London 2012 Olympics: 15 Heart-Pounding Moments in US Track and Field History

A lump in your throat. Goosebumps. Elation. Shock.

Track and field is a sport that is made for such feelings, and after a thrilling Olympic Trials, it looks like American athletes will be giving us plenty of exciting moments in London.

Looking back on past Olympic thrills and chills (with a little help from YouTube) can get your heart rate up, just like it did the first time. Here are the top 15 heart-pumping moments, both good and bad, in American Olympic track and field history.

15. Seoul 1988: Flo Jo Sets 200-Meter World Record

Florence Griffith Joyner's breathtaking performance in the 200-meter dash in Seoul not only crushed the competition—it also crushed the world record.

Her time of 21.34 was the signature moment of her dominant career in what was a tragically short-lived life.

14. Tokyo 1964: Schul Surges to Win 5,000 Meters

Bob Schul was at the back of the pack with two laps to go in the Tokyo 5K, but he ran a 54.8-second final lap to come from 10 meters behind.

Watching it again makes you realize what a riveting moment it was in the rain.

13. Munich 1972: Wottle's Wild 800

Dave Wottle looked like, well, a nerd.

Wearing a golf cap in his races, the goofy and gangly American started so far behind that broadcasters were wondering if he was "seriously injured" at the start.

Wottle wasn't even ranked the year before his gold medal, but everyone watching knew his name after this.

12. Los Angeles 1984: Benoit's Stadium Entrance

It wasn't a close finish, but there is something about the footage of Joan Benoit entering a roaring L.A. Coliseum that can give any American goosebumps.

Maybe it's the contrast of a young-looking woman trotting straight-faced down the track and causing 90,000 people to go nuts. Whatever it is, it's worth another look.  

11. Seoul 1988: Ashford Runs Amazing Anchor Leg

Evelyn Ashford's come-from-behind anchor leg in Seoul clinched 4x100 gold for the Americans over the (politically) hated East Germans.

As she explains at the beginning of this video, there were many reasons why the U.S. should have lost the race, but Ashford saved the day in a narrow finish.

Check it out here.

10. Barcelona 1992: Devers Edges Ultra-Tight Pack

This wasn't a head-to-head battle for gold. It was a head-to-head-to-head-to-head-to-head finish, as Gail Devers won the closest race in 100-meter history in Barcelona for the '92 games.

The top five finishers were all within six one-hundredths of a second.

9. Beijing 2008: Lolo Clips Ninth Hurdle

The lovable Lolo Jones had the 100-meter hurdles in the bag on a hot night in Beijing. She was just steps away from winning the race when she clipped the ninth of 10 hurdles and missed the podium.

Jones has the ability to raise a man's heartbeat by just showing some skin.

She raised everyone's heartbeat with her heartbreaking finish in the race four years ago.

8. Mexico City 1968: Fosbury Changes the Game

Any high-jump competition can get fans on edge. The millimeters separating success and failure as the bar wobbles can make it hard to breathe.

Adding an extra element to that excitement was Dick Fosbury's revolutionary performance in Mexico City. The now immortalized Fosbury literally went backwards to win the event and changed the sport in the process via his "Fosbury flop."

His twitchy and eccentric behavior before jumping made the moment seem even more intense.

7. Los Angeles 1984: Lewis Wins 4th Gold in Style

He had already won the 100, 200 and high jump. Carl Lewis needed to finish off the 4x100 relay by anchoring the Americans, and he did it in fine fashion. 

The moment was exponentially enhanced by the fact that Lewis ran a stellar final leg and crossed the line with a new world record on home soil in Los Angeles.

A feat that had been hyped for at least two years leading up to the Games was achieved in the finest possible fashion.

6. Barcelona 1992: Devers Falls Hard in 100-Meter Hurdles

Gail Devers was en route to an easy win in the 100-meter hurdles, trying to become the first woman to ever win the 100 and 100 hurdles.

Instead, as Lolo Jones would do 16 years later, she clipped a hurdle and fell hard. It was an agonizing fall for Devers and a great call by the British broadcaster in the video.

5. Mexico City 1968: Beamon's "Leap of the Century"

Everyone knew that Bob Beamon's first jump in Mexico City was massive, but it took a long time to get the final measurement as the judges weren't prepared for such a leap.

The tension and nerves inevitably mounted until the final announcement. Beamon hopped around the track trying to stay calm, but it's hard to believe he could even breathe; Beamon had demolished the world record by almost two feet, and he collapsed in shock. 

4. Atlanta 1996: Old-Man Lewis Wins Long Jump

Carl Lewis was an ancient 35 years old heading into the '96 Atlanta Games. The three-time defending champion in the long jump had barely qualified, finishing third at the Olympic trials.

Yet somehow, he had one more mega-jump left in his tank.

Lewis soared 27 feet, 10.75 inches through the Georgia heat to win his final gold medal and leave everyone breathless.

"Lewis beat age, gravity, history, logic and the world at a rocking Olympic Stadium in Atlanta to win the Olympic gold medal in the long jump," Rick Reilly wrote in Sports Illustrated. "It was quite possibly his most impossible moment in an impossibly brilliant career."

3. Los Angeles 1984: Decker Downed by Budd

This could've re-ignited the Revolutionary War.

Little barefooted-teenager Zola Budd of Great Britain got tied up with American favorite Mary Decker in the 3,000-meter finals in Los Angeles in what has become one of the most famous races in history.

American fans went from elation to shock in a matter of moments. Budd was initially disqualified before being reinstated as the seventh-place finisher.

2. Mexico City 1968: Let the Fists Fly

Setting the 200-meter world record was exciting, but Tommie Smith and bronze-medalist John Carlos really gave the world chills when they raised their fists on the medal stand as a form of protest.

Some were enraged, and some were inspired. In either case, it was a thrilling and iconic moment. 

1. Atlanta 1996: The Man with the Golden Shoes

Michael Johnson's reaction when he saw the clock said it all.

The American sprinter looked invincible for 19.32 seconds as he shot out of the turn in Atlanta with his golden shoes merely a blur below him, setting the 200-meter world record.

It will forever be viewed as one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.