As sports fans, we can all remember a moment of sheer awe when we thought time stood still. An over-the-wall catch to rob a home run or an Olympic dive that seemed to defy the laws of physics altogether — these are the things that we sports fans live and breathe for. In the spirit of athletic awesomeness, here’s one fan’s opinion of the top five sports performances to date.
There’s one sprinter that won’t soon be forgotten by sports history — Usain Bolt. A dominant competitor in every event he graced at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt led Jamaica’s runners to the gold, and set a number of records in the process. But he didn’t stop there. Bolt broke his own records for the 100m — 9.69 seconds — and 200m — 19.30 seconds — set in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he participated in the 2009 Berlin World Championships. There, he shaved off precious fractions of a second on each record, replacing them with 9.58 seconds for the 100m, and 19.19 seconds for the 200m.
If you haven’t heard of the 1980 “miracle on ice,” the story of the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team’s triumphant victory over the then-undefeated and daunting USSR team, you’re missing out. The USA team’s victory has been dubbed one of the greatest moments of sport’s history by numerous sources, and even inspired the film “Miracle,” which reenacts the underdog team’s rise to glory. Fans might recognize some legendary names from the team: coach Herb Brooks, team captain Mike Eruzione, and dominant scorer Mark Johnson.
Hear the words “Hail Mary,” and some may think that they’ve stumbled upon a religious service in progress. To sports fans, however, the term “Hail Mary” has become synonymous with former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie due to his unforgettable game-winning pass to wide receiver Gerard Phelan to defeat Miami by a score of 47-45 in the last hair-raising moments of their 1984 Cotton Bowl game.
Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled down an incredible 30 rebounds and scored 30 points in just one game, making him the first NBA player in 28 years to achieve the famed “30-30.” The last player to post up a 30-30 was Houston center-forward Moses Malone in a 1982 game against Seattle when he had 32 points and 38 boards.
Last but certainly not least, our own Jordan Snipes ‘07 put up a game-winning shot against Randolph-Macon College that has accumulated over 9 million views on YouTube. With 0.6 seconds left in overtime, Snipes retrieved the other team’s missed free throw, turned around, and tossed the ball with one hand the full length of the court to win the game. Snipes excelled throughout the game, putting up 34 points overall in just 34 minutes.
Shawn Melanson also contributed to this article.