Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Olympic Fever

I am an avid fan of the Olympics. It is not called the greatest sporting spectacle on earth for nothing. Such a great joy to celebrate humanity through sportsmanship and the achievement of greater heights and glory among inter-nation competition.

My favorite olympic sports to watch include track and field, swimming, basketball and gymnastics. I've watched Carl Lewis' golden performances in the century dash and his long jump routines back in the day. I loved Michael Johnson's winning runs in the 200 and 400 meters double in Atlanta with his famous golden shoes. I also fairly remembered that well demeanored track star from Namibia, Frankie Fredericks or the indefatigable, Marlene Ottey of Jamaica. I should say, Ms. Ottey was a true queen of the track and field event, considering the long span of time she participated in it. She even switched nationalities when her country dropped her from the sport altogether for obvious reasons.

How about the flambouyant Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago. I can still picture him sporting those shades whenever he sets his foot on the tracks. How about the great FloJo or those long painted nails of Gail Devers from the US Track Team. And I became of fan of the pole vault sport, if only, because of the great Sergey Budka.

Today, the track superstar is truly Usain Bolt. Indeed a lightning bolt after the gun explodes to signal the start of the century dash. I have rooted for him. My nephews were looking for Tyson Gay, only to learn, his time in the preliminaries was not enough to get into the 3-way contest with Bolt and Powell. I was alone behind the theatrically inclined Bolt - my nephews were all behind Asafa Powell. After the run, we all were in awe at the speed by which the Olympic record and world records were shattered by Usain Bolt. Truly, a magnificent run for Bolt in the Beijing Olympics.

In swimming, I remember such great stars in the pool like Janet Evans and Kristina Egerzhigy. Or the great Alexandr Popov and the thorpedo himself, Ian Thorpe of Australia. These guys have the aura and star power in them, you can't help but admire their capacity to endure pain and excel in the most superlative of terms. However in this Olympics, Beijing will always be remembered for Michael Phelps' herculean efforts and almost magical moments with a finger tip win in his bid to haul 8 gold medals in a single Olympics. I'm so glad today's technology allows for judging who wins by splitting the time to 100ths of a second.

In basketball, there is no way I will ever forget the very first time the Olympics allowed professional athletes of the NBA in the 1992 Barcelona Games. Who can forget the only and real Dream Team that the US sent for the games. My god, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, were among the huge NBA stars who trooped down to Barcelona. Imagine the pandemonium and hysteria created by their mere presence. Today, the US Basketball Team is more humble than the previous teams sent by the US, after the Dream Team. And at least, they play like a team and has performed according to their billing. At least I know for sure, the US Basketball team will be the Olympic Gold favorites this time around.

I watched the gymnastics for the sheer pleasure of appreciating the grace and beauty amid tremendous pain and sacrifice put in by the men and women in the performance of their routines. I remember Svetlana Vokenskaya, that lovely lady from Russia whose gracefulness seemed unmatched in her time. I also was in awe at Kerri Strugg's strong willpower and resolve as she never gave up when she took her final vault with an injured foot. And of course the Hamm brothers of Team USA. But in Beijing, I loved the performances of Zou Kai and Chen Yibing in the floor and rings, respectively. These guys were just magnificent in their routines. Though Yang Wei maybe in a different league on his own, I tend to admire athletes who excel in a particular apparatus.

My only rant this Olympics is the kind of coverage shown on local television. There is just not enough time alloted for my favorite sports. Whenever I tune in, Basketball in always there, which does not interest me as much, considering that the US Team will always post the most considerable margin there is at the end of the game. I guess the predictability of the results just bored me to death, hence, I want other events to be shown on TV instead.

Well, I hope next time around, more channels will carry the Olympic broadcast.

PS> I so loved the Opening Ceremony in Beijing. There was drama, excitement and pageantry only a superpower like China could execute and present to the world. This has to be the greatest Opening Ceremony ever staged in the history of the Olympics.