Look back to a particular balmy night in Athens, and you see Steve Parry lining up in lane 4, the fastest qualifier in the Olympic final of the 200m butterfly. A little over 24 hours earlier he was almost at rock bottom, the 16th qualifier from heats and yet here he was shooting for gold. 16 years on from that final how have his recollections changed, and did he really think he could have beaten Michael Phelps?
For the next in the series of “20 at 20” favourite moments from the last 20 years, we journey back to 2006 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Specifically to the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay which produced an epic battle and a result that was unclear until the final few metres.
Sometimes an event comes along that just entirely captivates. In the case of the Swim4Leukaemia charity relay back in 2014, there was an added personal dimension and the sense of a higher purpose that also added additional meaning. So while it delivered on a purely swimming level with a world record for a 100x100m relay, it also delivered emotionally.
In this, the first of a set of podcasts looking back at some of the 20 moments picked to mark the 20th anniversary of Pullbuoy, David shares his recollections of a thrilling night in Athens, the greatest 1500m race in history.
We’re off to the Games of 2012 and 2016 for the second part of our Olympic journey as we look back at events in London and Rio. Sharron Davies is once again on board with Katie, Bob and Steve to share her recollections.
And for info on Paula the Crawler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Barila_Bolopa