"I Haven't Gotten Over 1994, Period": 18 Winter Olympics Moments That Are So Inspiring, Awkward, Or Upsetting That People Are Still Thinking About Them Years Later

That's why we asked the BuzzFeed Community: What past Winter Olympics moments have stayed with you? Ranging from inspiring to awkward to truly upsetting, here are the most memorable Winter Olympics moments of all time:

1. "The Miracle on Ice." —officialpumpkin5367

During the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, the US men's ice hockey team, composed of amateur college players, defeated the Soviet Union's professional team (which had won the previous four Olympic gold medals) 4–3.

This became known as the "Miracle on Ice" and is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in sports history. It was also when the famous line, "Do you believe in miracles?!" came from sportscaster Al Michaels during the game's broadcast.

2. "Surya Bonaly getting fed up and doing a backflip." —janes4c411b247

During the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Surya Bonaly performed a one-bladed backflip during her final free skate. This move had been banned by the International Skating Union (ISU) since 1976, and the judges deducted points for it, dropping her from 6th to 10th place.

Despite this, Surya's move became known as the "Bonaly Flip," and her act of defiance made history. In 2024, the ISU finally legalized the backflip in competition.

3. "Scott and Tessa's epic cap to their career with their Moulin Rouge program. I'd seen it in numerous competitions leading up to Pyeongchang, but there was something about that Olympic performance that just captivated everyone." —Anonymous, Alberta, Canada

During the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir performed a record-setting free dance routine to a medley from the film Moulin Rouge. The routine earned them the gold medal in ice dance, marking their second Olympic title in the event.

4. "The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili in 2010." —Male, 32, Massachusetts

During the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died at age 21 during a training run at the Whistler Sliding Centre. He lost control in the final turn, was thrown from his sled over the sidewall, and was fatally struck by a steel column.

The tragedy prompted immediate changes to the track, including adding padding to the steel poles and altering the exit of the final turn. Nodar was also honored during the opening ceremony with a moment of silence, a tribute from IOC President Jacques Rogge, and a standing ovation for the rest of the Georgian delegation.

5. "The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding rivalry in 1994." —Anonymous

On Jan. 6, 1994, Nancy was clubbed on the leg by a hitman hired by Tonya's ex-husband and her bodyguard to prevent Nancy from competing in the Winter Olympics. Kerrigan recovered and went on to win silver in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, while Harding was later banned for life from the US Figure Skating Association after pleading guilty to hindering prosecution.

6. "The speed skater from, was it Australia? Well, anyway, he won because everyone at the top fell, and he just calmly slid by. It was really fun, and he was very happy." —Gurkanserdig

During the 2002 Winter Games, Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury accidentally won gold in short-track speed skating when all four leaders (Li Jiajun, Apolo Ohno, Mathieu Turcotte, and Ahn Hyun-Soo) collided and fell in the final turn of the last lap, allowing Steven to pass by and secure Australia's first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal.

This moment made the Australian idiom "doing a Bradbury" popular, referring to unexpectedly succeeding through others' mistakes or misfortune.

7. "Joannie Rochette skating after her mom's passing." —Anonymous, Alberta, Canada

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette’s mother, Thérèse, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 55, just two days before the competition. Thérèse had recently arrived in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete and was found by her husband.

Despite the tragedy, Joannie still decided to compete, believing her mother would have wanted her to keep going. Four days after her mother's death, Joannie went on to win the bronze medal with her incredible performance.

8. "Snowboarding was introduced to the Winter Olympics in Nagano. Ross Rebagliati was the first person to win gold and was promptly stripped of his medal and arrested for testing positive for marijuana. Marijuana wasn’t actually banned by WADA, so his medal was restored. Now he’s a pot mogul." —janes4c411b247

At the 1998 Winter Games, Ross Rebagliati won Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in snowboarding (giant slalom), but was then stripped of it after testing positive for THC. However, it was reinstated two days later by an appeals court because cannabis was not explicitly listed as a prohibited substance at that time. Today, Ross is an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry.

9. "As a Brit, we are reminded of Torvill and Dean's ice dance to 'Bolero' every time the Winter Olympics roll around." —Gurkanserdig

At the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean received 6.0s for artistic impression from every judge for their ice dance routine. The pair started the routine on their knees for the first 18 seconds to stay within their 4-minute, 28-second time limit, and they performed Ravel's "Boléro" from start to finish.

10. "Catherine O'Hara making a hilarious speech at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, followed by William Shatner and Michael J Fox. Chef’s kiss to each one of those speeches." —Male, 39, Canada

11. "Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier being cheated out of their pairs figure skating gold medal because the French and Russian judges were vote-trading. They got it later, but it's not really the same type of winning moment. Especially since the Russian skaters fell." —mrskimberlycoates

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Canadian pair skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier were involved in a major scandal involving Russia's Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. Despite a noticeable stumble by Anton, the judges awarded the Russian pair a 5–4 decision in the free skate competition.

Following an investigation, Jamie and David were promoted to gold, and each pair received their own sets of gold medals. This controversy led to the replacement of the 6.0 figure skating judging system with a more detailed, point-based system.

12. "The USA/Canadian ice hockey match in 2010. I've been a hockey fan for a long time, and this was hands down the most tense and exciting game I've ever seen. I believe Canada won in the end, but I didn't even care that the USA lost because the game was so good!" —Female, 43, Los Angeles

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Canada's men's hockey team beat the US 3–2, marking the first time a host nation won gold in the sport since 1980. Sidney Crosby’s famous "golden goal" in overtime secured Canada's record 14th gold medal, the most ever won by a country at a single Winter Games.

13. "Oksana Baiul upsetting Nancy Kerrigan even though she (Baiul) clearly two-footed a landing that should have resulted in a loss of .10. I haven't gotten over 1994, period." —Female, 43, Pennsylvania

At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, 16-year-old Oksana Baiul defeated Nancy Kerrigan to win gold. Despite errors on her landings (two-footed), the judges favored Oksana's artistry over technical mistakes, even though Kerrigan executed five clean triple jumps.

After the results were announced, Nancy was caught on camera saying, "Oh, come on. So she's going to get out here and cry again. What's the difference?"

14. "Lindsey Jacobellis not winning the gold medal despite being way out in front in the Snowboard Cross final, 'cause she went for a showboat. Then having to wait 16 years to finally win the gold." —lifetheuniverseandeverything

At the 2006 Winter Games, USA's Lindsey Jacobellis wiped out during the women's snowboard cross finals, losing a 50-yard lead after trying to perform a "method grab" trick on the second-to-last jump. This caused Switzerland's Tanja Frieden to pass her, and Lindsey ended up winning silver.

In 2022, she achieved redemption at the Beijing Winter Games, winning her first Olympic gold medal in the women's snowboard cross final and becoming the oldest Team USA woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

15. "Gold medal game, Russia 2014 Olympics. In Canada, millions of people woke up or stayed up all night in -20 weather, lining up outside of pubs waiting to be let in to watch the gold medal game at 5 a.m. The government made special allowances to serve alcohol at 5 a.m. when the pubs and bars opened. It was crowded, Crosby scored, and everyone was hugging each other, hammered at, like, 7 a.m." —Anonymous

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Canada won the gold medal in men's ice hockey by defeating Sweden 3–0 in the final. Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby, and Chris Kunitz scored, and Canada became the first undefeated champion since 1984.

16. "2010 is so solidly in my mind. Scott and Tessa, the goose lift, and being the youngest ice dancers to take gold on home soil." —Anonymous, Alberta, Canada

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir made history by becoming the first North Americans and the youngest pair (20 and 22) to win Olympic ice dancing gold. They were also the first ice dance team to win gold in their Olympic debut since the event's introduction in 1976, and the win took place on home ice.

17. "Vancouver 2010, Alexandre Bilodeau winning gold on Canadian soil for the first time. I get goosebumps every time I rewatch it, such a beautiful moment for Canada, it became the catalyst to Canada winning 15 gold medals at the Olympics, the most ever by any country at that time." —Female, 34, Canada

Alexandre Bilodeau’s gold medal in men’s moguls was the first time a Canadian athlete won an Olympic gold medal on home soil. His victory also marked a record-breaking 14 gold medals for the country.

After winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, he famously celebrated his victories with his older brother, Frederic Bilodeau, who has cerebral palsy. Frederic was often described as Alex's inspiration, as he constantly encouraged Alex to pursue his skiing dreams.

18. And finally, "Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards being comparatively terrible at ski jumping, but way better than any of us." —janes4c411b247

At the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, Eddie Edwards was the first ski jumper to represent Great Britain. He became a symbol of the "true Olympic spirit" because he had no funding or professional training, yet, despite finishing last in both the 70m and 90m events, he served as a symbol of perseverance and underdog spirit.

Did we miss any of the most unforgettable Winter Olympics moments that you love? Tell us about them in the comments!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length & clarity.

Also in Sports: I Pulled A Muscle...Not Playing Sports, But Laughing At These Hilarious Posts About The 2026 Winter Olympics

Also in Sports: 33 Olympic Photos From The Past That Are So Mind-Boggling I Got Fully Body Chills Just Looking At Them

Also in Sports: I Was A Nationally-Ranked Pair Figure Skater. Here Are 7 Things People Don't Know About The Sport

Read it on BuzzFeed.com