". Said Aoutia won a 3000m race in a great battle. When the race was over he walked to the infield of the track, took off his shoe, and then my "greatest moment" ... he poured a good amount of blood out from getting spiked. I just thought he was so tough. I decided to go out for track right after that, I was in 7th grade.