Compelling story of triumph and tragedy in 31 chapters

Published date23 July 2021
Publication titleSports Tab
The Perfect 10 (1976)

Before there was Simone Biles there was Nadia Comaneci ...

It is difficult to look back at the smile and remarkable gymnastics of tiny teenaged Romanian Comaneci in the same light that she created around the world in 1976.

The widespread abuse of kids in gymnastics programmes is a dark business and the instigators include a Romanian couple — Bela and Marta Karolyi — who later transported their foul deeds to America. Comaneci is said to be among their first victims.

But Comaneci mania flooded a naive world, after the 14-year-old won three golds in Montreal and landed perfect 10s in seven routines.

Her first 10 was also an Olympic first and so unexpected that the electronic scoreboards were not able to show 10, so flashed up one instead.

“I’m not sure what was the definition of perfection and whatever that meant ... my goal was to not make a major mistake and hit the ground,” Comaneci said.

Derek Redmond tears up (1992)

Triumph and disaster meet at such regular intervals at the Olympics both those imposters need some special sauce to stand out.

Derek Redmond was a live medal chance in the 400m, having won his quarterfinal and was well placed in the semifinal before tearing his hamstring in the back straight. That in itself wasn’t a surprise: Redmond had to pull out of his heat 90 seconds before it started due to an Achilles tendon injury and all told had endured eight surgeries over his career.

Perhaps sensing that he would never get another Olympic opportunity, Redmond decided to make this one last. Rising from his haunches he proceeded to hobble the rest of the distance in front of an increasingly appreciative crowd.

Suddenly a large man appeared from the crowd and brushed aside an official who attempted to halt his progress. Jim Redmond reached his son and reportedly said to him: “Son, you don’t have to do this.” To which Derek replied through uncontrollable sobbing: “Yes I do.”

Father and son reached the finish line in front of a now adoring crowd and despite the unwanted attentions of Olympic officials, who clearly didn’t understand the “it’s-bigger-than-sport” story even as it unfolded in real-time in front of their eyes.

Close to 30 years on, the footage still has the capacity to move you.

Pietri, the dish (1908)

If sports photography has a flashpoint — pardon the pun — moment when it becomes an integral part of the sporting canon (yes, another pun), it would be the image of Dorando Pietri inexplicably being ushered across the finish line in the 1908 marathon.

The diminutive Italian pastry chef was the first to enter London’s White City Stadium in the first Olympic marathon to be run under the 42.195km distance, due to starting from a specially selected lawn within Windsor Castle.

Some 75 athletes entered but only 27 finished and it looked like South African Charles Hefferon would take it out until the race leader accepted a drink, some reports say a bottle of Champagne, that he said gave him a cramp.

That saw Pietri overtake him before suffering from dehydration once he entered the stadium, falling down four times during the final lap before the finish line. Each time he fell, Pietri was helped up by officials, taking 10 minutes to...

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