Jesse Owens fought hard to win a total of four gold medals (100m, 200m, long jump and 4 x 100m relay) with pure talent and heart, at an era when Nazi Germany asserted to establish their claim to Aryan superiority and African Americans were racially discriminated in the United States.

2. 1992 Barcelona

This is definitely one of the moving scenes in Olympic history. British athlete Derek Redmond won the first round of the 400m race with the fastest time and also easily won the quarterfinals. But in the semifinal, just 150 meters into the race, his right hamstring tore, causing him to fall to the ground. He gathered all the courage to stand up as the stretchers were being carried toward him. In tears and his face grimacing in terrible pain, he was determined to finish the lap and started to hobble down the track. His dad Jim Redmond barged past security to be united with his son, and assisted him until the finish line. And as crossed the finish line, they were given a rousing standing ovation by the 65000-strong crowd. The fact that injuries had continually weighed down Redmond's career heightened the emotional impact of the situation. He pulled out from the 1988 Olympics because of a hamstring injury and by 1992, had already endured eight surgeries for different injuries including the most recent one on his Achilles tendon a couple of months earlier.

3. 1972 Munich

The 1972 games were stained by what has become known as the Munich Massacre. On September 5th, eight masked Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Black September organization barged into the quarters of Israeli athletes and coaches in the Olympic village. Two were immediately murdered for resisting while nine were hostaged. They were permitted to depart for an airfield where the nine hostages, five terrorists and a German policeman would perish in a failed rescue attempt. This was a period of history when the Olympic Games became a terrorists' target, setting the massive change for future games, where security would become a major concern.

4. 1988 Seoul

During the preliminary round, the world watched in shock when the American diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the springboard while attempting a reverse 2½ somersault pike. However, after getting temporary stitches, he was able to complete and topped the preliminaries. During the finals, he triumphed with the gold with near perfect scores, becoming the first man to win titles on both the springboard and platform diving events for two straight Olympics Games.

5. 1968 Mexico

On the eve of the long jump event, the 1964 Olympic champion Lynn Davies of Britain remarked that "it only needs Bob Beamon to hit the board once only and we all can go home." The next day, Beamon almost did not qualify for the finals after fouling the first two attempts; and he reduced his speed in order to make the qualifying distance on his third attempt. By the finals, he appeared to launch himself off the ground soaring through the air for like infinity, setting a world record that prevailed for 23 years.

6. 1924 Paris

Known as the "Flying Scotsman," Eric Liddell entered the 100m, 200m and 400m race, but the 100m heat was scheduled on a Sunday. Firm on his Christian convictions, he withdrew himself for the 100m race, his best event, and instead gave a sermon at a nearby Scottish church. On the day of the 400m race, he was given a piece of paper with a biblical quotation written on it, "Those who honor me I will honor" (1 Samuel 2:30). He won the race breaking the existing record with a time of 47.6 seconds. He also earned the 200m bronze. His Olympic success was memorialized in the Oscar-winning movie "Chariots of Fire."

7. 1996 Atlanta

In1960 Rome Olympics, Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) won the light heavyweight boxing division, and wore the gold medal for two days. But he would afterward cast it into the Ohio River because a "whites-only" restaurant refused him service. Shaking due to Parkinson's syndrome, he lit the Olympic torch that open the 1996 games; and was then awarded a medal by the US basketball team in replacement for his old one. It was an occasion of unbearable poignancy.

8. 2000 Sydney

For the Australians, it was without doubt a disappointing home Olympics, particularly in the pool. Cathy Freeman, the very first Aboriginal athlete, represented Australia's final last chance for glory. Being the 400m race favorite, she did not fall short of their expectations; she won gold and ran her victory lap waving both the Australian and the Aboriginal flags.

9. 1960 Rome

Wilma Rudolph,United States athlete, was the first woman to be awarded three gold medals in track and field in one Olympic Games (100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay). The incredible thing about her accomplishment was the fact that she contracted polio as a child, and only was only able to walk normally at age seven.

10. 1976 Montreal

Nadia Comaneci, a 14-year-old Romanian gymnast, would become the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 on the uneven bars. But the scoreboards, which were equipped only to report a maximum score of 9.9, displayed the perfect score as 1.0. Over the course of the Games, she would receive six more perfect 10s, earning her three golds (the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam).

11. 1948 London

Dutch trackster Fanny Blankers-Koen was predicted to do well in the 1940 Helsinki Games, which did not pushed through owing to World War II outbreak, abruptly disrupting her thriving career. She would make a comeback in the London Olympics a 30-year-old mother and earned four golds (100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay and 80m hurdles). She was dubbed "the Flying Housewife" for her outstanding performance.

12. 1908 London

Dorando Pietri, Italian waiter, trained seriously for the marathon. But during the race, he misjudged his speed and started to suffer the effects of thirst and extreme fatigue with less than two kilometers remaining. He would eventually pass out five times in the stadium before the umpires aided him over the final few meters to finish in first place. He was subsequently disqualified when the American team complained against the assistance he got. Queen Alexandra would however award him with a gilded silver cup as consolation.

More articles on the Olympics:

• 12 More Unforgettable Olympic Stories
• Unforgettable Moments of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
• Michael Phelps: The Greatest Olympian of All Time

Articles on Greatest Athletes series:

• Greatest American Female Gymnasts
• Greatest American Male Gymnasts
• 10 Greatest Female Gymnasts in History
• 10 Greatest Male Gymnasts in History
• 10 Greatest Female Figure Skaters of All Time
• 10 Greatest Male Figure Skaters of All Time

For most die-hard boxing fans, who love nothing more than to sit around and hypothesize about how various all-time great fighters - both past and present - would do against one another in mythical match-ups, pitting two all-time great sluggers from different eras against each other in a fantasy fight is as good as it gets! There's something about punching power and punches thrown with bad intentions that riles up the competitive juices of hard-core boxing aficionados like nothing else!

And when it comes to pitting two all-time great sluggers against each other in a mythical match-up, it doesn't get any better than “Big” George Foreman, the holy terror of a wrecking ball from the 1970's, swapping bombs with “Mighty” Mike Tyson, that swarming, terrorizing ball of speed and power from the 1980's and beyond. Would Foreman be able to launch Tyson into the air with a mighty uppercut the same way he did to Joe Frazier, or would Tyson send Foreman sprawling to the canvas like he did to Trevor Berbick? One thing's for sure - this fight would not go the distance!

So, how would this fight play out if both guys fought each other in their respective primes? Although opinions vary greatly, and a strong case can be made for either fighter emerging victorious, I think the fight would play out something like this:

Mike Tyson, with his superior hand speed and explosiveness, would get off to a fast start and probably nail George with some pretty big punches - he may even send him to the canvas once or twice. Mike Tyson was no Joe Frazier; he was much faster and much more explosive, so any comparisons to the Foreman/Frazier fight in analyzing a Foreman/Tyson fight would be irrelevant in my opinion. Foreman was a fairly slow starter, and he wasn't the fastest, most elusive guy around, so Tyson would have his best moments early in the fight.

I readily concede that a quick Mike Tyson victory would definitely be possible. It wouldn't surprise me if Tyson were able to overwhelm George within the first two or three rounds and blow him out with his short, quick, and deadly precision punches. Mike Tyson was deadly, and his combination of both hand speed and punching power was phenomenal. But if Foreman were able to weather the early Mike Tyson storm, the fight would drastically turn.

Style wise, I think this would be a bad fight for Tyson. George Foreman was a master at fighting “tall” and keeping shorter opponents at bay. And Foreman's huge hooks and crosses thrown from the outside would no doubt land on Tyson. And Tyson, although he'd manage to get in close and land the occasional big shot, would have a difficult time maintaining his position without getting hurt himself.

George Foreman was very durable and overwhelmingly strong. And I think it is this innate toughness on George's part that would help him immensely in a fight with Mike Tyson. He would undoubtedly get hit, but I think he would be able to take Tyson's early assault. And, he would be clubbing back at Tyson, and he would no doubt nail Tyson with some big, powerful uppercuts and short hooks on the inside. And this would be very bad for Tyson.

Tyson, in my opinion, was not as durable - both mentally and physically - as was George Foreman. As soon as Foreman starting landing his big punches, Tyson would quickly wilt; he'd get hurt, and he'd get discouraged. And as soon as that happened, the fight would be just as good as over.

Call it a mid-rounds knockout win for George Foreman. Tyson would probably hit the canvas for good courtesy of a Foreman uppercut or sweeping left hook, but he'd no doubt finish the fight on his back. And Foreman, probably a bit swollen and hurt, would have his massive arm raised in victory!

In a heavyweight division that had grown somewhat stagnant and stale, in part due to Muhammad Ali's decline and shocking defeat at the hands of young upstart Leon Spinks in February of that year, along came two fighters who electrified the boxing world and put on a fight that is still regarded today as a heavyweight classic!

Ken Norton, the muscle-bound ex-marine who “won” the WBC heavyweight championship belt on the strength of his victory in a title elimination bout against Jimmy Young in November of 1977, was making his first defense of his heavyweight championship against the number one-rated challenger in the heavyweight division, Larry Holmes. Norton, who fought the great Muhammad Ali three times - winning one and losing two hotly contested rematches - was a very capable fighter with a big punch and an awkward, crab-like style.

Larry Holmes, a former sparring partner to both Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, was undefeated and possessed one of the best left jabs that the heavyweight division had seen in some time. Tall and lanky, Holmes had earned his right to fight for Norton's title by thoroughly out boxing the feared but limited puncher Earnie Shavers over the course of twelve rounds in his last fight of 1977. Dismissed by many boxing experts as nothing more than a cheap carbon copy of Muhammad Ali, and as a fighter of questionable heart - due to a humiliating defeat in the amateurs to Duane Bobick - Holmes had a lot to prove - both to himself and to the critics.

In an action-packed fight that saw great shifts in momentum throughout, Larry Holmes jumped ahead to an early lead, spearing Norton with his long, educated, snappy jab. The first few rounds were almost non-competitive as Norton lunged, groped, and labored to reach Holmes with a telling blow. Holmes appeared a class above Norton.

But then Norton started to break through! Holmes was jabbing and moving, and he was landing his right hand, but Norton was cutting off the ring and finding Holmes with more and more of his punches. Just like in his fights against Muhammad Ali, Norton showed tremendous resiliency and determination; you could hit him but you couldn't discourage him. Norton kept coming, and his pressure was starting to tire Holmes, who was not moving as quickly or as confidently as he had been.

The title seemed to be up for grabs throughout the15 round affair. Just when it appeared that Holmes had complete control of the fight, Norton would rush back and pound Holmes' body and score with solid right hands to the head. And just when it seemed that Norton had Holmes ready to call it a night, Holmes would roar back and stun Norton with solid right hands and uppercuts. It was a back and forth battle all the way.

After 14 furious, action-packed rounds, the fight was dead even on the scorecards. Norton had to win the last round to keep his title; Holmes had to win it to become the new heavyweight champion. And both fighters came out for the last round as though their life depended on it.

Punches were flying in all directions. Norton hurt Holmes with big punches to the head, and it appeared that Larry, weary and wilting from Norton's pressure and from the pace of the fight, was about ready to go. Then, as Ken moved in for the kill, Larry would bounce back and stun Norton with a big punch. Norton hammered back. At one point a sharp uppercut from Norton crashed into Holmes' jaw and sent his mouthpiece flying. And Holmes punched back. The crowd was on its feet. Toe to toe action in the center of the ring. And with mere seconds to go, Larry Holmes mounted one final assault and stunned Norton with a titanic uppercut that buckled Norton's knees.

Then the bell sounded, ending one of the toughest, most action-packed fights ever!

Both fighters deserved to be crowned champions after that fight. In a tough and brutal sport, both Ken Norton and Larry Holmes fought their hearts out and pushed themselves to the brink of collapse. But as in all athletic contests, there has to be a winner and a loser.

“And the new heavyweight champion of the world, Larry Holmes”!

Larry Holmes won the fight by one point!

June 9th, 1978.

He had come too far. George was a man on a mission, a desperate man. After losing his precious title to Muhammad Ali in a huge upset, George was never the same. His cloak of invincibility had been stripped from him; his psyche irreparably damaged. That title meant everything to George Foreman. It was what defined him as a man. And then it was gone. Snatched away in the time that it takes a referee to count ten. For over twenty years George wrestled and fought with the demons of that night in Zaire, Africa. The ropes were too loose. His water had been poisoned. His shoes were too big! Big bad George Foreman didn't lose like that. But he did. And it hurt! And that hurt was something that George Foreman was determined to exorcise. And George wasn't about to let Michael Moorer stand in the way of that exorcism!

George had been spying Moorer's chin all night long. Moorer, for all his skill and ability, did not have the best of chins. Sure, he had proven that he could pull himself up off the floor each and every time that he had been dropped. But he still had a suspect set of whiskers. And against a hitter like George, that could prove costly. But Moorer was smart. He kept circling and moving and shifting, never allowing George to get in more than an occasional shot. But Moorer was starting to get a wee bit careless. He had tasted Foreman's power a few times during the fight, and he had held up well. Foreman's power was more myth than fact in Moorer's mind, so why not mix it up a little? And that's exactly what George wanted.

George came out throwing punches with renewed vigor as the tenth round started. He knew his chances were diminishing with each passing round, and he wanted to get to Moorer while he could still muster the energy. A series of left hooks drove Moorer to his right side, towards George Foreman's best weapon - his right hand! George had had that right hand cocked and ready all night long, but he was having trouble landing it cleanly on Moorer's sweet spot - his chin! But finally, thanks to Foreman's judicious use of his left hand, Moorer was now in Foreman's range. George, sensing opportunity, brushed Moorer with a soft left jab and then landed a sharp right hand on Moorer's chin. The punch was solid and true, but Moorer stayed erect. George then repeated the exact sequence - left jab followed by a short right to the chin - and Moorer crashed to the canvas in a heap! He fell as if he had been shot!

Moorer, spread out on his back with his eyes dazed and uncoordinated, never threatened to beat the count. As referee Joe Cortez counted “ten” and waved his arms over Moorer signaling the end of the fight, George Foreman knelt in prayer in his corner. It had taken twenty years for him to do it, but George Foreman was not only the heavyweight champion of the world, but he was the oldest heavyweight champion in history at age 45. The ghost of Ali and Zaire had been exorcised by Foreman's pile driver of a right hand!

George Foreman, that menacing tower of power/1968 Olympic Gold Medalist, had bounced Joe Frazier on the canvas six times over the course of two of the most one-sided rounds in heavyweight history to win the heavyweight championship. The same Joe Frazier that handed Muhammad Ali his first loss - the Joe Frazier that dropped Ali in the 15th round of their epic fight - was treated like a rag doll by Foreman and thoroughly trounced. After the sixth knockdown, the referee, having seen enough of the unfolding carnage, stepped in to save Joe Frazier's life. There was a new heavyweight champion in George Foreman, and he looked as if he would reign for as long as he cared to.

And then to further bolster the assumption that Ali would have no chance against Foreman, Foreman knocked out Ken Norton in two rounds, the same guy that had beaten Muhammad Ali in 1973 - even breaking his jaw in the fight - and who fought a close, hotly-contested rematch with Ali six months later. Ali had fought a total of twenty-four rounds against Norton over the course of two fights; Foreman starched Norton in two rounds after barely breaking a sweat! No, Muhammad Ali's chances against George Foreman didn't look good at all. Besides the obvious concerns about Ali's career and about him losing, there were plenty of people who were deathly afraid of Ali getting seriously hurt by Foreman, even killed!

But Ali, being the great boxer and strategist that he was, knew that Foreman - and no man for that matter - was unbeatable. Every fighter has flaws and weaknesses - even George Foreman - and Ali did his best to exploit Foreman's. Foreman, although big and powerful, had not fought many fights that went into the later rounds; he was used to knocking guys out quick. As a result, his stamina and fortitude had never really been tested. And Ali planned a big test for him!

On fight night, Ali came out dancing and moving, but he quickly realized that Foreman was too aggressive and was too adept at cutting off the ring and cornering. So, Ali spent large parts of every round lying against the ropes, both absorbing and blocking Foreman's punches with his arms and body and countering with quick, accurate flurries of punches. It wasn't long before Foreman's punches started to lose steam; his movements became slower and more deliberate, and with each passing round he started to resemble a robot that was being de-programmed. By the eighth round, Foreman was a spent fighter, and Ali still had plenty left. Ali shot a quick combination to Foreman's head punctuated by a stiff right hand to the chin and Foreman, having never been knocked off his feet, fell to the canvas with a thud. As the referee counted to ten, George Foreman had been deposed, and Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion once more!

Larry Holmes was the heavyweight-boxing champion from 1978 until 1985. He fought them all. Holmes made twenty successful defenses of his heavyweight championship, second only to the great Joe Louis. And the left jab was a huge part of Holmes' success in the ring. Although never a big punching heavyweight, Holmes beat his fair share of big, powerful punching fighters because of his educated left jab. At 6'3" with an 80" reach, Holmes had the reach and leverage to stick his jab with great force; he'd put his shoulder and upper body into his jab and really snap it. Holmes could double and triple up on his jab, and most fighters that faced Holmes found the prospect of overcoming Holmes' jab a daunting task. Instead of just using his jab as a range finder as many other fighters do, Holmes used his jab as a real punch! And what a punch it was! He could control entire fights with his jab, and many opponents were rendered cut and bruised by the force of the Holmes jab.

Yes, in the world of professional boxing, the left jab is a very important punch. And Larry Holmes is almost universally accepted as one of the greatest “jabbers” in the history of boxing!

I was going to visit my uncle whom I had not seen in years. I did not know that I was going to see Muhammad Ali's daughter on TV. I did not even know that he had a daughter that could box. I had never heard of Laila, and I had never seen boxing on television.

After we arrived the next day in Georgia, we were all sitting around the television. I heard my Uncle Danny say, “There goes Muhammad Ali's daughter getting ready to box Joe Frazier's daughter (Jacqui Frazier).”

My father laughed and said, “Laila is bad like her daddy and pretty too.”

I thought, “Man, that Ali girl looks tough. If she is as tough as she looks, she's going to kill somebody in the ring. The girl has fire in her eyes.” Laila didn't look happy at all walking through the crowd. She looked as if she was going to rip somebody apart.

Laila Ali soon got into the ring. During the singing of the National Anthem, Jacqui Frazier was saying, hallelujah. But Laila looked focused on fighting. Nothing could take her mind away from what she was going to do in the ring. I could see it written all over her face.

Soon Laila and Jacqui were boxing. I said out loud, “Dang! They fight like their fathers! How can they stand the punches! I couldn't take all of that pain!”

When the bell rung in the first round, Laila and Jacqui walked away like it was nothing. To me, those two women were just as tough as men.

Laila brought back old memories. She posed as if she was going to box with one fist up like her father. That's when I began to remember when I use to watch Muhammad Ali with my mother and father. That was a time when I felt real close to my parents. Watching him brought more togetherness to our family.

After Muhammad Ali retired from the ring, I didn't care that much for boxing. I slowly began to stop watching boxing. After Sugar Ray Leonard stepped down out of the ring, I never watched boxing again. Then Laila brought it back to me through women's boxing. She also brought more togetherness back into my family. There I was again, watching boxing with my father who had been away from me a long time. My father had remarried and divorced from my mother.

My brother, Brian, was back with me again. He had been away from me in college. I began to remember the disagreement we had when we were small. He argued with me that women's boxing would never be allowed. I was tickled looking at him watch Laila. I don't know if he remembers the argument.

My Uncle Danny was with me. I was thrilled that he liked women's boxing too.

Now that Laila is boxing, it seems like it has brought her and her father (Muhammad Ali) closer together. Her parents are divorced. But they all seem to be friends. At the same time, I believe it has brought me closer to my family. Watching Laila took some of the sadness away that I had.

When my mother died, a part of me died. But thanks to God, I am able to live on. It seems like my mother is still apart of what is going on in my life. Her death brought the family together too, but I was left with sadness. As I watched Laila with excitement, I could hear my mother spiritually in my mind saying, “See Gail, I'm not dead.”

Laila won the fight against Jacqui Frazier. I felt like I had won with her. In the end, I was able to smile through my depression with Laila and Jacqui. I saw Laila and Jacqui hugging each other. Love makes everybody a winner. Watching Laila Ali in women's boxing brought more togetherness back to my family.