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Sports Rewind: Muhammad Ali lights the 1996 Olympic torch

1996: Muhammad Ali lights the torch
1996: Muhammad Ali lights the torch
Muhammad Ali lights the torch
Muhammad Ali lights the torch
1996: Muhammad Ali lights the torch
1996: Muhammad Ali lights the torch
1996: Muhammad Ali lights the torch
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Boxing great Muhammad Ali lights the wick to ignite the cauldron during the Opening Ceremonies for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. (Cox Staff Photo/Allen Eyestone)
By Juliakate E Culpepper
July 19, 2017

Twenty-one years ago on July 19, 1996, former World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Ali, who won a gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Olympic Games, lit the Olympic Torch tower after he was given the flame by Olympic swimmer Janet Evans.

Ali died on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74.

RELATED: Atlanta Olympic Cauldron to be lighted for 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials

>> Atlanta 1996 Olympic Venues and how they look today

Muhammad Ali lights the wick that would ignite the Olympic Caldron during the Opening Ceremonies for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games July 19, 1996, at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta. 
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Juliakate E Culpepper
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