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These athletes refused to let anything stand between them and victory. Join us as we count down the most jaw-dropping, unbelievable things competitors have done to come out on top! From fighting through devastating injuries to pulling off the most unconventional tactics imaginable, these moments prove that the will to win can push the human body and mind far beyond its limits.
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00:00So I had to kind of resort to any which ways that I, you know, might be able to stay
00:04in points.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo. Today we're looking at the top 10 craziest things that athletes were
00:10forced to do in order to secure an all-important victory. Michael Jordan,
00:14sucking air, got the back massage from Scottie Pippen.
00:19The Ravens take a safety to secure Super Bowl glory. Sometimes the most unorthodox of tactics
00:24can provide the perfect outcome. And at Super Bowl XLVII, that's exactly how the Baltimore
00:28Ravens sealed their victory. And the rookie from Texas delivers the goods.
00:34Leading 34-29 late in the fourth quarter, Baltimore had possession deep in its own territory. With
00:39the clock becoming a major concern. With just 12 seconds remaining, punter Sam Cooke received
00:43the snap in his own end zone, but deliberately avoided punting, scrambling around to consume
00:47precious time. And Texas safety with four seconds to go. 49ers weren't ready for that. That's all.
00:54Nobody going after the punter. The resulting two points from the safety reduced Baltimore's lead
01:00to 34-31. But the damage was done. In other words, the tactic was risky and likely had Baltimore fans
01:05in a total panic, but ultimately it worked. And the Ravens have won it. 34-31.
01:14Michael Bisbing won the UFC middleweight title with one eye. Fighting against the very best
01:18mixed martial artists on the planet is hard enough with two eyes. But for the British legend
01:22Michael Bisbing to say he had it tough would be an understatement.
01:25The word is that you've been a lunatic this week. That is what Dana White told us this week.
01:30Yeah, it's great. It's great. A lunatic. George thinks I'm running out of gas. I'm redlining 24-7.
01:36Simple as that.
01:37Years before his title victory, Bisbing suffered a detached retina in his right eye, leaving him
01:41permanently blind on that side. However, when opportunity came knocking, the count answered.
01:45A short notice showdown with the heavily favored middleweight king, Luke Rockhold, gave Bisbing
01:49the chance he needed to pull off a huge upset. He knocked out Rockhold in the first round to win
01:54the belt. Then years later, revealed to the world he fought through this whole period of his career
01:58with just one working eye.
01:59But at that time, quitting and trying to not become the champion did not even occur to me
02:06for a split second. Giving up never even occurred to me.
02:10Phelps won Olympic gold with his goggles full of water. With a career as decorated and utterly
02:15brilliant as the one that Michael Phelps enjoyed, it's only natural that there were a few freakish
02:19occurrences to overcome. During the men's 200-meter butterfly final at the 2008 Beijing
02:23Olympics, Phelps' goggles began to fill with water, causing his vision to become increasingly
02:27impaired, leaving him unable to see the wall clearly. Rather than panic, Phelps relied on
02:32his extensive training and memorized stroke counts to judge his position. He continued swimming
02:36at an extraordinary pace, using his knowledge of the distance to time his final approach
02:40to the wall. In the end, he did enough to edge out Hungary's Laszlo Cze, securing yet
02:44another gold medal.
02:46Philip Hines crashes on purpose to secure an Olympic restart
02:49The 2012 London Olympics saw British track cyclist Philip Hines get into a major controversy
02:54when his race-winning performance was called into question almost directly after it concluded.
02:59Hines was involved in an early crash during the qualifying round against Germany. In an interview
03:03immediately afterwards, he said that he had deliberately crashed to secure a restart, explaining
03:07that the team had planned to get off to a fast start. However, Hines later changed his account,
03:11saying that he had lost control and fallen accidentally. To most fans, his U-turn seemed incredibly fishy,
03:16especially when Britain went on to win the gold medal.
03:18Carrie Strug nails her second vault on an injured ankle
03:20In the 1996 Olympics, the women's gymnastics team were in a dire need of a strong final performance
03:25from Carrie Strug in order to secure the gold medal. In a shocking twist, Strug landed awkwardly
03:35and injured her ankle during her first vault. Despite the pain, she returned to the runway
03:38for a second attempt. In a show of immense physical determination, she completed the vault and managed
03:51to land briefly on both feet before collapsing, clutching her injured ankle. Her score of 9.712
03:57is enough to secure the gold medal. Now unable to walk, the image of her coach carrying her to the
04:01podium remains one of the most iconic in Olympic history.
04:03It was so special. You know, it was just so special as my dream had come true. A little bit
04:10different than I had planned,
04:11but it still came true.
04:15Wettrick won High Rocks after soiling herself mid-race. A more modern entry comes in next,
04:19as High Rocks world record holder Joanna Wettrick became the center of one of the most extraordinary
04:24sporting scandals in recent memory. At a 2026 Beijing event, she unfortunately suffered bowel incontinence
04:29while in the middle of competing. Rather than withdrawing, she continued through the demanding
04:33indoor fitness race, completing running sections and functional workout stations while visibly soiled.
04:38She finished with a first-place medal, but did so after using shared equipment, which started a
04:42major debate about hygiene and the overall rule set. The organization then introduced new rules and
04:47procedures to prevent this from happening again, while Wettrick apologized and forfeited her win
04:51voluntarily. Shun Fujimoto completes gymnastics routine on a broken knee. At the 1976 Olympics in
04:57Montreal, Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic injury that should
05:02have ended his participation in the games.
05:04I wanted to challenge myself as far as I could go. Also, I wanted to continue our gymnastic success.
05:10Instead of bowing out, he concealed the severity of his injury, fighting through the pain to continue
05:14competing. But I tried not to show that I was injured because I did not want the judges or anyone
05:22to think
05:23that I was hurt. The standout moment of this battle came on the still rings, where he completed a demanding
05:28routine
05:29before executing a dismount that required him to land on his injured leg. His perseverance allowed Japan
05:33to maintain their position, playing a part in them eventually winning Olympic gold.
05:43Chang's underarm serves helped stun Lendl at Roland Garros. Despite being just 17 years of age,
05:48Michael Chang managed to produce one of the greatest tennis victories of all time at the 1989 French Open.
05:53You know, I had actually a little bit of confidence going into that fourth round match with Yvonne.
05:58I had actually beaten him on clay, albeit on Hartrew, actually in Atlanta.
06:05Facing two-time champion Yvonne Lendl in the fourth round, Chang battled severe cramping that left him
06:11struggling to move around the court. Many players would have crumbled in that moment,
06:14but Chang decided to resort to highly unconventional methods to succeed.
06:25He began hitting underarm serves, exploiting Lendl's positioning and disrupting his rhythm.
06:29Later, Chang delivered an exceptionally slow second serve, drawing Lendl forward and forcing
06:34him to adjust to a change of pace. He took a physical shortcoming and turned it into a brilliant tactic.
06:38My goal right then and there was to go out there to finish the match, just take it point by
06:44point.
06:44And like I said, I had opportunities to go for shots, I'd go for them.
06:48On the back of this momentum, he went on to win the entire tournament.
06:51Michael Jordan delivers 38 points in the flu game. For an athlete as insanely competitive as Michael
06:56Jordan, something as seemingly minor as flu-like symptoms was never going to be enough to force him
07:00out of a game. The Chicago Bulls superstar was reportedly bedridden and suffering from severe
07:16nausea before facing the Utah Jazz, leaving his participation in doubt. Yet Jordan took the
07:20court, determined to help his team take control of the series.
07:27Despite his obvious physical discomfort, he poured in 38 points, grabbed 7 rebounds,
07:32and dished out 5 assists. By the end of the game, you could see the toll his performance
07:35had been taking on him. This has since been called one of the most memorable showcases of
07:39his entire career, a testament to his grit and determination.
07:52Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope masterpiece. In 1974, George Foreman was the heavyweight champion of the
07:57world, knocking out Joe Frazier and Ken Norton to get there.
08:0025-year-old George Foreman was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
08:07Undefeated in 40 straight fights, Foreman had destroyed Joe Frazier inside two rounds to win
08:12the title, and had demolished Ken Norton in equally devastating fashion.
08:17The aging Muhammad Ali was counted out by many who understood how the sport of boxing worked.
08:21Big George had his youth, and Ali was not the athlete he once was. On fight night,
08:25Ali decided to do something drastic in order to throw Foreman off.
08:28Ali was ever confident.
08:30His whole plan is a change for this fight, and it destroys a man when you have to change
08:35your whole style for one fight. His flat-footed style will not win.
08:39He adopted a rope-a-dope strategy, leaning against the ropes and absorbing Foreman's
08:43offense on his arms and body, leaning out of the way of the bigger punches. He effectively
08:47let the big man punch himself out. By round eight, the tactic had worked, and the former
08:51champion sprung forth, winning back his old belt with a huge knockout.
08:54Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
08:58But what do you consider to be the most brilliant and surprising piece of sporting
09:01perseverance of all time? Let us know in the comments below.
09:05Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:06Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:08Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:08Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:09Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:09Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:09Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
09:09Muhammad Ali has won by a knockdown.
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