Most people watch gymnastics for the grace, beauty and artistry. Not me. I watch gymnastics for the wrecks. Don't get me wrong, I admire the artistry and athleticism of the sport, but, to be honest, it's the possibility of a wipe out that keeps me glued to my seat. Think about it. These folks are doing flips, cartwheels and the splits on planks of wood, steel bars and suspended rings. That's a sure fire recipe for spectacular wrecks. Don't believe me? Check out some of the clips.

As you can see, Gymnastics is a brutal sport. Do you remember Kerri Strug, the diminutive dynamo who stole everyone's heart at the Atlanta Olympics? In an effort to bring home the gold, Kerri landed a perfect vault on a sprained ankle. Kerri's courage inspired us all, but she was not the first to fight off pain and deliver a heart stopping routine. Back in 1976, at the Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast named Shun Fujimoto etched his name in Olympic history with an incredible display of courage and will power.

Shun, a member of the favored Japanese team, took to the mat for his floor exercise, confident that he could contribute a great performance for his team. Unfortunately for Shun, the floor exercise proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. Halfway through the routine Shun felt a terrible pain in his knee. He had broken his knee cap. Incredibly, he finished the routine and returned to his seat. Most folks, me included, would have hobbled to the nearest emergency room, called for a bucket of ibuprofen and wallowed in self pity. Not Shun. He didn't even tell his teammates about his injury. He sucked it up and proceeded to perform a flawless routine on the pommel horse. After that performance Shun's knee was in dire straits. If he competed in the next event, the rings, he risked long term damage. The triple flip dismount Shun planned was difficult enough on two good legs, but on shattered knee, it was nearly impossible.

In a moment of incredible tension and drama Shun delivered a once in a life time performance. Not only did he make a difficult routine look easy, he landed a perfect dismount, barely flinching on the landing. Only later did everyone realize that Sun's broken knee cap had separated during the dismount. Astonishing!

In reviewing the history of this Olympic moment I was struck by the humility of this man. Shun looks back at this heroics as nothing else than that of good teammate who wanted to contribute to his team's success. Wow! Now that's an athlete who inspires me to something greater than my own selfish ambitions. I salute you Shun Fujimoto, you are what the Olympics are all about.

Olympic Outrage - Observations From Beijing

Eric "the Eel" Moussambani

The Man Who Ran Barefoot - Abebe Bikila