Greatest remark in olympic comentary history

All these are pretty famous 'colemanballs' Just about of them (perhaps the bottom one not, but that was actually about Arnold Palmer) were from British TV or Radio.

3. was Greg Norman. 4. was actually said by Alan Minter and 6. is a Big Ron quote from an English football game.

Oh and 5. was Terry Venables another football game.

true.

quote 2 is originally by Ted Walsh, and I'm pretty sure he said 'rode' not 'mounted'.

And Julian Dicks has most certainly never played in the Olympics! I've got that quote from a very old Colmanballs book, maybe edition 4 or 5

"63 seconds is not gonna break El Guerrouj.He could eat a candy bar and run 63 seconds"- Commentator at 2004 Olympic Games

I would not swear to its authenticity,but didn't Ron Hill of GB,at completion of Mexico Olympic 10K race, memorably answer a BBC commentator enquiry as to how he was with the succint answer "I'm f***ed"

Memorable if not the greatest.

slightly OT, but who was the sprinter who tried announcing in the early 90s/late 80s and had a total "boom goes to dynamite" meltdown moment on live TV?

someone posted that video on here a while ago it was classic. The guy messed up so bad the co-announcer tried putting his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

I love how during the Athens 1500, almost everything Liquori said, while not completely unfounded, sounded ridiculous after the fact. "What is El Guerrouj thinking?" "And we could have an amazing upset as Heshko is in third place!" mere seconds before Heshko gets left in the dust by Lagat and El G...

"Ummm...ever heard of Evan Jager?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3scGais-4&feature=related

Check this out for some amazing French commentary and to see El G speaking some kickass French.

And I meant to say about the NBC 5000 commentary, even though the play-by-play dude clearly knew nothing about track, he gave a pretty nice call in the last 100... My best shot from memory: "El Guerrouj! Pulling up alongside his younger rival! El Guerrouj, Bekele! Sprinting at the end of 5000! And El Guerrouj PULLS AWAY... TO WIN!"

skwilli wrote:

"The winner of this race will be wearing socks." "Expert" commentary from the author of Love Story at the 1976 Marathon, because it was raining. Erich Segal ran a 4 hour marathon or so back in the sixties, so he was an expert commentator for the race! Struck me as quite ludicrous at the time, and it still does. Does anyone remember if Waldemar Cierpinski was wearing socks?

Cierpinski did, in fact, wear socks -- white ones. So Segal was right. He was, however, unqualified to provide television commentary for the distance races at those Olympics. The one comment that I remember from Segal was his irresponsible accusation that Viren was engaged in blood doping.

bloob wrote:

"63 seconds is not gonna break El Guerrouj.He could eat a candy bar and run 63 seconds"- Commentator at 2004 Olympic Games

What the hell do you think started this thread?? Listen to the original post/link.

Steve Ovett, those blue eyes like chips of ice.

"Look at Mills!.....Look at Mills!"

10000 final 1964 Olympics

Could you tell me what he says, or what bit you're referring to?

At 5:19/5:20 two people start talking, so I can't make it out. Then sometimes about x can't break El G in 63 seconds, candybar etc. wtf

Thanks

Also who is the commentator (he said he ran against Yifter)

I know the request was for "commentary," but this one from an athlete is my favorite--and it was the opposite of a screw-up:

Reporters crowded around Daley Thompson just after he'd finished the 400m to end the first day of the L.A. 1984 decathlon in third place behind Jürgen Hingsen (they were co-favored).

REPORTER: "Daley, what chance does Jürgen Hingsen have of winning a gold medal?"

THOMPSON (out of breath): Jürgen Hingsen...has two chances...of winning a gold medal. He can steal mine...or he can change his event."

Next day: Thompson gold, Hingsen silver.

sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world -" thanks King"- JIM THORPE 1912

"Perhaps you'll believe me now!"

Seb Coe shouting to the British Press just moments after defending his 1500m title in 1984.

"Stand by for the kick of Dave Wottle, if he's got it, he could make it!"

"And look at Sebastian Coe there, checking where Ovett is, and Ovetts watching him all the way. But this is the strike we want to see, can they outsprint each other, which one is the faster?...And there goes Coe, he's looking for Ovett and wondering where he is he's right there behind him...And Ovett gathers himself on the near side- Straub on the far side! And could this have been Ovett's first defeat?! Ovett is in trouble! And COE gets the revenge he wants!...COE WINS!"

"And what a comeback for Coe. Hardly anyone would tip him for this race, but you don't become a bad athlete in a week."

The 1980 1500m final is arguably the most epically called race in history with the British guy, can't think of his name but he's the best.

bah raining in my heart wrote:

Ron Pickering's remark in 1976 that 'Juantorena opened his legs and showed his class' takes some beating.

As I recall that was Coleman.