The Agony & The Ecstasy

During the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto broke his right knee while competing in the floor exercise. At the time, Japan and the Soviet Union fielded the world's premier gymnastics teams, each striving to capture as many medals as possible. Despite the severity of his injury and the excruciating pain, Fujimoto chose to continue competing the following day in the rings—his signature event.

His performance was exceptional, but what stunned spectators most was his dismount: a triple…