Once the Games finally got started, our hearts were quickly stolen by 14-year-old
Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who scored seven perfect 10s on her way to
three gold medals.
One has to wonder whether the GDR's domination of the women's swimming
was not not more due to good preparation rather than just natural talent.
It cannot be coincidence that one nation won 11 out of 13 events in one
discipline, even if they had the great Kornelia Ender. You could also
argue that it was as much coaching as talent that saw the American men, led
by John Naber, win 12 out of 13 medals in the men's 1976 Olympic swimming.
The situation in the boxing was rather different, while the USA won 5
Olympic gold medals, four would become World world boxing champions, Ray
Leonard, Howard Davis and the Spinks brothers, Michael and Leon, thus the
Montreal Olympics witnessed a truly talented USA boxing team.
Finland's Lasse Viren took the 5,000 and 10,000. Viren missed a third gold
when he placed fifth in the marathon. Talking of this 26 mile gruelling
race, Waldemar
Cierpinski won the race, and would go on to win again in 1980 at Moscow.
The toughest event of them all was settled when Bruce Jenner won the
decathlon.
While Greg Joy put some shine on Canada's
record when he won a
silver medal in the high jump, however, Canada became the first host country not
to win a gold medal. Meanwhile Viktor Saneyev of the Soviet Union won his
third consecutive triple jump gold medal.
In track and field, Cuba's
Alberto Juantorena won the 400 and 800-meter gold medals. Will and Guy remember the
first Colemanballs.
While describing the 800m race David Coleman said: 'And there goes Juantorena
down the back straight, opening his legs and showing his class'.
Guy feels outraged and intrigued by Boris Onishchenko's cheating in the
Pentathlon fencing. Aside from drug taking this was the most blatant,
and especially the most pre-meditated, cheating unearthed at any Olympic
Games.
Onishchenko was a KGB officer, that in itself should put us on alert that
all is not quite as it seems. However, at the Montreal 1976 Olympics
Onishchenko was a well known competitor having won a silver medal at Munich
4 years earlier.
What his Soviet KBG team had done (for how long?) was construct a special
fencing épée. All that Boris the Cheat had to do was pressed a secret
button in the grip to simulate a 'Hit' on his adversary. Normally a
fencer has to actually touch his opponent before the circuit is completed
and a hit registered, but Boris only had to wave his sword near his opponent
and press his secret button and bingo, he registered a score. It was
Great Britain's Jim Fox who smelt a rat and exposed the "Disonischenko".
Incidentally, Great Britain went on to take the Pentathlon team gold medal.
Some say that Boris was not only ejected from the competition, but also
from a hotel window - by his team mates. Others say that he would up
in a Siberian salt-mine. Most likely he was promoted to Captain in the
KGB.
Princess Anne at the 1976 Olympics
In 1976, Princess Anne was a member of the
English equestrian team in the Montreal Olympics. In the only exception to
qualifying standards in Olympic history, she was exempted from the mandatory
physical examination.
'The horse is about the only person who does not know you are Royal.'
Princess Anne.
IOC committee member
Despite persistent rumours and urban myths, Princess Anne did not win a medal
of any colour at these or any other Olympic Games.
Footnote Please send us your interesting facts
and trivia for the Montreal 1976 Olympic games.
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