Here’s one of those pictures we told you would bring a tear to your eyes! The weight of failure is crushing enough for athletes. We can only imagine how weightlifting champion, Matthias Steiner, is feeling in the moment captured by this photo. To put it in perspective for you, the Olympian attempted to lift more than 432 pounds in this image.
The shot was captured at the 2012 London Olympics. Poor Steiner had actually gone into the games as both the defending Olympic champion and the favorite to win. However, with weights as bulky as he was lifting, you can’t afford to lose your balance by even a hair. Unfortunately, Steiner swayed enough to throw him right off balance and bring the insanely heavy bar down on his neck. While he got up and displayed to the crowd that he wasn’t too badly hurt, he did end up pulling out of the competition that day.
Climbing Up the Goal
Well, well, well. What do we have here? The year is 1968; the time is right after a match between Italy and Yugoslavia. As you can see, the Italian fans are excited because of their team's victory, so they are climbing up the goal.
Is that safe? Probably not. But is it fun? We bet that it is. This picture truly captures the WC spirit. And amazingly, this wasn't even a World Cup match. It was the final of the European Championships, which is basically the World Cup, but only for European nations. So yeah, Italy won the final and the fans went nuts.
Barefoot All The Way
Marathons: the name alone is enough to make the average person feel exhausted. Few of us ever cultivate the constitution, fitness, and mental fortitude necessary to master one of these multi-hour races. They are notoriously difficult to train for and take an intense toll on the joints and, really, the whole body. Yet, ask any marathon runner, and they’ll tell you: the feeling of success when you finally cross that finish line is like nothing else. In a race where simply finishing feels like a monumental achievement, can you imagine the emotional response you’d have to finish first… at the Olympics?
Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila, who you can see in this picture, did just that way back in 1960. Not only did he take out the gold medal, but he also ran the whole race, situated that year in Rome, with nothing on his feet. It was so hot that the race had to be run at night, which is why the photo was so dark. A barefoot Bikila crossed the finish line with a time of 2:15:16.2.
The Hooligans Have Arrived
While most fans just want to have a good time watching the game and supporting their team, that's not the case for everyone. There's always at least one hooligan who's looking for trouble. At face value, this photo might look like a whole lot of fun, but context is everything.
Such was the case in June of 1981. After being defeated by the Swiss team, British fans decided to cause a commotion. Next time maybe just drown your sorrow at the bar? Also, fans were upset that they might not have qualified for the 1982 World Cup. But in the end, they did.
Listen Carefully
If you’re ever lucky enough to be in the presence of a professional in your field, be sure to emulate everyone in this photo literally and give said professional your undivided attention. You never know what tips and tricks you might pick up, and their advice could be just what you need to tip the scales in your favor. If you’re not sure who it is, this crowd. It is listening to so intently, well, that’s a baseball legend, Ted Williams. This snap was taken at a training camp in 1956.
While Williams was already making strides at the time, he still hadn’t even peaked. The champ had yet to achieve his best major league records. It’s beautiful to see such a skilled sportsman sharing his knowledge with colleagues and the next generation of sporting heroes.