Along with featuring some standout stars throughout its two weeks of competition, the 2018 Winter Olympics are sure to deliver some unforgettable stories among the feats of athleticism. In anticipation of all the memories to come from the PyeongChang Games, here are some defining moments from past Winter Olympics. (Photos via Mike Powell/Getty Images + Steve Powell/Getty Images + Ryan Pierse/Getty Images + Gray Mortimore/Allsport)
The Miracle on Ice (Lake Placid, 1980): One of the best-known Team USA Olympic victories happened in New York, when the US men's hockey team took down the years-long unbeatable Soviet Union in the semifinals. They went on to win gold, beating out Finland 4-2 and becoming the subject of various movies and documentaries over the years. (Photo via Steve Powell/Getty Images)
The Battle of the Brians (Calgary, 1988): An intense skills rivalry between American figure skater Brian Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser overtook the Calgary games, even earning the event the nickname "The Battle of the Brians." While both performed remarkable routines, Boitano won the gold by just a fraction of a point. (Photo via Daniel Janin/AFP/Getty Images)
Eddie the Eagle Soars into the Spotlight (Calgary, 1988): Though he finished dead-last in every event, Michael "Eddie the Eagle" Edwards garnered a ton of attention and a small fortune for his Olympics career. As the first ski jumping competitor for Great Britain in 60 years, Edwards had less training, money, and skills than his Olympic peers, but he nonetheless became the star of the Calgary games. In 2016, he was the subject of a biopic starring Taron Egerton. (Photo via Mike Powell/Allsport)
Dan Jansen's Heartbreak and Redemption (Calgary, 1988): Just hours before the talented US speed skater was set to compete in the 500-meter race, Jansen learned that his sister had lost her battle with leukemia. He competed anyway but fell in his skate and went home from Calgary empty-handed. Six years later, at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, Jansen got the gold in the last race of his Olympic career. (Photos via Junju Kurokawa/AFP/Getty Images + Chris Cole/Allsport)
The Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding Saga (Lillehammer, 1994): The biggest story of the Lillehammer Games — and one of the biggest of all time — was the rivalry between figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. When Kerrigan was clubbed in the leg at the US championships about a month before the Olympics, the attack was linked to Harding's ex-husband. Though Harding maintained that she knew nothing about the incident before it happened, she later pled guilty to hindering the investigation. Kerrigan went on to recover and win silver at the Olympics, while Harding suffered a setback with a broken skate lace, coming in eighth. The whole saga, as well as a look at Harding's life, was covered in the hit 2017 movie I, Tonya. (Photos via Clive Brunskill/Allsport + David Madison/Getty Images)
Jamaica Introduces Its First-Ever Bobsled Team (Calgary, 1988): The 1988 Jamaican bobsled team remains one of the most iconic underdog stories in Olympics history. Though the team — consisting of Devon Harris, Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Freddy Powell, and Chris Stokes — didn't win any medals, they did win the world's hearts with their debut at the Calgary games. The team became so popular, in fact, that Disney made a hit movie, Cool Runnings, loosely based on their experience at the 1988 Olympics. (Photo via Mark Cardwell/AFP/Getty Images)
Team USA Sets the Gold Standard in Women's Hockey (Nagano, 1998): In the same year the men's team disgracefully trashed their hotel rooms after losing out on a medal, the women's team ascended to win the gold. It was the first year for women's ice hockey in the Olympics. (Photo via B Bennett/Getty Images)
Tara Lipinski Makes Olympic History (Nagano, 1998): At just 15 years old, Lipinski outperformed Michelle Kwan (who was favored to win) to become the youngest individual gold-medal winner in Winter Olympics history. She's stayed in the world of professional figure skating since, and can often be seen providing commentary for NBC. (Photo via Mike Powell/Getty Images)
The Figure Skating Judging Scandal (Salt Lake City, 2002): Allegations that the figure skating scoring had been fixed arose after Canadian pair Jamie Sale and David Pelletier's flawless routine only earned them a silver, second to a rockier outing from Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. Eventually, it was revealed that a judge had indeed been bribed and coerced; both teams were awarded gold and took the podium together, while the voting system was completely overhauled. (Photo via Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Great Britain's Women's Curling Team Goes for the Gold (Salt Lake City, 2002): The 2002 women's curling team from Great Britain earned the country's first Olympic gold medal in 18 years, and their humble Scottish housewife backgrounds took Salt Lake City — and the world — by storm. (Photo via John Gichigi/Getty Images)
Team USA Cleans Up in Vancouver (Vancouver, 2010): Canada took home the greatest number of gold medals at the Vancouver games, but Team USA nabbed a total of 37 medals across the board — the most for any country in Winter Olympics history. (Photo via Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Ashley Wagner's Meme-Worthy Reaction (Sochi, 2014): Wagner didn't just make her Olympics debut at the Sochi games — she made her mark as someone who'd go on to be known for speaking her mind. Upon receiving her disappointing scores, she couldn't hide her disgust, and a meme was born. (Photo via Darren Cummings/Pool/Getty Images)
Mikaela Shiffrin Makes Slalom History (Sochi, 2014): At just 18 years old, Shiffrin won the gold in slalom at the Sochi Games, making her the youngest winner of the event in Olympic history. She's considered one of the best slalom skiers in the world and is set to make even more headlines this year in PyeongChang. (Photo via Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
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