Tonya Harding landing the triple axel is a moment in US sports history that no one is likely to forget. The world of sports is always filled with insane moments, and when records are broken it gets even more exciting. Spectators love watching and commentating on sports, and athletes give them no shortage of things to talk about from missing easy goals to scandals and of course breaking records.
There have been numerous moments through time that made it to our history books, and we shall be talking about them in this review. Tonya Harding making history as the first American to land the triple axel in a competition is one of those moments the American public is unlikely to forget anytime soon. The reason why this was a historical moment is that the triple axel is considered an extremely difficult jump that is easy to miss.
It requires at least 3.5 rotations while the athlete is in the air, and they should try and jump as quickly as possible, so they can complete all of the rotations just before landing on the ground. You must have an incredible amount of speed, control, and strength to succeed in it and many skaters don’t even dare attempt it at the Olympics. Now let’s get into some more athletes that made some memorable moments.
For you to succeed in this jump, you should have the right amount of height, and you should also be well experienced, so you do not end up falling and hurting yourself. It can be used for both the free skate and short program as well.
Which Other Athletes Have Made History?
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens made history many times over during the 1936 Summer Olympic Games held in Berlin. He won gold medals for the hundred-meter dash, the long jump, the 4×100 relay race, and the two hundred meter sprints. His many golds made history in those games and this performance wasn’t duplicated by another athlete until Carl Lewis. Lewis repeated Owen’s historic feat during the Olympic Games that were held in Los Angeles, almost 50 years after Jesse Owen’s historical wins.
Debi Thomas
In the world of figure skating, some countries were automatically considered leaders of the game. That is until 1986 when Debi Thomas became the first American to win the gold and brought down Germany’s Katarina Witt who was the queen of figure skating at the time. She made history in this sport and she is forever remembered for what she did.
Michael Phelps
Phelps captured the world’s attention when he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. He had previously declared that he would try and win all the gold medals in the competitions he had entered, and in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, he did exactly that. This accomplishment surpassed what Mark Spitz had achieved by winning seven gold medals in one Olympic Game.
This ambitious feat would mean that Phelps was expected to win on each race that he had entered and the two relays as well. One of these was expected to be won by a French team. Before Michael Phelps achieved this great feat, people were not as interested in swimming at the Olympic Games at all.
He stepped up, made history and made the world start watching the sport as a result of his win. In fact, when he was competing, it wasn’t just the Americans who were cheering for him, but the whole world wanted to see him achieve this historic win.
Nicola Adams
If you watched Nicola Adams win the gold you would have noticed her standing on the biggest podium in the Olympic Games to receive her first-ever gold medal for women’s boxing. This happened in 2012 during the Summer Olympics. The Games were held in her home country of Great Britain.
Of course, winning the gold medal is historic in itself, but this was the most important gold of all time because this was the year when both women and men were offered the same opportunities in the Olympic Games. Previously, there were sports that women would play, and others for men.
Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga
This team of women from Nigeria made history in the 2018 Winter Olympics by pulling out a surprising win. Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga made up the first African team to ever compete in the bobsledding competition. And in turn, they were the first to win that bobsledding competition too.
Athletes Who Made Sports History Conclusion
The Olympics are always memorable for the sportsmanship and camaraderie as well as the historic moments. However, some of them make true history in ways that are remembered for many generations to come. From Jesse Owens to the Nigerian women, the above moments really shocked viewers and changed their respective sports forever. The Olympics never disappoint and we are sure to see some new record-shattering moments at the Olympics to come.
