Regardless of whether you are a competitor or simply a keen fan, chances are everyone will have that standout memory that comes to mind when you think of the Olympic Games.
The list is endless – be it Kelly Holmes crossing the line arms outstretched to complete the 800m and 1500m double at Athens 2004, Steve Redgrave being embraced in the boat by Matthew Pinsent after sealing a historic fifth gold at Sydney 2000 or Sebastian Coe turning the tables on Steve Ovett for 1500m gold in Moscow in 1980. And that’s just Team GB!
For modern pentathlete Samantha Murray, it’s the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens four years later which will forever be etched in her mind.
“My earliest Olympic memory was Cathy Freeman running the 400m at Sydney in that suit she wore,” explained Murray.
“It was for the culture, raising awareness and I got her autobiography and then I guess I saw a poster of Britain’s Steph Cook, the gold medallist from Sydney, cross the line and that really was the moment when I thought ‘modern pentathlon is my sport and she is my role model’.
“Then of course I saw Georgina Harland win bronze in 2004 and I was like ‘I want to do this so much’.
“I was 12, in 2002 when I thought ‘this is what I want to do’. Everyone has a dream. When I was 12 that is what I wanted to do and now it is my job.
“Some people want to be footballers, a singer, a doctor, whatever it is you want to be, if you can do that by perseverance and hard work then the feeling of self-achievement is great.”
While being inspired is one thing, successfully making the most of your potential to reach the very top is another.
Murray has certainly done that though, with no fewer than seven World Championship medals to her name, including the individual title in 2014.
Two years previously she fulfilled her 12-year-old self’s Olympic dream by appearing at London 2012 – marking her debut in style with silver. A second Olympic Games appearance is now less than 60 days away after she was this week named as part of the four-strong modern pentathlon team heading to Rio.
Of that quartet, she is the only individual with previous Games experience and after silver last time out, many will be eagerly watching on to see if the 26-year-old can upgrade to gold in Brazil.
It is a level of expectation Murray has had to bear for the past four years but while seemingly a heavy burden in past times, she now seems at ease with things.
“The pressure of everyone saying ‘now you’re going for Olympic gold’ it is not normal and for a while I was like ‘yes I am’ but how many people in the world are continually being told they are going for Olympic gold?,” she added.
“It is kind of like I was stressed by it, the expectation, but now I have come to a point where I feel so privileged that people are talking about Olympic gold.
“In the Olympics, you can have an excellent day and finish sixth, so what are you going to do? Feel miserable forever?
“No, you have to be happy with what you’re able to produce. For me all I can do now is work on all the disciplines, perfect to my ability everything I can do, and on the day I’m going do what I am able to do.”
Murray still has one major outing to go before Rio, with next month’s European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
She will be hoping for a confidence-boosting result, especially after difficulties in the combined event saw her fall out of individual contention at the recent World Championships.
She did still walk away with relay silver picked up earlier in the Championships and the Lancastrian is not underestimating the importance of looking at the bigger picture.
“We can get carried away with everything – the pinnacle is finishing on the Olympic podium,” she explained.
“No, the Olympic ethos is about how you treat the other athletes and the personality you bring and to what you can teach others through your attitude.
“This time around, I want a medal so much but it also about showing people that determination, perseverance and being happy and following your dreams can make you a top person.
“I’m not going to give up and if that means I don’t finish on the podium then I have to smile because I have done my best and that is the key thing.”
Sportsbeat 2016