10 great Olympic moments

Our Andy Schooler picks out 10 of the greatest Olympic moments in post-war history.

STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS Whether the famous 1968 'Black Power' salute is a great Olympic moment depends on your point of view, but it remains one of the images of the Games. 200m winner Tommie Smith, along with bronze medallist John Carlos, raised their black-gloved fists during the medal ceremony to promote black civil rights. Praised by many, they were also ostracised, being kicked out of the athletes' village and banned by the US team. BEAMON LEAPS INTO HISTORY American Bob Beamon was hardly a household name before the 1968 Games in Mexico City - and his star would fade soon after. But on October 18, 1968, Beamon produced something remarkable, soaring out to 8.90m, bettering the previous world record by a massive 55cm in the process. Beamon's face during the jump suggested he'd done something special, the picture becoming one of sport's iconic photos. SPITZ IN SEVENTH HEAVEN You may not be able to differentiate between each time a gold medal went around Mark Spitz's neck in 1972, but that was the enduring image from the pool in Munich. The world watched in awe as the moustachioed Spitz dominated his events, winning an amazing seven gold medals that week. There may not be one outstanding moment in those seven, but the enormity of the achievement makes a moment in itself. COLD WAR HITS THE COURT A truly great moment came on the basketball court in 1972 when the Soviet Union became the first team ever to beat the USA in an Olympic match. The US led with four seconds remaining and when the hooter sounded they celebrated victory. But it was premature. A timing error meant the four seconds went back on the clock and the Soviets scored to make history. In protest, the Americans refused to accept their silver medals. LITTLE NADIA JUST PERFECT Nadia Comaneci wowed the world in Montreal in 1976 with her history-making performance. The diminutive 14-year-old, standing less than 5ft tall, recorded the first 'perfect 10' mark in Olympic history on the asymetric bars. In the days that followed, she would win the same mark from the judges on another six occasions across the various apparatus. LEWIS IS CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' Carl Lewis was America's hero at the 1984 Games, held on his home soil of Los Angeles, California. And he didn't disappoint, winning four golds. But his great moment came in the 100m where he destroyed the field to win by 0.2 seconds (a huge margin in sprinting) before raising his finger in salute to the crowd. RIVALS GO WHISTLE AS THOMPSON STARS Legendary decathlete Daley Thompson managed to produce two of the Olympics' great moments in 1984, although not everyone will agree. First there was his celebration after a clearance in the pole vault - Thompson back-flipping with delight on the crash mat. And then, to delight and disgust in some quarters, he whistled the national anthem as he stood on the podium to collect his second Olympic gold. JOHNSON AN ALL-AMERICAN HERO Michael Johnson was already a household name by the time he arrived in Atlanta in 1996, but what he did then ensured he will be regarded as one of sport's all-time greats. Three days after winning 400m gold in an Olympic-record time, Johnson, in his trademark golden shoes, shattered the world record for 200m - running 19.32 seconds. Second-placed Frankie Fredericks equalled the previous best time (19.68) but still lost by a what seemed to be a street. REDGRAVE SIMPLY OAR-SOME September 23, 2000 will go down as the greatest day in British Olympic history - the day Steven Redgrave won his fifth gold medal. Millions of TV viewers stayed up beyond midnight in the UK to see Redgrave and co edge home by the narrowest of margins in Sydney. Matthew Pinsent, himself winning his third gold, then clambered down the boat to embrace Redgrave in truly memorable scenes. KELLY'S EYES HAVE IT For so long the nearly girl of athletics, Kelly Holmes finally struck gold - twice - at the age of 34 at the 2004 Games. The abiding memory of her success in Athens though was her expression of disbelief as she crossed the line to win the first of those medals in the 800m. Holmes' eyes were almost bursting out of her head. She simply could not believe that after all her years in athletics, which had brought silver and bronze medals not to mention injuries aplenty, had finally paid off. It was as if she had expected another cruel twist to deny her, even after the race had finished, but the fact was that Holmes was the best middle-distance runner of 2004. She added the 1,500m title a few days later but in 20, 30 years' time her successes will be simply be remembered by those bulging eyes.