Six Unforgettable Winter Olympic Moments: From Golden Goals to Redemption Golds
The Winter Olympics have delivered countless breathtaking spectacles over the years, etching moments of triumph, heartbreak, and sheer drama into sporting history. From ice hockey heroics to figure skating perfection, these events capture the essence of athletic endeavour on snow and ice. Here, we revisit six incredible Winter Games classics that continue to inspire and captivate fans worldwide.
Crosby's Golden Goal, Vancouver 2010
In what became the greatest show on Canadian ice, the men's ice hockey gold-medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics boiled down to a tense overtime period. For the Canadian team, laden with NHL talent, the pressure was immense; a loss in this high-profile final could have soured the entire Olympic experience for the host nation. A rivalry with the USA, historically dominated by Canada, suddenly felt thrillingly balanced. The USA, refusing to be a mere footnote, clawed back a 2-0 deficit, with Zach Parise snatching an equaliser in the dying seconds of regulation time. Then, seven minutes into sudden-death overtime, the 22-year-old Sidney Crosby, a player built for monumental moments, slipped the puck between Ryan Miller's pads with a deft flick of his wrist. This gold-medal-winning strike, forever immortalised as The Golden Goal, stands as an iconic moment in Canadian sports history, sparking unbridled joy across the nation.
Jacobellis's Redemption Gold, Beijing 2022
Lindsey Jacobellis endured sixteen long, unforgiving years after a premature celebratory move cost her gold in the snowboard cross final at Turin 2006. That showboating method grab on the second-to-last jump led to a botched landing and a fall just yards from the finish line, handing victory to Tanja Frieden of Switzerland and relegating Jacobellis to a humiliating silver. She became a cautionary tale of counting chickens before they hatch. However, in Beijing 2022, at her fifth Olympic Games, Jacobellis made no such mistake. As the most successful snowboarder in her event for over a decade, she led from the gate, maintained focus, and crossed the line with a cry of unbridled joy. At 36, she became the oldest American woman to win a Winter Olympic gold, finally burying the past with a triumphant and vengeful performance.
Maier's Crash and Comeback, Nagano 1998
During the men's downhill at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Austria's Hermann Maier lost control at a terrifying speed of 120km/h, was launched into the air, and cartwheeled through two safety nets before slamming into the snow. Initial fears about severe injuries were quickly allayed when Maier stood up, covered in snow, and shook his finger as if to signal he was okay. Despite badly bruising his right shoulder and knee, weather delays in Japan afforded him time to recover. Remarkably, just three days later, The Herminator returned to the slopes to win gold in both the Super-G and the giant slalom, showcasing incredible resilience and determination.
Torvill and Dean's Perfect Boléro, Sarajevo 1984
On Valentine's Day in 1984, British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean transformed figure skating into pure theatrical artistry in Sarajevo. Using Maurice Ravel's building score Boléro, they crafted a flawless, four-minute-and-eighteen-second narrative on ice that captivated the entire Zetra Olympic Hall audience, who rose to their feet waving flags in appreciation. Their performance earned them 12 perfect 6.0 scores and six 5.9s, including artistic impression scores of 6.0 from every judge—a feat unmatched in Olympic figure skating history. Their self-choreographed routine was watched by an estimated 24 million people in the UK, roughly half the country. Decades later, the duo returned to that same Sarajevo spot to announce their retirement, cementing their legacy as icons of the sport.
Heiden's Gold Sweep, Lake Placid 1980
Amid the euphoria of the Miracle on Ice—the US hockey team's improbable defeat of the Soviet Union—another American quietly made history at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Speed skater Eric Heiden delivered a performance of dominance that ranks among the greatest individual achievements in winter sport. Over nine days, the 21-year-old won every men's speed skating event, securing five individual gold medals. He set Olympic records in every discipline, from the 500m sprint to the gruelling 10,000m race, where he established a new world record by more than six seconds despite waking up late and rushing to make the start. Heiden was the most successful athlete at those Games, winning more gold medals than all nations except the Soviet Union and East Germany. To this day, he remains the only athlete to claim five individual golds at a single Winter Olympics.
Muirhead Finally Nabs Curling Gold, Beijing 2022
Eve Muirhead's journey to the top of the Olympic podium was less a gentle ascent and more a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride. After years of near misses and Olympic heartbreak, Muirhead led her Team GB rink—comprising Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds, Hailey Duff, and Mili Smith—to gold at the pandemic-impacted Beijing Games. They scraped through qualification and barely survived the group stages, but in the final against Japan, they delivered a masterclass. Muirhead scored a crucial four in the seventh end to clinch a decisive 10-3 victory. Overwhelmed with emotion, she could not hold back tears as she stood atop the podium, securing Great Britain's only gold medal of the Beijing Olympics and fulfilling a long-held dream.
