Golden memories

With the Beijing Olympics approaching, I find myself thinking back to the most thrilling moments from past Games. Three Olympic gold medal performances really stand out for me: two Americans from Mexico '68 and a young Russian girl at the Munich Olympics in '72.

We were in England at the time of the Mexico City Games. I was 8 years old and we watched the BBC's black and white coverage of the event on my grandparents' old Decca set. I can remember pleading with Mom to let me stay up to watch some of the events - the time difference meant that many of them were broadcast late in the evening and some went on into the early hours of the morning.

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, I can now watch those events in color, whenever I want. So...

First, Bob Beamon's extraordinary leap in the long jump. His first jump in the finals effectively ended the competition - Beamon leapt 29 feet 2 1/2 inches, beating the previous world record by an amazing 21 and 3/4 inches, a record that would stand until 1991.

Then, footage of Dick Fosbury demonstrating his revolutionary new technique in the high jump, winning gold and setting a new Olympic record of 7 feet 4 1/4 inches.

And so to Munich '72 and a different sport - gymnastics. Olga Korbut, a young Russian gymnast making her Olympic debut, won four medals that year - a gold for her (thrilling and technically brilliant) beam exercise, a team gold and a silver medal on the asymmetric bars. But it was her gold winning performance in the floor exercise that really captivated the crowd.

Watching that performance again, and hearing the delight of the commentator as she performs her routine, brought it all back to me - she was a Russian, we were in the middle of the Cold War and she was representing the enemy, but everyone was rooting for her. She didn't disappoint.

It really is a delight to watch.