Track and Field
The feature race of every Olympics is the Men’s 100m for bragging rights as the world’s fastest man. The media spared no space hyping this one as a showdown – not only between a David and a Goliath nation, namely Jamaica and the United States, respectively, but also between a good and an evil athlete, namely the putatively clean Usain Bolt and the sanctioned drug cheat Justin Gatlin, respectively.
This might betray too much of my contrarian and forgiving spirit, but I was rooting for Gatlin.
- Usain Bolt of Jamaica won gold in 10:81; Justin Gatlin of the USA, silver; and Andre DeGrasse of Canada, bronze.
My old college roommate suggested that Bolt just knows how to get into Gatlin’s head. I think he’s right. Because only this explains Gatlin allowing Bolt to win with a time that is slower than that which Gatlin routinely runs at far less important meets….
In any event, Bolt is now the first man in history to win this feature race at three consecutive Olympic Games. What’s more, he can become as Phelpsian as any athlete can by “threepeating” in the 200m and 4x100m Relay as well later this week.
Gold in each would allow him to retire with a total of 9. Yes, I think he will retire, and he would be well-advised to do so.
The Jamaicans are becoming to Track and Field what the Chinese are to Ping Pong. Not only are they dominating the sprints for Jamaica at these Olympic Games; like the Chinese, they are also providing the best results for other countries by competing under non-Jamaican flags.
Jamaican grande dame Merlene Ottey pioneered this trend when she began competing for Slovenia in 2002.
(“Beijing 2008: Day 9,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 19, 2008)
This rent-a-runner phenomenon played out in truly dramatic fashion during the Women’s Marathon today. Specifically, the last few miles featured a duel between former Kenyan Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and Kenyan Jemima Jelagat Sumgong. Now bear in mind that distance running is to Kenya what Soccer is to Brazil. So just imagine the outrage, backlash, resentment if the former had won.
- Jemima Jelagat Sumgong of Kenya won gold in 2:24.04; Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (now) of Bahrain, silver; and Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia, bronze.
I hope marathoners will forgive me for admitting that, but for the terrific vistas along the way, watching most of this race was like watching paint dry. But, truly, if you’ve never been to Rio, watching running and cycling road races during these Games provides a terrific virtual tour.
Finally, as thrilling as the Men’s 100m was, the Men’s 400m was even more so – even without the hype. It is noteworthy that no Jamaican was in the race, let alone in medal contention.
It featured LaShawn Merritt, the Beijing 2008 champion, and Kirani James, the London 2012 champion, in a proverbial rubber match. Except that there was an unsung dark horse, Wayde van Niekerk, the World 2015 champion.
This one was easy. I was rooting for James.
- Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa won gold and set a new World Record in 43.03; Kirani James of Grenada, bronze; and LaShawn Merritt of the USA, bronze.
Truth be told, given that Van Niekerk is the reigning World Champion, he clearly deserved more media coverage coming into this race.
Still, James and Merritt could be forgiven for thinking he would not be a factor after seeing the lane assignments. After all, no runner had ever won a major championship from lane 8, the most difficult of all. Of course, this is what made Van Niekerk’s win as impressive as it was historic.
Amandla!
Incidentally, you might wonder why, as a Caribbean native, I would root for the American Gatlin instead of the Jamaican Bolt in the 100m. I submit, however, that the more poignant wonder might be why Bolt would root the South African van Niekerk instead of the Grenadian James in the 400m. It’s complicated.
But suffice it to know that most people from the Caribbean feel about Jamaica the way most people from Africa feel about Nigeria. And if you don’t get this analogy, I suggest you add people from these regions to your circle of friends.
Boxing
Rio 2016 is setting records for all kinds of anomalies that have nothing to do with sports.
Most notable among them are the number of athletes complaining about contaminated water and the number of them getting mugged by local thugs – as was the case with Ryan Lochte and several swimmers from Team USA on Saturday night.
But one salient sports anomaly is the extent to which Wrestling has replaced Boxing as the premier contact Olympic sport.
It hardly helps that no fighter of the caliber of former Olympians like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, or even Leon Spinks is participating. But no fighter has even generated any buzz – if only because of his Ali-like trash talk. And I doubt any will become a household name after these Games.
But you know something’s wrong when a fighter from India is beating the crap out of one from the USA — as happened when Krishan Vikas defeated Charles Conwell in a preliminary round on Day 4.
Meanwhile, women are competing in Boxing for the second time. But can someone explain to me why they’re still wearing protective headgear, given this:
Male boxers will not wear protective headgear at Rio 2016 after the International Olympic Committee ratified the rule change by the sport’s governing body.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) provided medical and technical data that showed the number of concussions is lower without headgear.
(BBC, March 1, 2016)
Alas, given the popularity of women’s MMA bouts, watching women box, according to the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, is about as exciting as watching men compete in Synchronized Swimming would be — ewww!
Apropos of which:
Synchronized Swimming
Competition began today. And, at the risk of seeming chauvinistic, what struck me most is that pole dancers have nothing on synchronized swimmers when it comes to displaying remarkable athleticism in titillating fashion. Indeed, how thoughtful of NBC to enhance our viewing pleasure by giving us shots of their rhythmic gyrations above and below water.
This might be the only sport where cheering is stimulated more by carnal lust than evoked by national pride. Not to mention the bemusement that this is actually an Olympic sport….
Frankly, it’s surreal and emasculating enough that men compete in Handball. But when I happened upon them competing in Field Hockey at London 2012, my first thought was that men will soon be competing in Synchronized Swimming too. Sure enough….
Nobody is a greater supporter of equal rights between men and women than I, but this is ridiculous.
Incidentally, if members of team duets look uncannily alike, it’s not just similar make up. Countries seek a calculated advantage by training and fielding identical twins.
MEDAL COUNT: USA – 69; China – 45; Great Britain – 38
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Beijing 2008: Day 9…