About
The Centennial Olympic were hosted by Atlanta,Georgia. However, the organisers struggled to maintain the momentum and spirit created by the Barcelona Games, and some wonderful sporting performances were almost overshadowed by transport difficulties and accusations of over-commercialisation. The Games were further rocked by a terrorist bomb in the Centennial Olympic Park which tragically killed one spectator, Alice Hawthorne, and wounded 110 others.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who had begun his amazing career with a gold medal at the Rome Games of 1960, returned to the Olympic arena to light the flame at the opening ceremony. 197 nations participated - 28 more than the previous benchmark - and the home nation topped the honours table with 44 gold medals.
American Michael Johnson produced the outstanding story of the 1996 Games by becoming the first athlete in history to win both the 200 metres and 400 metres at a single Olympics, and went on to add a third gold medal in the 4x400 metres relay. Having won 54 straight finals in the 400m, he had no trouble in the Olympic final, winning by ten metres - the largest margin of victory in the event for 100 years. His performance in the 200 metres was even more sensational, and having run a time of 19.66 seconds in the American trials which broke a 17 year-old world record, Johnson smashed that time on the biggest stage of all by clocking an unbelievable 19.32 in his famous golden running shoes.
France’s Marie-Jose Perec scored her own historic 200 and 400 metres double, most memorably running down Australian Cathy Freeman on the final straight of the 400m. Carl Lewis won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the long jump to end his career with a record-equalling nine gold medals, and South Africa celebrated its first black Olympic champion when Josiah Thugwane scored a memorable victory in the men’s marathon on the final day of the Games. In the pool, American swimmer Amy van Dyken’s haul of four gold medals made her the most decorated competitor of 1996.
Team GB
With a wave of optimism created by strong British showings at three previous Games, the haul of just one gold medal was a major disappointment. Many underperformed, and it was left to two of Britain’s most committed Olympians to salvage some national pride.
Steve Redgrave once again teamed up with Matthew Pinsent in the coxless pairs , and the duo found themselves under mounting pressure before they even got out onto the water. Unbeaten in some 58 races stretching back to 1992, Redgrave and Pinsent made no secret of their belief that they would defend their title, but as the winless run in Atlanta extended through the British team, the importance of achieving this ambition became paramount. A win would make Redgrave Britain’s most successful Olympian, as he bid for his fourth straight gold medal in as many Games. Worried by the transport problems which blighted Atlanta, Redgrave and Pinsent moved to accomodation closer to the venue at Lake Lanier.
Yet these two giants of their sport rose above all difficulties , and exploded out of the blocks in the final as a nation held its breath. For a moment it looked like they had committed themselves too early, as a promising Australian team began to gain in the final 500 metres. But Pinsent rallied and drove their rate back up to around 44 strokes a minute, which was good enough to cling on for victory by 0.93 seconds. As they crossed the line, Redgrave slumped in exhaustion and Pinsent punched the air in delight at his and the pair’s second gold medal. In the aftermath, the man who had just become Britain’s greatest gold medallist declared that “If you see me near a boat ever again, you can shoot me”. Thankfully for all parties, no one took him up on the suggestion.