TELEMUNDO's and NBC UNIVERSO's team of sports reporters, analysts and sportscasters has joined together to produce "Momentos Olímpicos," a promotional campaign that begins with six promo spots this Thursday, June 16, when exactly 50 days will remain until the inauguration of the xxI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
For legendary soccer announcer Andrés Cantor, who has covered the Olympics for
Telemundo since Athens 2004, a treasured memory is, "definitely, the dream final between Mexico and Brazil. They were without doubt the top two teams of the tournament, and Mexico came from behind to beat Brazil, thrilling fans with its first Olympic gold. The setting was perfect: the birthplace of soccer, Wembley Stadium. Mexico scored the first goal after only 29 seconds, changing the whole course of the match. Oribe Peralta scored again almost 20 minutes before the end of the regulation 90 minutes, putting Mexico ahead 2-0. Brazil managed to get a shot in during extra time, adding an element of suspense at the end, but when the final whistle blew Mexico was crowned the victor 2-1. It was the most exciting moment of the London 2012 games."
Veteran sportscaster and analyst Sammy Sadovnik shared this Olympic moment: "Because I had the honor of helping present the coverage, my best memory was definitely when Michael Phelps broke the world record for the 200-meter butterfly, beating Milorad Cavic for the gold medal at the Beijing Games. Excitement was running high: Everyone wanted to see Phelps win this last gold after the incredible performance he gave at those Olympics. There was so much expectation around the Olympic pool, with Phelps's family and his teammates. It was very exciting to be able to present the gold medal competition and this historic moment in sports."
Like Cantor, Mexican soccer star Carlos Hermosillo cited the Mexico-Brazil final at the 2012 London Olympics: "My Olympic moment was, naturally, Mexico's gold medal. It was something all Mexicans were hoping for, especially former players like me. I would have loved to play for an Olympic medal, but even so I felt like I was a part of every moment of the game, which culminated in the two goals by Oribe and the win over none other than Brazil. These were moments none of the players will ever forget, nor any Mexican who was cheering them on that day."
Miguel Gurwitz covered the Mexican national team for years, and he recalled: "I was the only reporter who was with the 'Tri' all the way through the final at the London 2012 Olympics. I have many special memories from those games, but one of the moments I found most representative of the Olympic spirit was actually in Athens 2004. Brazilian runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima was in the lead in the marathon when a spectator - it turned out to be an Irish priest - jumped out to try to stop him from completing the course. Even despite this incident, Cordeiro de Lima won the bronze. I feel a shiver down my spine every time I remember the applause in the Olympic stadium when he stood on the podium to receive his medal, with everyone knowing he deserved the gold. The now ex-priest later wrote to him and offered his apologies, which Cordeiro de Lima graciously accepted."
Manuel Sol was just 22 when he was chosen to play with Mexico's national soccer team at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, and he shared a few favorite moments from that event: "Without the team members knowing it, TV crews visited our homes in Mexico so that our families could record messages for us. They showed us the tape before our first game, which was against Italy. It meant a lot to us to see our families support us, and we won the game 1-0. But without a doubt, the most significant memory of all, because of all the emotions it brought up, was when we stood on the field and they played Mexico's national anthem before the game. At that moment, we really felt we were representing an entire country."
Copán Álvarez covered the Olympics in Beijing, a challenge that involved adjusting to the time difference between China and his native Honduras. His top memory of those days in 2008 was the soccer gold medal match between Argentina and Nigeria: "It was a very long day; we had already been broadcasting live for more than four hours and then it was time for the final. Because of the time difference, I was narrating the game alone, early in the morning, and I was dead tired. But it more than made up for it seeing Ángel di María send in a shot that went over the goalkeeper's head and won Argentina the gold."
The moment boxing expert René Giraldo remembers best was at the Athens 2004 games: "Cuba's boxing team was the heavy favorite. The team members included a number of world-famous fighters with Olympic and world titles, including Yan Barthelemy, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Mario Kindelán, Lorenzo Aragón and Odlanier Solís. But there was one young man from Guantánamo, Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano, who caught my eye early on. A 22-year-old with a fast and aggressive fighting style, he destroyed the competition in the flyweight category, beating boxers with much more experience than he had. In the round of eight, he eliminated Thailand's Somjit Jongjohor, who had defeated him for the World Championship in 2003. He faced an even bigger challenge in the quarterfinals against Russia's Georgy Balakshin, who had beaten him the year before, but this time around he managed to dominate the two-time European champion 26-18. Gamboa went on to defeat Germany's Rustamhodza Rahimov 20-11 in the semifinals, bringing him up against second-place world champion Jerome Thomas in the final. Once more, Gamboa emerged victorious, defeating the Frenchman 38-23 for the Olympic title. It was an incredible experience watching this unknown and underestimated boxer stamp his name in gold on the history of Olympic boxing."
Édgar López, an expert in basketball,
TRACK AND FIELD and a number of other sports, shared this memory: "In the 400-meter hurdles in London 2012, the favorite was World Champion Javier Culson of Puerto Rico. When the runners were in the final stretch, Culson bumped one of the hurdles, losing his footing. This opened a space for Félix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, the gold medalist at Beijing. When he stepped over the finish line, Sanchez burst into tears of joy, taking out a photograph of his grandmother, who had passed away the week before. It touched my heart - this guy really gave it his all."
Every Olympics is different, noted Leti Coo, who has covered several games for TELEMUNDO, but she always enjoys the opening ceremony. "I loved the one in London, because they paid tribute to British rock bands: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, and new acts as well, like the Arctic Monkeys. I love music, so that was my favorite part."
This will be Ana Jurka's first Olympic Games with TELEMUNDO, but she had a memory to share from London 2012: "When Mariana Pajón of Colombia beat out eight other competitor for the gold in BMX cycling, including her arch-rival from New Zealand. It was terrific to see, because she is a very modest and well-grounded athlete. She had to work really hard in that competition, and part of the excitement was watching her fight her way back from second place. When she crossed the finish line, I imagined everyone in Colombia shouting her name: Mariana Pajón! It was Colombia's second-ever gold medal, and when I saw Mariana hugging her coach I imagined how proud her family must be. It was a beautiful moment."
The Opening Ceremony for Rio 2016 Olympics is on August 5th, but TELEMUNDO's and
NBC UNIVERSO's coverage will begin on August 3rdwith women's soccer and continue with men's soccer on August 4th.
