Smash hit

39. Sydney 2000. Eric "The Eel" Moussambani from Equatorial Guinea set the slowest time ever for the 100m freestyle. At one stage it looked like Moussambani, who had only learned to swim in January that year - was drowning not swimming but the crowds roared him home in 1 minute 52 seconds. We like losers - but only if they are spectacular losers.

38. Barcelona 1992. With restrictions on professionals lifted, the US sent their dream basketball team, which blew away all opposition.

37. Los Angeles 1932. American Mildred "Babe" Didrikson - still believed by some to be the world's greatest sportswoman - won six of eight events in the pre-Olympic trials and set three world records. In the Olympics she was only allowed to compete in three events, winning two golds (javelin and hurdles) and a silver in the high jump because it was decided that she had an illegal style. Later she became a golfer, winning many big titles.

36. Tokyo 1960. Ann Packer won the 800m final at the Tokyo Olympics to the strains of an impassioned David Coleman in the commentary box. Women had come a long way from the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928 when six of the nine runners in the 800m collapsed and two were stretchered off. The event was deemed unsuitable for women and banned until 1960.

35. Mexico 1968. Dick Fosbury changed the high jump forever with his revolutionary flop. He won gold - and many of us schoolboys who tried to emulate him ended up with bruised backs.

34. Athens 1896. Greeks had expected to win lots of medals but none came until the marathon (which back then was conducted over 40km). Of the 17 runners, 14 of them were Greek. Part time water seller and shepherd, Spyridon Louis, overtook a Frenchman and an Australian to win and was accompanied over the line by Princes Constantine and George who subsequently gave him a farm. Legend says that he stopped at a restaurant half way through the race to down an alcoholic beverage and told everyone he would win.

33. Athens 2004. Michael Phelps took six gold medals, just one short of Mark Spitz, with a majestic performance.

32. Montreal 1976. 14-year-old gymnast Nadia Comaneci scored perfect "10s" in the uneven bars, the balance beam and the all round competition. Some scoreboards were not equipped and recorded her marks as "1.00."

31. Los Angeles 1984. Daley Thompson had already won the decathlon four years earlier in Moscow where he broke the world record. His huge rival in 1984 was Jurgen Hingsen, who had twice beaten Thompson's world record and was the current holder with 8,798 points. But Thompson stood triumphant after a supreme all-round performance. He won with a score of 8,797 with Hingsen on 8,673.

30. Athens 2004. Kelly Holmes's gob-smacked face after winning gold in the 800m is one of the most enduring images of the last Games. After threatening to do something special for 10-12 years and plagued by injuries, at the age of 34 she did what nobody believed possible by also going on to win the 1,500m at the same Games.

29. Atlanta 1996. The Games were marred by a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park which killed two and injured 111 others. Eric Robert Rudolph is currently serving a life sentence in Florence, Colorado.

28. Sydney 2000. Steve Redgrave's win in the men's coxless four made it five gold’s at five consecutive Olympics over 20 years – the only Briton to achieve this feat. But Redgrave cannot, on statistical grounds, claim to be the most enduring Olympian: Birgit Fischer (a German kayaker) won eight gold medals over six Olympic Games.