Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988: It Seems Like Yesterday

This stirring clip is an excerpt from It Seems Like Yesterday, a Ten Eyewitness News special reviewing the big news events of the 1980s.

It begins with imagery from the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics, including the passing of the flame and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron (in Seoul) and the Australians marching in the parade of flags (Los Angeles). 

This sequence is followed by a montage featuring many of the most famous  Australian performances at the two Olympic events.  

The coverage profiles Duncan Armstrong's 200m freestyle gold medal performance and cleverly interweaves the iconic, uninhibited reaction from coach Laurie Lawrence. Other memorable moments featured in the segment include:

•    The Hockeyroos (women's hockey) gold medal win in Seoul
•    Debbie Flintoff-King's nailbiting 400m hurdle final in Seoul
•    Dean Lukin's winning lift in weightlifting in Los Angeles
•    Jon Sieben's unexpected gold medal in the 200m butterfly in Los Angeles
•    Gary Honey's brilliant silver medal in long jump in Los Angeles
•    Glynis Nunn's gold medal in heptathlon in Los Angeles.

The uplifting 1980s synth music, combined with segments of audio commentary (at times with added reverberation filtering) and the crossfading of the imagery, delivers a stylishly executed TV production. It effectively conveys a sense of excitement and also nostalgia for the time it portrays.