Cheung Ka-long’s gold, Pan’s record, China’s bad maths – the most dramatic Olympic moments
- Whatever happens throughout an event, it’s usually the end that counts and we look at moments where that ending was a little unexpected
An Olympic gold holds the weight of, well an Olympic gold, but adding a touch of flair and suspense to them does no harm.
In a city revered for its arts and theatre, plenty of athletes created masterpieces of their own on the canvas of an Olympic arena.
Whether they caused you to squint or shout at your screens, here are five of those edge-of-your-seat finishes that turned Olympic dreams to reality in the most dramatic fashion.
Pandemonium on the piste
How do you top a fencing final decided by video review, followed by outbursts of fury and protests from the losing side?
The answer is you cannot, but the architects of the question were Hong Kong’s reigning champion Cheung Ka-long and Italy’s Filippo Macchi.
Cheung seemed to have the upper hand, leading 10-8 and five points from back-to-back golds.
But Macchi levelled the score at 11, tension became palpable as both fencers traded blows in a close-range duel that pushed the tally to 14 apiece.
Both fencers thought they had landed a winning touch, only for video judges to nullify both claims.
