Here Are Some of the Most Iconic Moments In Olympic Track and Field History (2024)

Legend has it the first marathoner—a Greek messenger named Pheidippides—ran 25 miles from the town of Marathon to Athens, then promptly died of exhaustion. In slightly less dramatic fashion, Italian runner Dorando Pietri collapsed right before the finish line in London, got up, then fell again. He had to be carried across the line—and was unfortunately disqualified as a result.

Against the backdrop of Nazi Germany (and with Adolf Hitler in the crowd), African American track and field athlete Jesse Owens won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200 meters, the long jump, and the 4x100-meter relay in Berlin. It took 48 years for another man to accomplish quadruple golds (Carl Lewis managed that feat in Los Angeles).

In Helsinki, Czech runner Emil Zapotek became the only person ever to win the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon events in the same Olympics. For the record, this was his marathon debut—he decided at the last minute to compete in the event. During his career, he won five Olympic medals and set 18 world records.

During the Games in Rome, Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila clocked a 2:15:16 marathon, setting an Olympic record and becoming the first African athlete to win a gold medal. Oh, and he ran it barefoot.

After she was paralyzed by polio as a child, doctors were doubtful Wilma Rudolph would walk. She regained that ability by the time she was 12, then, in Rome, went on to become the first American woman to win three gold medals—in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100-meter relay events—at the same Olympics. She also broke three world records at those same Games.

Bob Hayes was already a world record-holder before heading to the 1964 Games in Tokyo—he ran the 100-yard dash in 9.1 seconds, a time that wouldn’t be beaten for another 11 years. In the 100-meter Olympic race, he ran 10.06 to win the gold and tie the world record. He also held down the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay, running it in less than nine seconds.

The high jump used to look more like a hurdle, but American high jumper Dick Fosbury brought his backwards, layout-style jump (called the Fosbury Flop) to Mexico City and won the gold. Now, this technique is standard.

African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medals 200-meter race in Mexico City. During the playing of the national anthem while they were on the podium, they bowed their heads and raised their fists in the Black Power salute. This kind of peaceful protest still shows up in sporting events today (see: hammer thrower Gwen Barry turning her back on the American flag at the Trials).

Discus thrower Al Oerter made his Olympic debut in Melbourne in 1956, and went on to become the first track and field athlete to win gold medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. And in 1960, 1964, and 1968, he set record throws. (He was also the first to throw the discus longer than 200 feet.)

American long jumper Bob Beamon was a long-shot contender for a medal after barely qualifying for the Olympics. But on competition day in Mexico City, he jumped so far that the judges' devices couldn't measure the 29-plus feet (it was 29.2 feet, officially). His record stood for around 23 years.

Despite the fact that a German student jumped into the Munich race and tricked spectators into thinking he was about to win, Frank Shorter won (by a whopping two minutes) and became the first Team USA competitor to win the 26.2-mile race in 64 years. No other American runner has won the event since, although Meb Keflezighi podiumed in 2004, taking home the silver medal.

At the Munich Olympics, Steve Prefontaine was still relatively unknown. In the 5,000-meter final, he took the lead at the start but ended up running out of gas and finishing fourth. That missed medal fueled him for the next Olympics: While training for 1976, Prefontaine set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. Sadly, he never made it to the 1976 Games; he passed away in a car accident in 1975.

Before she was part of the Kardashian clan, Caitlyn (then Bruce) Jenner was a household name thanks to her track and field performances. She finished 10th in the Munich Olympics in 1972, then dominated the 1976 Games in Montreal by earning a world record of 8,618 points in the decathlon competition.

Just months after knee surgery, Joan Benoit Samuelson faced off against five-time New York City Marathon champion and winner of the previous year’s inaugural World Championships Marathon Grete Waitz of Norway. On a hot, humid day in Los Angeles, she took a serious risk by surging just 14 minutes into the race. But she held onto her lead the entire time, beating Waitz to the finish line by a minute and 26 seconds to win in 2:24:52.

Running in a pack isn’t always easy, a fact American Mary Decker—the reigning world champion—and South African Zola Budd found out first hand in Los Angeles. Budd cut in a little too early, swerving towards Decker, who was running a little too close to Budd; Budd tripped Decker, who fell onto the infield of the track. Budd finished the race to boos from the crowd.

Not only did Florence Griffith-Joyner win gold in the 100- and 200-meter races and the 4x100-meter relay at the Seoul Games (and took home silver in the 4x400-meter relay), but she also set a world record in the 200. That world record, and the one she set in the Olympic Trials in the 100, still stand. (Gabby Thomas just ran the third-fastest 200-meters in history at the Olympic Trials.)

In Seoul, Carl Lewis ran a 9.92 second 100-meter sprint—fast enough to break his own world record, but not fast enough to beat Ben Johnson’s 9.79 time. Later, Johnson was disqualified from the 100-meter race for doping and his time was void, giving Lewis the win. Lewis also took home gold in the long jump and the 200-meter sprint.

Just 15 seconds into the 400-meter semifinal, British runner Derek Redmond’s hamstring gave out. Instead of laying on the track, he pushed himself up and started hobbling towards the finish line, refusing medical assistance and attempts by officials to stop him. His father actually fought off security guards to join Redmond on the track and help the sobbing runner walk it in.

In Atlanta, Michael Johnson earned gold in both the 200 and 400 meters—something that had never been done before. The races were set on what may have been the fastest track ever built at that time, and Johnson wore now-legendary gold Nike spikes. Not only did he shatter his own previous world record in the 200 by over three-tenths of a second, no one ran within three-tenths of a second of his record for almost 10 years.

It wasn’t until 2000 that women’s pole vault was added to the Olympics. In Sydney, Stacy Dragila missed her first two attempts at 14’9”, but cleared it on the third try; she went on to win the event with a vault of 15'1".