Young Michael Phelps of the United States came to Beijing with a goal. That goal was to beat the record set by the great Mark Spitz; to win more than 7 Gold Medals in one Olympic Games. He has come out the other side of these Olympics having done that, with a record 8 Gold Medals. It took 36 years to break Spitz’s record, and it will be a long time before Phelps is overtaken.
These Olympic Games are producing amazing times, and inspirational winners from parts of the world that we never thought would win medals of any colour. The Mongolians have won a Gold Medal in Judo. An athlete from Togo has won a Gold Medal in Kayaking, and the Jamaicans are literally running away with any medal they can get their hands on. We always see the Olympics as inspirational, but nothing was as much a mix of inspiration and determination as the Gold Medal weighlitfting feat I witnessed. Lu Yong of China lifted 214kg in the clean and jerk, and got 3 white lights that one is supposed to get when they have successfully lifted. However, the decision was reversed, and he was made to come out less than 5 minutes later, and lift the same weight again. Never have I cheered for another country so loudly as I did for China at that particular moment. As far as I was concerned, he made the first lift, and I wanted him to dig in, lift that weight, and shove the previous decision up any orifice that could be found on the judges. He did.
It is those inspirational moments that give us the reason why we spend so much money on this thing called the Olympics every four years. It’s those moments where a little known sport, or a little known athlete, gets the spotlight, and we all sit up night after night to watch a sport we don’t give a care about. Moments like the 37 year old winner of the women’s marathon, athletes competing in their sixth Olympics, or simply witnessing a flawless routine in the gymnastics. It is a wonderful time.
What isn’t so wonderful is the woeful commentary that we have to listen to. The bullshit that these people spin, especially the ‘general’ commentators, is beyond the pale. I heard on a radio show the other day that we, as Australians, talk up our Olympians, and rightly so. We are a strong force in a number of sports. However, when we lose, I wish the commentators would say, “We weren’t the best on the day”, rather than making excuses about our poor performance. And, for those in charge of the Australian coverage via Channel 7, can someone please never, ever have Daniel Kowalski poolside interviewing. He was a 2 bit swimmer and he is a 2 bit commentator. Talk about insipid and wet! (pardon the pun). It was like he had never done the job before, and a 10 year old could have asked better questions than he did. For those of you who are lucky enough not to get Australia’s coverage, feel blessed. It’s so soppy, soaked with sponsorship promotions, and dripping with cliches, that it barely looks real. It’s only when we go to the specialised sports, that we hear experts in each field, such as Phil Liggett in cycling, Nick Green in rowing, Steve Moneghetti in Marathon running, Damian Brown in weightlifting, and the legendary Liz Chetkovich in Gymnastics. These people know their sport.
Amongst the smaltz, there is one commercial that has a really nice tribute to all the parents who give of their time to make these athletes who they are. The ‘unsung heroes’ who get up at sparrow’s fart every morning to get their kids to the pool, the river, the track, or the valedrome. They never get the Gold Medal. Some never even get to go to the Olympics. But they do it, because their kid wants to do it, and their kid has the talent to take them a long way. They think it’s worth it.
The Olympics is filled with amazing moments like these. If you haven’t watched any of the coverage, no matter where you are in the world, take a look. Everytime I turn on and watch, I am inspired. Inspired by the greatness of these simple amateur athletes. No, not all of them are stricly amateur, but they are not the Tiger Woods’, and the Roger Federer’s of this world who are in our faces all the time. They chip away at their chosen sport to be the best they can be, and to be witness to that effort is an honour and a privilege. I wish them all every success.
Enjoy your day.
