Tokyo Olympics: five massive upsets at the Games including Joseph Schooling, LeBron James and the ‘Russian Bear’
- The USA men’s basketball team losing to France in their opening game, not quite a legendary upset, but definitely one of note at Tokyo 2020
- What are some other memorable upsets at the modern Olympics? When it comes to teams and individuals, five stand out in the modern era
Throughout history, many athletes and teams have put together historic performances on the grandest of stages, coming out of obscurity, and here are five from recent memory.
Rulon Gardner defeats “Russian Bear” Aleksandr Karelin in wrestling
Any time Americans and Russians square off at the Olympics – even after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union – there has always a heightened sense of competition. The American Rulon Gardner was a heavy underdog as the “Russian Bear” Aleksandr Karelin had not lost a Greco-Roman wrestling match in 13 years, and was looking to cap off his career with one final victory.
Karelin was also coming off three consecutive gold medals. However, American farm boy Gardner, who grew up wrestling cows to get into shape, stunned the world. Karelin attempted his signature move, a pulverising reverse lift, but Gardner remained firm, and then scored a point when Karelin broke his lock first. That was enough, and David had beaten Goliath.