tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31255613295510483602024-03-14T05:49:13.838-07:00101 Greatest Olympic MomentsThe history of 101 of the greatest moments in the modern Olympic Games, with details, statistics, background information and videoAndrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-13336517345272163282008-08-20T03:28:00.000-07:002008-08-24T04:04:30.319-07:00Vladimir Salnikov: The 15 Minute ManIn Olympic sport there have been several events which have had a time, distance or points barrier which seem impenetrable until that one unique Olympian achieves that breakthrough. In gymnastics it was the perfect 10, first scored by Nadia Comaneci at the 1976 Montreal Olympics during the women's team event. In cycling's team pursuit Germany broke the 4 minute barrier at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, whilst Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean took the honours for being the first ice dancers to skate to perfect 6's in the Winter Olympics. Olympic swimming has had its own record barriers to break including the sub-minute 100 metres freestyle for men and women, yet it is arguably the 15 minute men's 1500 metres that held the most imposing aura for most of the modern Olympics era. Considering that in the recently completed Beijing Olympics final all bar the last swimmer in the gold medal race went under this mark it could be argued that 15 minutes was possible, and now it is commonplace. However it took a remarkable Russian swimmer from the Soviet era to take long distance swimming into this uncharted territory, and when he did it twice in the Olympics there were eight years and two boycotts between those swims. His name was Vladimir Salnikov, and he was the first man to swim past the 15 minute barrier.<br /><br />Salnikov's first stuttering steps on the path to Olympic glory came in his home town of Leningrad, now known in the post-Soviet era as Saint Petersburg. The son of Valeri Salnikov (a merchant ship's captain) he was taken by his mother Valentina at the age of seven to a local pool for a season's pass. At a time when quota's and supplies of all goods and services were limited by the Soviet state it was not surprising that Salnikov missed out on the much-wanted ticket. Next year he returned with his mother and was fortunate to secure a season's pass, plus the attention of swim coach Gleb Petrov. Petrov studied Salnikov's movements on land as well as his eagerness to swim and selected the boy to participate in a 120 member local swim training program. The Soviet system of applying science and beaurocracy to sport was applied in full on developing Salnikov's youthful talent, and by the age of 12 he was part of an elite Leningrad sporting school's swim team. Despite earaches and tonsilitis Salnikov continued to improve and whilst his family weren't involved with his swimming Salnikov later believed his father's stern way of dealing with him helped motivate his work in the pool.<br /><br />By 1974 Salnikov was attracting more attention from the Soviet sporting system, and in turn new support from new coaches. Coach Igor Koshkin and sports psychologist Gennady Gorbunov helped bring Salnikov on so that he was primed for the 1976 Soviet Olympic trials, with a training regime that included 6 kilometres swimming per day (swum at intervals with his heartbeat between 145 and 155 beats per minute), an hour's weightlifting and only five to ten minute rest breaks. At the 1976 trials Salinkov also utilised visualisation techniques provided by Gorbunov to swim the 1500 metres in 15.43.92, coming third. This gave him the opportunity to participate later that year in the greatest 1500 metres final held in the first 80 years of the modern Olympics.<br /><br />The 1976 1500 metres final in Montreal was remarkable in that the gold, silver and bronze medallists all finished below the pre-games world record. Americans Brian Goodell and Bobby Hackett took more than four and two seconds off Goodall's world record in their swims, whilst Australian favourite also came in under the mark. Salnikov was the first Soviet swimmer to qualify for the 1500 metres final at the Olympics and came fifth with 15.29.45, which was a dramatic drop from his trial swim. It was to be the last time that an American would win the 1500 metres at an Olympics with either Soviet or Russian swimmers competing in the same pool.<br /><br />In the period from the 1978 World Swimming Championships in Berlin through to the 1980 Moscow Olympics Salnikov grew into the role of the Soviet's first swimming superstar. In the pool at Berlin he won both the 400 metres and 1500 metres freestyle finals, setting championships records with both swims and in the latter final beating Olympic silver medallist Bobby Hackett by almost 20 seconds. His time for the 400 metres was a world record (3.51.94) and he also backed up to participate in the silver medal winning Soviet men's 4x200 metre relay team. Meanwhile as part of his development and training Salnikov attended training camps in of all places Mission Veijo, California with US coach Mark Schubert. At a time when Soviet and US relations where dominated by the Cold War it was refreshing to see that the sport of swimming could bridge such a cavernous political gap. As Vladimir himself put the experience:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I really got an idea of what big-time sport is all about after two weeks training in the United States. We had believed we weren't any different to the Americans, but we were unable to understand why they swam faster and won most of the medals at world tournaments. It turned out that their training methods and their attitude to training were different."</span><br /><br />In 1979 Salnikov set a world record the non-Olympic distance of 800 metres, becoming the first person to swim under 8 minutes for the event. As the premiere distance swimmer in the world his position as favourite for at least the 1500 metres gold medal in Moscow was virtually unassailable. In the four years between Montreal and Moscow Salnikov swam the eight fastest times aside from Goodell's world record over 1500 metres, and under 15 minutes 10 seconds 6 times. The 1976 gold medallist (and pupil of Mark Schubert) Bobby Goodell was still in the 1500 metres swim game but he had finished fifth at the US Olympic swim trials with Mike Bruner the new American champ, whilst Australian 'superfish' Steve Holland had retired after he took bronze in Montreal. and been supplanted by Max Metzker. The Swimming World Magazine world swimmer of the year for 1979 was prepared for the apogee of his career in the first Olympics to be held behind the Iron Curtain.<br /><br />As noted elsewhere the 1980 Moscow Olympics were marked by the US-led boycott which resulted from Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. In men's swimming the absence of the Americans, West Germans, Japanese and Canadians had a mixed effect; in some events such as the shorter sprints the non-appearance of the likes of Rowdy Gaines meant that East German and Soviet Union swimmers claimed medals they may not have had a claim to in more open competition. For Salnikov the boycott had taken away one of his major competitors in the 400 metres (Canadian world record holder Peter Szmidt), but it arguably had minimal effect on his 1500 metres swim. Salnikov had already taken the short-course 1500 metres world record from Goodell; now it was the time of the long course event.<br /><br />The 1500 metres heats were held second day of the Moscow Olympic swimming program, and there were a total of 21 competitors from 14 countries. In the first heat Hungarian Zoltán Wladár won with a time of 15.31.06, whilst in the second heat the compatriot of Salnikov Aleksandr Chayev took out the race in 15.28.68. That same heat saw second place swimmer from the 1978 Berlin 1500 metres Borut Petric (YUG) finish in 15.31. 53, but three other swimmers in that heat failed to complete the race. The final heat was all Salnikov; he completed the 1500 metres in 15.08.25 which placed him over 9 seconds quicker than second place swimmer East German Rainer Strohbach. The line up for the final saw Salnikov in the fastest qualification time, with Strohbach second quickest, Chayev third and Rafael Escalas (ESP) fourth.<br /><br />Remarkably, considering the recent history of Olympic 1500 metres finals the race for gold silver and bronze in Moscow was held the day immediately after the heats. Unlike in games such as those in Beijing, Athens and Sydney the contestants had to back up without the benefit of a day's rest, plus there were other events to swim for some of the entrants (for example Salnikov still had his 400 metres). In light of this, Salnikov's 1980 final swim can be considered all the more remarkable compared with those from the likes of Perkins and Hackett in later years.<br /><br />When Salnikov finally dived off the blocks he was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Soviet swimming program, and without the Americans to threaten this the Russian quickly established his ascendency over the pack. At 100 metres he was already a second in front of the nearest rival with an intermediate time of 58.53 seconds. By 300 metres that lead was doubled, and at the half way mark Salnikov was 5.18 seconds ahead of Goodell's then current world record pace. The spectators who naturally were overwhelmingly biased towards their home town hero responded to the Soviet swimmer's efforts, screaming and calling for him to win and win withing the world record. At 800 metres he was still under the minute per 100 metres mark, and the 1500 metres in 15 minutes looked very vulnerable.<br /><br />Behind Salnikov the battle for the minor medals was on, with Chayev, Metzker and Strohbach all fighting hard; however they were never in the hunt for gold, which was Salnikov's without a doubt as he came to the last 100 metres. Goaded by a crowd that knew that they were witnessing something historic Salnikov responded in the only way he could; he swam even quicker. For the last 100 metres he completed the two laps in 58.05 seconds; almost half a seocnd quicker than his first 100 metres. As his hands hit the finishing wall Vladimir Salnikov looked up to the scoreboard. The time flashed up: 14.58.27. The son of a Leningrad sea captain, who's country had never won a gold medal in men's swimming before these Olympics, and who had swum fifth in his last Olympic final, had claimed the greatest prize of all. A gold medal in a time that would forever mark him as the first of his kind; the first to go below 15 minutes.<br /><br />At this point it could be enough to finish Salnikov's story. He took two more gold medals in Moscow, one in the 400 metres and one in the 4x200 metres men's relay final. Yet this isn't the end. Four years later Salnikov would have gone to Los Angeles as the world record holder, being the only man who had swum under 15 minutes. However in a tit-for-tat boycott the Soviet Bloc spurned the chance to compete in the LA 1984 Olympics, and so Salnikov had to wait for another chance to claim a fouth Olympic gold medal.<br /><br />In Seoul 1988 Salnikov returned to the Olympic pool forone last games. Up until 1986 he had won 61 consecutive 1500 metres swims, swum under 15 minutes for the distance four times and no one else had come within a bull's roar of his world record of 15.54.76. However his results had slumped since coming fourth at the 1986 world swimming championships, and in 1987 he failed to make the final of the European championships. Written off as a threat for gold, now coached by his wife Marina and only winning a place on the Soviet team after intervention from the sports minister, the hero of Moscow looked decidedly vulnerable.<br /><br />In the preliminaries though the Salnikov of old re-emerged, clocking the second fastest time (15.07.83), with American Matt Cetlinksi fastest qualifer for the final. Then as the greatest Olympic champions can and often do respond, in the final Salnikov took the lead from 675 metres and was never headed. Surging ahead with every lap the last gold medallist for the Soviet Union in an Olympic swimming final took the race in a time of 15.00.40, thus becoming at 28 the owner of the five fastest times for the 1500 metres ever swum, and the oldest Olympic swimming champion for 56 years. His world record stood until 1991, and whilst that time is now down to 14.34.56 the status of being the first man to swim 1500 metres under 15 minutes will forever be his. Vladamir Salnikov in 1980 and in 1988 demonstrated greatness that will always mark him as a legend of Olympic swimming.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HnU3CY90hB8&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HnU3CY90hB8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Sources:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games" </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/2000v2.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1980/or1980v3.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1980/or1980v3.pdf</a>)</span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">USA Swimming - 1980 Olympic Trials Results: <a href="http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/e271d644-d2df-4cdb-8bd5-1ee19b261e2c/1980.pdf">http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/e271d644-d2df-4cdb-8bd5-1ee19b261e2c/1980.pdf</a></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"Australia at the Olympics" by Malcolm Andrews, ABC Books, 1996</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"100 Greatest Olympians from 1896" by Jim Tracy, Savvas Publishing, 1983</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - "From Stillness Comes Swiftness" (21/5/84): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122098/1/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122098/1/index.htm</a></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - "Russia Gets Into The Swim" (4/8/1980):</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1123650/index.htm</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">IOC Biography - Vladimir Salnikov: <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=43061">http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=43061</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Vladamir Salnikov Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Salnikov">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Salnikov</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">International Swimming Hall of Fame - Valdamir Salnikov: <a href="http://www.ishof.org/honorees/93/93vsalnikov.html">http://www.ishof.org/honorees/93/93vsalnikov.html</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - 1978 World Swimming Championships Berlin Results: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_World_Aquatics_Championships">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_World_Aquatics_Championships</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Ten Soviet Sports Stars" by Yuri Khromov, Brandon Books 1990</span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-5659860704890154542008-08-18T03:37:00.000-07:002008-08-19T07:00:10.609-07:00Thorpe Versus Hall: Whose Guitars Got Smashed?Several countries in the modern Olympics would look to one sport and perceive it to be 'their' domain, the place where their Olympians traditionally excelled against the opposition. For the Swedes and the Hungarians it could be said they both share the modern pentathlon as 'their' Olympic sport. Kenyans and Ethiopians have come to dominate long distance running, whilst India still feels great attachment to men's field hockey. In the Winter Olympics the Canadians are emotionally and historically attached to ice hockey, whilst Norwegians look to cross-country skiing as a particularly strong part of their Olympic identity. And for Australia the overwhelming sport of interest at the Olympics is swimming. Unfortunately for Gary Hall Jnr and his American compatriots at the Sydney 2000 Olympics a quote that smacked of arrogance provoked the most memorable response from an Australian men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team that was determined to make the greatest swimming power in Olympic history show some respect in the Aussie's own home pool.<br /><br />Prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympics the 4x100 metres freestle relay was literally American property. First contested as an Olympic event in 1964 at Tokyo, with a short interregnum over the Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980 Olympics, the record stood at seven finals and seven team golds for the US. Australian male swimmers in this period came closest to defeating an American team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics when the so-called "Mean Machine" of Greg Fasala, Neil Brooks, Mark Stockwell and Michael Delany swam beneath world record time in coming second behind the US swimmers Chris Cavanaugh, Michael Heath, Matt Biondi and Rowdy Gaines. For a sporting nation proud of their legendary swimmers such as Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose, John Devitt, Mike Wenden and Shane Gould the 4x100 metres freestyle relay was akin to a holy grail; to win that event's gold would show the world that Australian swimmers meant to show up the brasher, bigger, more successful Yanks.<br /><br />Leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics the swimming stocks of several nations in the men's sprint distances were very strong; perhaps stronger over a wider range of nations than had been seen for some time. For the Russians the legendary Aleksandr Popov led their 100 metres charge, having successfully defended his Barcelona 100 metres title in Atlanta, hence aiming for a third gold in Sydney. Lars Frolander was a well credentialled Swedish swimmer who had clocked a sub-49 second time for the 100 metres, whilst Dutch favourite Pieter Van den Hoogenband was a candidate for individual sprint glory and could be the decisive factor for a Netherlands relay team. Yet when it came down to the previews before the Sydney 2000 swim program the battle for 4x100 metres relay gold was expected to be a fight between the underdog Australia and the traditional top ranked Americans.<br /><br />In the Australian Olympic swimming trials held at the Homebush Aquatic Centre (venue for the Sydney 2000 swim meet) the top four finishers in the men's 100 metres freestyle were Michael Klim (48.56 seconds), Chris Fydler (48.85), Ashley Callus (49.46) and Ian Thorpe (49.74). Of these swimmers Klim and Thorpe had the highest profiles, as the former was a world record holder in the 100 metres butterfly plus a four times world champion two years earlier, whilst the latter was emerging as the greatest male swimmer seen in Australia since Murray Rose. Michael Klim and Chris Fydler had both swum as part of the Australian men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team in Atlanta where they came sixth, whilst 'The Thorpedo' had set three world records in three days at the Australian swim trials. Callus had won gold with the Australians in the 1998 Kuala Lumpar Commonwealth Games, and so the four leading sprinters in the green and gold had a very respectable aura surrounding them leading into Sydney 2000.<br /><br />Across the Pacific the US swim trials for the 100 metres men's freestyle were held as late as August 13th 2000 in Indianopolis. The first four finishers in this event's final were Neil Walker (48.71), Gary Hall Jnr (48.84), Scott Tucker (48.95) and Jason Lezak (49.15). Far and away the most famous of these men was the outspoken Gary Hall Jnr. Hall's family had a history of Olympic swimming, and during the 1996 Atlanta games the brash American had duelled both in and out of the water with Russian gold medallist Popov. Like Hall, Tucker was a member of the 1996 US 4x100 metres freestyle team that had won gold, whilst Lezak and Walker were looking to debut in Sydney. On paper these times meant there was less than a second between the leading four swimmers from Australia and America; the upcoming relay was looking to be a highlight of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.<br /><br />Then, in an article posted via the CNN/Sports Illustrated website by Gary Hall Jnr in his online diary on August 22nd a supposed joke or even qualified sign of respect poured oil on the flames of the rivalry between the US and Australian swim teams. Hall Jnr wrote:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I like Australia, in truth. I like Australians. The country is beautiful, and the people are admirable. Good humor and genuine kindness seem a predominant characteristic. My biased opinion says that we will smash them like guitars. Historically the U.S. has always risen to the occasion. But the logic in that remote area of my brain says it won't be so easy for the United States to dominate the waters this time. Whatever the results, the world will witness great swimming."</span><br /><br />The Australian media and in turn the Australian swim team grabbed this quote, highlighting the 'guitar smashing' section particularly and then using it to both pour scorn on what was considered American arrogance and motivate further a very driven Australian swim team. After the event and even as recently as the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics Gary Hall Jnr's comments drew attention for their role in the build up to the gold medal relay race in the Sydney Olympic pool. However before the final there were three heats, all swum on the morning of Saturday 16th September, the day after the spectacular opening ceremony.<br /><br />The first heat saw Dutch hopes crash when their team was disqualified, and though Van Den Hoogenband didn't participate it destroyed his chances of leading the Netherlands to a relay gold. The German men won this heat in a time of 3.18.70, against a relatively weaker team, with the Italians in second and Belarus third. The next heat saw Australia, Russia and Sweden debut their teams with Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim not racing. Thorpe was swimming in the 400 metres freestyle heats and final on the first day of the Sydney 2000 program, and if there was one potential weakness in the make-up of the Aussie team it was whether or not the 17 year old could back up after his main individual event. Todd Pearson and Adam Pine stepped into the team and registered both first place and a time more than two seconds faster than second place team Russia (including Popov). Sweden, France and South Africa filled the third to fifth positions in this heat. The final heat was won by the Americans who rested Hall and Walker, bringing in Josh Davis (an Atlanta relay gold medallist) and Anthony Ervin. Ervin's participation in the heat was in itself an historic event, as he was the first US Olympic swimmer with an African American background to swim at the Olympics. The US team swam the fastest time of all three heats, beating the Brazilians home in 3.15. 43. Scott Tucker's time as the lead was somewhat disappointing, and when the US relay team was confirmed for the final he was dropped for Ervin. It appeared that with the Americans bringing in Hall Jnr and Tucker who were both faster than the second best Australian (Callus), and with Thorpe having to swim the 400 metres final, the gold logically should go to the US. Yet logic doesn't always contribute to the make up of an Olympic Games gold medal final.<br /><br />Come the finals on the first night of the Olympic swimming program in Sydney and 17,500 spectators filled the Aquatic Centre, with all Australians there plus millions at home watching to see how Ian Thorpe would swim in his 400 metres final. The current world record holder the 'Thorpedo' was never really threatened by his rivals, winning gold in a time of 3.40.59; a new world record (breaking his own mark) and streeting his nearest competitor Massimiliano Rosolino by almost three seconds. As his competitors finished the race Thorpe signalled his satsfaction with a determined two handed fist pump slightly betrayed by a small grin, and then it was time to prepare for the 4x100 metres freestyle relay final.<br /><br />Meanwhile the Americans had changed their line up for the final, dropping Tucker in favour of Ervin. Ervin's time in the relay heat earlier that day was the quickest of the four Americans who swam, whereas Tucker's time was slightly slower than Chris Fydler who had swum the first leg for the Australians in their heat. The teams who then lined up were matched as follows:<br /><ul><li>Klim versus Ervin</li><li>Walker versus Fydler</li><li>Lezak versus Callus</li><li>Thorpe versus Hall Jnr</li></ul>As the eight finalist teams lined up at the blocks for the start of the 4x100 metres freestyle final there was one man missing. Thorpe was struggling with his swimsuit which required 4 people to help him change, and unlike his compatriots who were able to leisurely (if nervously) prepare, greeting the announcing of their names to the massively pro-Aussie crowd, Thorpe had to race out, making the start just in time. Mounting the blocks and under the starter's orders the shaved down Michael Klim was ready for the swim of his life.<br /><br />With the starter's signal sending the relay teams down their respective lanes for 8 laps Klim went out hard and very, very fast. By 15 seconds into Klim's leg he had already established half a body length on Ervin, and when Klim touched the wall at the end of the first lap the Australian's time of 22.83 seconds was looking good for a new world record. The gap extended as the second lap continued, and by the time Klim reached the end of his leg he had swum a new world record time for the 100 metres freestyle for men; 48.18 seconds. Then it was the turn of Fydler and Walker. Chris Fylder kept the lead for his first 50 metres, but then in the back half of his leg Neil Walker grabbed the lead. This would have possibly been the time in past Olympic men's freestyle relays when the US team would storm to an unassailable claim on gold. Yet Fydler responded, no doubt spurred on by the deafening screams of the Australian fans. As the rest of the field slid further back in the wake of the Australian and the American the first half of the relay ended with Chris Fydler touching the wall for an aggregate time of 1.36.66; 1.77 seconds under world record pace.<br /><br />Lezak for America and Callus for Australia were the third pair into the pool for their respective teams, and within th early stages of their respective legs Lezak took the lead. Keeping this for almost three quarters of the 100 metres that he swum the American was matched near the end, then surpassed almost imperceptably by Anthony Callus. The third ranked Aussie male over 100 metres had given Ian Thorpe what he need; a lead (if small) over the man who had made the not-so-funny now jibe about smashing the Australians like guitars. The 4x100 metres freestyle title would either be won by a man who was at his first Olympics, and had just won a gold medal in the 400 metres whilst breaking his own world record. Or it would be won by an extroverted and experienced sprint swimming expert who already had relay gold from Atlanta, plus he swam for a country with an undefeated relay history at the Olympics.<br /><br />Hall began excellently and with a dramatic turn of speed and high stroke rate almost instantkly caught then passed the Thorpedo. The Aussie's arms seemed to move in slow motion, languidly curving into the water as his size 8 feet acted like flippers; but at the end of the seventh lap it was the Americans with the lead, and Gary Hall Jr had them still under world record time. Again, in another Olympics and with other swimmers the US could have, would have...nay should have swum away for a tight gold medal victory. Yet with about 20 metres to go Thorpe's inexorable momentum took hundredths of a second away from the brash American. The crowd in the Sydney Olympic swimming venue literally shouted through the roof as their home town hero (who lived as a boy only half an hour's drive from Homebush, Sydney's Olympic precinct) swam the race of his lifetime, if not of anyone's lifetime. As the two leaders swam under the false start rope at 15 metres to go it looked almost dead level between them. The wall approached and with a final surge of his amazingly powerful teenage body Thorpe grabbed the lead; Hall swept to the finish too but in a result which broke the world record, ended American Olympic dominance and defined this 4x100 metres relay as probably the greatest team swim ever seen at an Olympic Games Ian Thorpe beat the American home by 0.19 of a second. The Australian men had won gold with a final time of 3.13.67, the Americans were second in 3.13.86, and almost as an afterthought the Brazilians took bronze.<br /><br />Then came the exuberant Australian 'get square' to the now not-so-brash Gary Hall Jr; as Thorpe climbed out on the pool deck Chris Fydler, Anthony Callus and a surly Michael Klim formed an air guitar trio that strummed a silent but pointed note of 'take that' to the Americans. It was in the opinion of legendary Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser "probably the greatest race I have ever seen", whilst Thorpe was to say later the relay gold medal meant more to him than his 400 metres. He said "being able to share that experience with three other swimmers was incredible," and for Michael Klim he had the good fortune to have Thorpe confirm he had swum a world record time for his first 100 metres leg.<br /><br />In the silver medal winning American team the reaction was understandably ruefull. Hall looked back on the race and said:“I don’t even know how to play the guitar,” but he was gracious in defeat: “I consider it the best relay race I’ve ever been part of. I doff my cap to the great Ian Thorpe. He swum better than I did.”<br /><br />At the Summer Olympic Games which then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch called the best ever, this 4x100 metres men's freestyle relay was the best team swim in the entire history of the modern Olympics.<br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dQQt0eTknxY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dQQt0eTknxY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Time of Our Lives: Inside the Sydney Olympics" by Harry Gordon, UQP , 2003</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - "Fast Lanes" (25/9/00): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1020434/1/index.htm"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1020434/1/index.htm</span></a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yahoo Video - Special Sydney Moments: <a href="http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/video/-/olympic-legends/sydney-moments/">http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/video/-/olympic-legends/sydney-moments/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Ian Thorpe Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Thorpe">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Thorpe</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Gary Hall Jr Biography: h<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Hall,_Jr.">ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Hall,_Jr.</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Anthony Ervin Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Ervin">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Ervin</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games" </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/2000v2.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/2000v2.pdf</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">CNN Sports Illustrated Sydney 2000 Web Site: <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/usteam_swimming_men/">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/usteam_swimming_men/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">CNN Sports Illustrated Sydney 2000 - "We Have Our Work Cut Out For Us" by Gary Hall Jr :</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/08/22/hall_five/">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/news/2000/08/22/hall_five/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">CNN Sports Illustrated Sydney 2000 - "Everybody Loves Ian" by Brian Cazeneuve : <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2000/swimming/news/2000/09/16/cazeneuve_olympics/">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2000/swimming/news/2000/09/16/cazeneuve_olympics/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Official Site of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (Pandora Archives): <a href="http://pandora.nla.gov.au/parchive/2000/olympics/O2000-Sep-16/www.olympics.com/eng/index.html">http://pandora.nla.gov.au/parchive/2000/olympics/O2000-Sep-16/www.olympics.com/eng/index.html</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Times Online - Caught in Time (26/9/2006): <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article650053.ece">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article650053.ece</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ABC Radio Sydney 2000 Website: <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2000/coverage/default.htm">http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2000/coverage/default.htm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Swedish Swimmers - Lars Froelander Results: <a href="http://www.scmsom.se/swimmers/Lars%20Frolander%20SB.htm">http://www.scmsom.se/swimmers/Lars%20Frolander%20SB.htm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">USA Swimming 2000 Olympic Trials Results: <a href="http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/21760d2b-41b4-4016-b7b5-cb87259ef5a9/2000_olympic_trials_100freem.htm">http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/21760d2b-41b4-4016-b7b5-cb87259ef5a9/2000_olympic_trials_100freem.htm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Omega Timing: Australian Selection Trials Sydney 2000 Olympic Swimming: <a href="http://omegatiming.com/swimming/racearchives/2000/sydney2000/100-FREE-M-CLAS-FINAL-SER.PDF">http://omegatiming.com/swimming/racearchives/2000/sydney2000/100-FREE-M-CLAS-FINAL-SER.PDF</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"16 Days in September: Australian Games Highlights of the XXVII Olympiad" DVD, Channel 7 Coverage adapted from SOBO Official Broadcast, Warner Bros/IOC</span></span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-80255277040844520532008-08-16T22:35:00.000-07:002008-08-17T05:50:18.891-07:00Billy Mills: Running Brave in TokyoThe burden of being the favourite in an Olympic Games event can be both a boon and burden. Over the 112 years of the modern Summer and Winter Games many a pre-event world champion or world record holder had taken their standing as a platform for launching their ascendancy over their Olympic competitors. Michael Phelps in Beijing 2008 was is just one of the most recent examples of this situation, and the same could be said about Maurice Greene in Sydney 2000. On the other hand an athlete who was considered a certainty for Olympic gold because of their pre-games form or ranking has been known to blow up, lose out to a near rival or even a complete unknown. Matt Biondi felt this particularly painful sting when Duncan Armstrong literally surfed to a world record and gold medal over the leading qualifier in the 200 metres fresstyle final in Seoul 1988, followed by an equally surprising loss to Anthony Nesty from Surinam in the 100 metres butterfly at the same Olympics. For Ron Clarke his Olympic career will always be known for his role as the defeated favourite in the men's 10,000 metres final in Tokyo, when William 'Billy' Mills took gold with an audacious and historic run.<br /><br />These two greats of Olympic distance running in the 1960s came from very different backgrounds. Clarke was an Australian from the host city of the 1956 Summer Olympics, Melbourne and had the great honour of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony of those games. Immediately prior to these Olympics Ron Clarke had featured in a famous 1500 metres final at the Australian national championships when after tripping. The second man to break four minutes for the mile, John Landy stopped after accidentally spiking Clarke, helped him up and then completed the race winning the title. This was but the first time Clarke would be involved in great drama on the athletics track. The Australian's athletics career was put aside after the Melbourne Olympics and it took until 1962 before he re-emerged as a world class distance runner. His efforts at that year's Perth Commonwealth Games were encouraging, and in 1963 Clarke finally set his first world record over the 10,000 metres. It was hoped by his Australian fans that Ron Clarke would follow on the traditions set by the likes of Landy and Herb Elliott, and collect gold in Tokyo 1964.<br /><br />Billy Mills came from a somewhat different background prior to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Born in Pine Ridge South Dakota, Mills was one of twelve children and had been orphaned at the age of twelve, whereupon he was sent ot the Haskall Insitute in Kansas. Taking up running originally because he was interested in boxing, the part-Lakota Native American then developed further as a distance runner at the University of Kansas, where Mills was coached by Bill Easton. During his time at the University of Kansas Billy Mills established himself in NCAA amateur athletic meets with some strong performances in 1959-1960. Then Mills joined the United States Marine Corps, and after qualifying as a Second Lieutenant in December 1962 he served in motor transport units of the USMC. By the time of the trials for the US Olympic team in 1964 he was based at Camp Pendleton, California. At those trials he ran 29 minutes 10.4 seconds for the 10,000 metres, almost a minute slower than Clarke's world record time of 28 minutes 15.6 seconds. Mills was the second US entrant for this event as he was beaten by Gerry Lindgren; so when it came to pre-race favourites for the Tokyo Olympics Billy Mills was way way under the radar.<br /><br />Coming into the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics Ron Clarke was the world record holder for the 10,000 metres plus a well-regarded contender for the 5000 metres. It was widely expected that the Australian would be the one to beat in the longer of the two races. There were others with some claim, amongst them Degaga 'Mamo' Wolde from Ethiopia, Murray Halberg (NZL), defending Rome 1960 10,000 metres gold medallist Pyotr Bolotnikov (URS) and Tunisian Mohammad Gammoudi. The American pair of Lindgren and Mills were not ranked as gold medal hopes, and it looked even less hopeful for the US athletics team in Tokyo just two days before the 10,000 metres final. Lindgren twisted his ankle near the Meiji shrine whilst running a practice cross-country course and then ignoring advice he failed to get the injury treated for at least three hours. It looked fairly bleak for those who were hoping to hear the 'Star Spangled Banner' played after the longest men's athletics race in the main Olympic stadium in Tokyo.<br /><br />The day of the 10,000 metres final in Tokyo was held on a wet track at 4.00 pm on Tuesday July 14th, 1964. Seventeen nations had competitors in the final, with 28 men expected to chase Ron Clarke to the final line. Clarke's tactics were to surge every second lap, and with his ability to burn off his competitors he hoped this would bring him the gold. Surprisingly Billy Mills was running the 10,000 metres in borrowed shoes as the US team's shoe sponsors said there were only enough for potential winners. Between the world record holder an a US Marine in borrowed track shoes there seemed a huge unbridgable gulf. But these were the Olympic finals...<br /><br />The race started as expected with Clarke in the front grouping, accompanied by Gammoudi, Walde and local favourite for the Japanese supporters Kokichi Tsuburaya. Mills was seen to drop back from these front runners four times, and at one stage was nearly 14 metres behind Clarke and the other leaders. However even though he was often caught up in the bunch of slower competitors Mills returned on each of the four occasions to rejoin the leading group. He even took the lead five times, but Clarke reasserted control of the race so that by the last 1000 metres the gold medal looked to be the Australian's with the rest of the field to fight over the minor medals.<br /><br />Walde dropped away at this mark, leaving Clarke, Gammoudi, Tsuburaya and Mills fighting out the medal hunt. The Japanese was dropped off by the last lap, leaving the Australian, the Tunisian and the American running abreast for the final 400 metres. In the back straight Clarke was blocked to the front by a straggler from the back of the field, and at the side by Mills. Trying to get a clear run the world record holder tapped the USMC officer, attempting to get Mills to give way. Mills stayed in his path, so Clarke shoved making the American veer off to the right of the track. Seeing an opening the Tunisian Gammoudi sprinted between the leaders, grabbing the front for himself. Gammoudi lengthened his lead as Mills reattached himself to Clarke, and these were the placings as the three struggled to pass slower competitors. Later Clarke would describe the crowded final lap "like a dash for a train in a peak-hour crowd", whilst Mills was able to say of his brief shoving with Clarke "It was a break, out there I found harder ground, better traction, and I was able to pick up immediately". The Australian realised that he had to bridge the gap that Gammoudi had established, so he began a final spurt. Mills appeared to be out of it, but his desire to stay in the chase kept him nipping at Clarke's heels.<br /><br />At the beginning of the home stretch Clarke caught Gammoudi and it appeared that he was going to take the gold everyone expected. Yet Gammoudi came again and then, with an amazing rush whilst going through more stragglers Billy Mills hurtled forward like a sprinter. Gammoudi was well in front of Clarke as Mills passed the Tunisian and then to the astonishment of all in the event and watching the American crossed the finish line. His gold medal was won in a time almost 45 seconds faster than he had ever run the 10,000 metres before, plus he had beaten a man who was considered the best runner over that distance in the world at that time. Clarke the world record holder had taken bronze behind Gammoudi, but it was Billy Mills who had made Olympic history.<br /><br />As Mills was slowing down from his supreme efforts a Japanese official came over to him. For a moment the American was uncertain what he was saying, and whether he had in fact finished too early. It then dawned on him that he was being asked repeatedly "Who are you? Who are you?" An unknown before the 10,000 metres the Japanese official hadn't recognised the gold medallist. Then the same official said "Finished," and it sank in for Billy; he was the 10,000 metres gold medallist and the first American to achieve this honour at the Olympic Games.<br /><br />The manner in which Mills won his gold medal showed that in an Olympics there will be moments of unscripted heroics. Ron Clarke was unbackable as a favourite, and his efforts to replicate the achievements of the great Emil Zatopek would normally have been considered unlikely but probable. Billy Mills on the other hand had only one race in Tokyo and he was not expected to have any effect. Instead Clarke would walk away from these Olympics with no gold, and in fact end up setting 19 world records without ever finishing first at the Summer Games. It was Billy Mills who would have the honour of being known as an Olympic gold medal champion.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OZJYfHJ4Bi0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OZJYfHJ4Bi0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sydney Morning Herald - "Landy Took It All In His Stride & Is Still Running" (1/5/04): <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/30/1083224590040.html">http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/30/1083224590040.html</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"Australia at the Olympics" by Malcolm Andrews, ABC Books, 1996</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 1964 Tpkyo Summer Olympics" </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1964/or1964v2pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1964/or1964v2pt1.pdf</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - "We Win The Five and Ten" (26/10/64): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076522/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076522/index.htm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - "To Tokyo By Inches" (21/9/64): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076380/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076380/index.htm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Marine Corps Community Services - Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame - Billy Mills: <a href="http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hof/2001-mills.cfm">http://www.usmc-mccs.org/sports/hof/2001-mills.cfm</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Final Sprint - Billy Mills The Olympic Legend: <a href="http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2006/12/billy-mills-the-olympic-legend/">http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2006/12/billy-mills-the-olympic-legend/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Billy Mills Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mills">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mills</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Olympic Series: "Olympic Spirit" (Video), Twentieth Century Fox, 2003</span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-180067239673736742008-08-15T20:25:00.000-07:002008-08-16T03:08:28.918-07:00Daley Thompson: The Decathlete LegendIn the track and field program at a Summer Olympic games the title of best all round male athlete resides with the man who collects the gold medal for the decathlon. This ten discipline, two day event has provided many of the iconic figures of the modern Olympics. Jim Thorpe was the first great decathlon gold medallist, picking up the unique double decathlon and pentathlon victories in Stockholm 1912. Glenn Morris, the American gold medal winner in the 1936 Berlin Olympics not only showed his supremacy over his rivals, he also began a short tempestuous relationship with the director of the definitive official Olympic film of these games, Leni Riefenstahl. Bob Mathias took the gold medals in the first two Olympics after World War Two, in London 1948 and Helsinki 1952, whilst Rafer Johnson's victory over C.K. Yang in Rome 1960 is one of the 101 greatest moments in modern Olympic history. Then in 1976 Bruce Jenner turned his decathlon triumph into a multi-million dollar industry back home in the USA. However the greatest decathlete of all time didn't come from the United States like all these illustrious predecessors. The remarkable Daley Thompson won his first gold in the boycott-effected Moscow 1980 Olympics, then reached a new level of Olympic greatness in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games.<br /><br />Daley Thompson was born on July 30th, 1958 in the London suburb of Notting Hill, to a Nigerian father and Scottish mother. Whilst at a Sussex boarding school the young Thompson showed promise in athletics, which was further developed by a period at the age of 17 with the Essex Beagles athletics club. Prior to winning the 1976 British AAA decathlon title the young Briton went to Montreal and came 18th with 7434 points. It was an inauspicious start for an Olympic career that would stretch through to Seoul in 1988, and include not just two gold medals but also world championship titles, world records, European championships and Commonwealth Games gold medals as well.<br /><br />At the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games Thompson won his first major international senior decathlon title, and in the period between then and Moscow 1980 he rapidly grew in stature and performance. His only loss in this period came in 1979 at the European championships; between then and 1987 Thompson never lost another decathlon. As the upcoming Soviet-hosted Olympics were threatened by a major US-led boycott Daley Thompson became engaged in a personal duel with West German decathlete Guido Kratschmer. Kratschmer was the then world record holder before the two met in May 1980 (by this time West Germany had joined the Moscow boycott). At this decathlon Thompson beat Kratschmer and set a new world record (8622 points). This performance established Thompson as a red hot favourite for the Olympics in Moscow, and whilst Kratschmer won the world record back his non-attendance(plus the absence of American and Canadian athletes) meant the Briton had the Moscow gold medal to lose. And he didn't disappoint; winning the decathlon gold medal with a final score of 8522 and running 153 points ahead of his silver medallist rival Yuri Kutsenko.<br /><br />Naturally with the non-appearance of the then world record holder, plus the overall paucity of quality opposition of the Moscow 1980 decathlon field, Thompson's first Olympic decathlon gold medal could be regarded slightly tarnished by harsh critics. However the story would be dramatically different four years later in Los Angeles. The period between these two boycotted Olympics was dominated in decathlon by the hard-fought battle between Daley Thompson and new West German champion decathlete Jürgen Hingsen. These two would duel repeatedly over European, world championship and finally Olympic stages and in the process create one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.<br /><br />Hingsen like Thompson was born in Duisburg in 1958, and the two first came into serious competition at a European Junior championship in 1977. At this event Thompson came first and Hingsen third. Hingsen developed slower than Thompson, and it wasn't until 1982 that the West German claimed the position as the new threat to the British Olympic champion. At the West German championships that year in Ulm Hingsen set a new world record of 8723 points. This gave him the favouritism for the European championships in Athens, however Thompson took that title. In 1983 Hingsen set another new world record point score the decathlon, scoring 8779 at Bernhausen. Yet again however at the next major international track and field meet (the 1983 Helsinki IAAF World Championships) Thompson defeated Hingsen, with the scores being 8714 points for the Briton and 8561 for the West German. For a third time Hingsen set a world record (8798 points), this time at Mannheim in 1984; the third time he had achieved such a result on West German soil. The question was would Hingsen be able to buck the trend of losing out to Thompson on foreign soil for a third time. The next meeting of the two in such conditions would be the Los Angeles Olympics.<br /><br />During the final months of the lead up to the 1984 Summer Games Thompson again and again added personal colour to his rivalry with the so-called "German Hercules". When Hingsen claimed he would be winning gold in Los Angeles Thompson claimed "There are only two ways he is going to bring a gold medal home; he'll have to steal mine or win another event." For other Olympians this could have been called arrogant; yet Thompson's clowning and cheeky sense of humour excused him from most criticism. He also called the West German "Hollywood Hingsen" because he resembled the actor Burt Reynolds, whilst in a separate showing of supreme confidence Daley Thompson wrote a postcard to dual decathlon gold medallist Bob Mathias saying "I'm coming to get you." When it came to mind games the Briton was setting a leading pace from his West German and other rivals.<br /><br />On August 8th 1984 athletes from 18 countries began the 10 event final chase for decathlon gold. Unlike 1980 the field wasn't as significantly weakened by the revenge boycott implemented by the Soviet-bloc at Los Angeles; Thompson and three West Germans, Hingsen, Kratschmer and Siegfried Wentz formed the core lead group, whilst the Americans expected to do well with home soil advantage and world championship entrant John Crist. The first event was 100 metres, and Thompson (who could perform creditably in 4x100 metres relays at Olympic and Commonwealth Games) raced Hingsen and Kratschmer. Setting his best ever time for the distance in a decathlon Thompson scored 948 points with his time of 10.44 seconds. Hingsen was third behind Kratschmer as well, and down by 122 points from the Briton.<br /><br />Thompson had another win in the next event, the long jump (his result would have earned him fifth in the final of the LA 1984 long jump final), but Hingsen narrowed the gap slightly. The shot put followed and this was an opportunity for Hingsen to reclaim more ground between him and Thompson. However Thompson again rose to the occasion and putted the shot to a personal best of 15.72 metres. Hingsen was behind the defending Olympic champion and he wasn't as yet able to pull in enough points at this stage to threaten Thompson yet. The high jump however saw Hingsen make up some ground, with his final height of 2.12 metres clawing back 77 points from Thompson. Importantly for Hingsen he aggravated a knee injury in his right leg, receiving four pain killing injections to continue competing. This may not have stopped Hingsen physically yet it did work against him mentally, and the coming final event of the day needed strong legs.<br /><br />The last event of the decathlon's first day was the 400 metres. Thompson reasserted his pre-eminence with a win against Hingsen and the American Jim Wooding. The close of the first day saw the West German world record holder on 4579 points and the British reigning gold medallist from Moscow on 4633 points. Hingsen was only trailing his world record by 17 points, but Thompson was 114 points ahead and had achieved the highest first day score in an Olympic decathlon. It appeared that Thompson would surpass the slightly injured Hingsen and win his second Olympic decathlon title.<br /><br />The second day of the 1984 decathlon began with the 110 metres hurdles. Hingsen clawed back all of 6 points and so stayed in the silver medal ranking. The seventh event was the discus, and it was here that Hingsen finally unleashed his promise. On his first throw the West German reached 49.80 metres; his best ever result in a decathlon. Thompson on the other hand had a poor first throw, sending the discus down range only 37.90 metres. Hingsen's second throw was even better, reaching 50.82 metres and applying significant pressure to the Briton. Daley Thompson improved only marginally, and with Hingsen's last throw not improving his position the lead was posied to change. As Thompson later described it, he was looking over the edge and needed to meet the challenge. And like every great Olympic champion he did; the third throw from Thompson sailed to 46.56 metres. It was another personal best for Thompson and whilst Hingsen had won this round with 888 points, the Briton still led. It was getting closer and closer to crunch time.<br /><br />The eight event was the pole vault and it was here that Hingsen unfortunately suffered the effects of illness, effectively ending his hopes. Before his first two vaults the West German had vomited twice, and his best height after three attempts was a sub-par 4.50 metres. Thompson on the other hand flew over the bar, and with his best height being a full half metre above Hingsen (earning him 1052 points) the gold medal was almost around the Briton's neck. In the penultimate round (the javelin) Hingsen again underperformed whilst Thompson took 824 points with his throw of 65.24 metres. Then it came down to the final race; the 1500 metres.<br /><br />In the closing event of the 1984 Los Angeles decathlon Thompson knew he had gold, but on his horizon was beating Hingsen not just in places on the medal stand but also in the world record point score. Needing a time of 4 minutes 34.8 seconds Thompson literally strolled to the finish line. His time was 4 minutes 35 exactly, which meant he fell a single point shy of equalling Hingsen record. The first double decathlon gold medallist since Bob Mathias (who as promised he had 'caught'), Daley Thompson took a victory lap of the LA Olympic Coliseum track, showing his joy whilst pointedly criticising the jingoistic coverage of the American host broadcaster. Wearing a t-shirt that read "Thanks America for a great games," on the front and then on the reverse "But what about the TV coverage?" he was met by Princess Anne (herself an Olympian). Later when asked what she had said to him, Thompson again revealed his comedic side; "She said I was a good looking guy!" joked the Briton. To add a much later layer of glory on his victory, in 1986 the IAAF established that Thomspon had run one second quicker than recorded in the 110 metres hurdles, hence claiming that single point he needed to equal Hingsen's record.<br /><br />For Great Britain and for Daley Thompson Los Angeles was a golden games, and whilst Hingsen had been competitive at these Olympics up until the discus there was no denying that the dual gold medallist from the United Kingdom was the best decathlete of his generation. Three times the great rivals had met in major international championships and each time Daley Thomspon had prevailed. Later Thompson continued to Seoul where he placed a credible fourth, whilst Hingsen suffered the crushing disappointment of being disqualified for false starts in the 100 metres. In some ways this served as the perfect postscript for an epic duel between two great Olympians; one who scaled amazing heights, one who was unable to reach the potential he had displayed away from the cauldron of Olympic decathlon competition.<br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tq0JYwQto2k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tq0JYwQto2k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CP7PNHR4SqI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CP7PNHR4SqI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qnBTWG8C8sE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qnBTWG8C8sE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-uN9kNTNME&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-uN9kNTNME&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics" </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1984/1984v2pt2.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1984/1984v2pt2.pdf</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">IAAF Online Profiles for Daley Thompson & Jurgen Hingsen: <a href="http://www.iaaf.org">http://www.iaaf.org</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times: Call This Briton Great (20/8/84): <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,954354,00.html">http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,954354,00.html</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Decathlon 2000: Jurgen Hingsen Biography: <a href="http://www.decathlon2000.ee/eng/athletes.php?art=606">http://www.decathlon2000.ee/eng/athletes.php?art=606</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Decathlon 2000: Daley Thompson Biography: <a href="http://www.decathlon2000.ee/eng/athletes.php?art=607">http://www.decathlon2000.ee/eng/athletes.php?art=607</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Olympics30 - Thirty Greatest Olympic Stories - Daley Thompson: <a href="http://www.olympics30.com/30greatest/daley-thompson.asp">http://www.olympics30.com/30greatest/daley-thompson.asp</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - 1983 Helsinki Athletics World Championships Results (Decathlon): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_World_Championships_in_Athletics_-_Men%27s_Decathlon">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_World_Championships_in_Athletics_-_Men's_Decathlon</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Daley Thompson Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daley_Thompson">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daley_Thompson</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Reference - Daley Thompson: <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/daley-thompson-1.html">http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/daley-thompson-1.html</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"16 Days of Glory: The Official Film of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics" (Video), directed by Bud Greenspan<br /></span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-20180418210075050452008-08-11T01:46:00.000-07:002008-08-11T06:19:24.762-07:00Song Kee-Chung: Korean To The CoreOne of the most dramatic and enduring moment of any Olympic Games opening ceremony is when the Olympic flame is brought into the main stadium during the opening ceremony. There have been occasions when the theatre of the event has perhaps overshadowed the actual bearer, such as when Stein Gruber of Norway brought the 1994 Lillehammer torch down a ski jump, or when Antonio Rebollo used a flaming arrow to assist with the lighting of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic cauldron. On other occasions it has been the celebrity or relative athletic greatness of the final torchbearers who have defined an Olympic opening cermeony, as in the case of Rafer Johnson at Los Anegles in 1984, or Niklos Kaklamankis in Athens 2004. Finally, there are those times when the symbolism of that final torchbearer goes beyond spectacle or sporting greatness; that person or persons symbolizes something specific about the host nation and its culture. Cathy Freeman in Sydney 2000 is a prime example of this. In 1988 the presence of one man in the final deliverance of the Olympic torch brought (to quote David Wallechinsky) "tears to an entire nation...". That country was South Korea, and the torchbearer who evoked such a powerful response from his countrymen and women was Sohn Kee-Chung. 52 years prior to the 76 year old's entrance into Seoul's Olympic stadium this immensely proud Korean had won a gold medal for the marathon whilst competing as a member of the Japanese team. Yet even though he had to wear the occupier's uniform, listen to their national anthem and even have his name changed to echo Japanese norms, Sohn never let the colonial masters of his homeland take away his dignity.<br /><br />Sohn Kee-Chung was born in Sinŭiju, North P'yŏngan Province in 1912 and during his youth he would run against friends riding bicycles, as well as up and down logging tracks near his home town. When his talent was recognised by the relevant authorities he was then sent to Yangjung High School in Seoul, where many well-credentialled Korean runners were based. Running for Sohn was not just a physical activity, it was a way of showing his Korean-ness. As quoted in "Berlin Games: How Hitler Stole The Olympic Dream" by Guy Walters, Sohn stated:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Japanese could stop our musicians from playing our songs. They could stop our singers and silence our speakers. But they could not stop me from running."</span><br /><br />After initial success in the 800 metres and 1500 metres Sohn turned to the marathon. Winning his first three races held in Seoul (possibly over a reduced distance), Sohn Kee-Chung was twice national champion by 1935. In April his considerable marathon reputation spread beyond Asia, when it was reported that a 'Japanese' runner had beaten the two and a half hour mark for the distance. In his seven races that year (four in Korea, three in Japan) Sohn cemented his position as a leading exponent of the longest distance run by any Olympic athlete, then made a definitive statement of intent with his marathon run of November 3rd 1935. Completing a course staged in Tokyo Song Kee-Chung crossed the finish line after 2 hours 26 minutes and 42 seconds. This was a new world record. This was almost five minutes faster than that recorded by 1932 Los Angeles marathon gold medallist Juan Carlos Zabala of Argentina. The issue for Sohn going into the Olympic year and the 1936 Berlin Summer Games wasn't his fitness or speed; it was his nationality.<br /><br />At the first Japanese Olympic trial marathon held on April 18th 1936 Sohn Kee-Chung was running under his Japanese name of Kitei Son, and whilst he laboured under this cultural burden his athletic ability was in no way impaired. Winning in a time of 2.28.32 the Korean beat leading Japanese entrants Shinichi Nakamura and Fusahige Suzuki. Then in a final trial event Sohn came second behind Tamao Shiaku, and these two plus another Korean native, Nam Seung-yong (a.k.a. Shoryu Nan) would form the basis of the Japanese entries into the Berlin marathon.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the rest of the world's marathon runners were also preparing for the Berlin Games. Two South Africans, Johannes Coleman and Henry Gibson both set sub 2 hour 33 minute times in their national championship. In Britain Donald McNab Robertson and Ernest Harper qualifed for Berlin in July at the AAA Championships with times about 9 minutes slower than Sohn's world record. The Americans had three contenders for Berlin, William McMahon, Mel Porter and John Kelley. However none of these three were close to Sohn's times. Finally the Argentinian Zabala trained extensively in the host city of the 1936 Summer Olympics for several months prior to the games, and in the absence of a leading German competitor established himself as a local favourite. The Berlin marathon promised to be a great race.<br /><br />The 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics opened on Saturday August 1st, and both before and after that date whenever Sohn Kee-Chung met anyone in Berlin he took the opportunity to impress upon officials, journalists and fans alike that he was Korean, not Japanese. He even went to the effort of signing his name in its Korean form, not as Kitei Son. Yet when it came to the day of the marathon, Sunday August 9th he like his compatriot Nam wore the Hi-no-maru or Rising Sun of Japan. Lined up against a field of 56 competitors from 27 countries, Sohn was about to stage a truly unique act of national protest against foreign domination of his homeland.<br /><br />The Berlin course ran from the Olympiastadion through the Grunewald forest, then back into the main stadium for one last lap before the finishing line was reached. Conditions for the marathoners were good, being dry and sunny with an air temperature of around 22 degrees celsius, and this assisted Zabala as he took off with great speed from the race's beginning. Wearing a white handkerchief on his head the Argentinian set a quick pace with the first 8 kilometres traversed in 26 minutes 18 seconds. Portuguese runner Manuel Dias was in second place, but Sohn and Britain's Harper were also near the front of the race. The lead narrowed at the 15 kilometres mark with Dias only lagging about 100 seconds behind Zabala, with Sohn and Harper closing the gap to be half a minute behind the Portuguese runner.<br /><br />By the half way mark Dias was caught by the Korean and the Briton, and Zabala's lead was dropping to less than a minute. Then in the style of many an Olympic gold medallist Zabala fought back, lengthening his lead to 90 seconds at the 25 kilometre point. Harper and Sohn were locked together in joint second whilst Ellison 'Tarzan' Brown of the USA surged into fourth. Then came the crucial moment in the 1936 Marathon. At the 28 kilometre mark as Zabala approached the northern end of the neighbouring Avus raceway he tripped, fell and recovered just as Harper and Sohn passed him. Sohn took the lead by the 31 kilometre mark (leading by 16 seconds from Harper), whilst within another kilometre Zabala dropped out. The Korean extended his lead over Harper at every major mark between this point and the stadium. Meanwhile, in the battle for the bronze Sohn's fellow-countryman Nam claimed third position by the 35th kilometre. The order wouldn't change from here until the end of the race. Sohn Kee-Chung racing under the 'official' name of Kitei Son returned to the Berlin stadium in first place, crossing the finish line to win the gold medal. Nam was finishing quickly but Harper claimed silver, even as his one of his shoes filled with blood from a bad foot blister. It was the first marathon gold for an Asian country at the Olympic Games, even though it wasn't actually the one that the winner believed he was truly representing. Mobbed by Japanese journalists Sohn had to endure their claims to his victory on behalf of their nation; this was a bittersweet gold medal victory.<br /><br />Foreshadowing a far more notorious incident mounted by Tommy Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, when the time came for the medal presentation the two Korean medallists Sohn and Nam showed their distaste for representing Japan. With the Japanese anthem playing and the Rising Sun climbing up two of the stadium's flag poles Sohn Kee-Chung and Nam Seung-yong bowed their heads in mute protest, with Sohn even obscuring his uniform's Japanese emblem. Following this Sohn made sure to point out to those reporters he was Korean not Japanese, however his Japanese minders made sure that this point didn't get translated. Sohn was even tempted to tell Adolf Hitler his story, yet the Korean demurred at the last moment. It would have been unfathomable for Hitler to understand the Korean's situation, and as Guy Walter's points out the German dictator wouldn't have cared.<br /><br />There were several intriguing postscripts to Sohn Kee Chung's victory. As a further expression of national pride the Korean newspaper Dong-a-Ilbo reported Sohn's gold accompanied with an edited photo that removed the Japanese flag on his sweatshirt. The colonial Japanese government respnded to this act of defiance by jailing 8 Korean staff members of the newspaper and then suspended its publication for 9 months. Meanwhile Sohn and Harper were brought back to Berlin so that famous German documentary director Leni Riefenstahl could re-film segments of the marathon. This incident may have added to the lustre of the Berlin Olympics official film, but it again insulted a great Korean gold medallist. Sohn retired after these events in 1936, never running for Japanese governed Korea again. However in 1948 he was given the honour of carrying South Korea's flag at the London Olympics. This partially reinforced his position as a Korean patriot on the world stage, but it was back in Seoul more than half a century after his Berlin gold medal that Sohn Kee-Chung was allowed to run in front of his own countrymen at their Olympics. Whilst the IOC never changed its records to show Kitei Son was not who the Japanese represented, but the Korean Sohn Kee-Chung both he and all Koreans knew where his heart and spirit lay.<br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wbJdiT6TPN0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wbJdiT6TPN0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dg_weauz1eI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dg_weauz1eI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Berlin Games: How Hitler Stole The Olympic Dream" by Guy Walters, John Murray, 2006</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1936 Berlin Olympics: Volume II" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">Wikipedia Article - Sohn Kee-Chung Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohn_Kee-chung">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohn_Kee-chung</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Olympic Marathon: The History and Drama of Sport's Most Challenging Event" by Martin & Glynn, Human Kinetic Press, 2000</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">International Olympic Committee - 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics: <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1936">http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1936</a></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-26842732363847017572008-08-09T02:48:00.000-07:002008-08-10T05:25:13.935-07:00Bobby Pearce: The Sculler Who Stopped For DucksAustralia has a remarkable heritage in the sport of rowing, dating back to 1876 when Parramatta quarryman Edward Trickett won the single sculls world championship on the Thames River, Great Britain. The first Australian to achieve this distinction in any sport, Trickett was followed by many others in the years to come. In 1888 Henry Searle repeated Trickett's achievement, whilst another compatriot of Trickett who was an early Australian world sculling champion was William Beach. In the early years of the next century one of the prodigies of Australia rowing was Frederick Septimus Kelly, who as part of the Leander Club's rowing eight helped with a gold medal for the host nation at the 1908 London Olympics. However it took until 1928 and the Amsterdam Summer Olympic Games for an Australian rower to win a gold medal; that Olympian was Bobby Pearce, and his regatta in the Netherlands was marked by one of the most unusual events in Olympic history.<br /><br />Henry Robert Pearce was born in London in 1905, but was known for most of his life as Bobby Pearce. His father Harry was a much accomplished rower who had twice challenged for the world championship. His grandfather Harry Pearce Senior had sculled against Ed Trickett and had beaten William Beach before Beach went on to win the world championship in 1885. With so much sculling heritage in his family, it was no surprise that at the age of six Bobby first entered a regatta and won an under-16 handicap race. Pearce then went on to win his first open event at the age of 14, and in 1926 he took the Australian single sculls championship title. Growing up in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Double Bay, his immediate rowing future before the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics came under a shadow due to accusations of professionalism. Convincing the New South Wales Amateur Rowing Association that this was a case of mistaken identity (arguing it was one of his brothers who had received payment for race rowing, an insurmountable bar to Olympic competition which was firmly amateur in 1928), Bobby Pearce was confirmed by the then Australian Olympic Federation as Australia's single sculls entrant.<br /><br />The Amsterdam 1928 rowing regatta was held on the Sloten Canal, and in the single sculls (also known as the skiff) there were fifteen countries represented with fifteen entrants. The format of the competition was an initial round of seven match races, followed by a reclassification/repercharge round, a second round of six matches races and two reclassifications, a third round of four match races, a semi-final and then the gold medal final scull. Bobby Pearce had carried the Australian flag at the front of the Australian team in the Antwerp opening ceremony and this honour was a tribute to his potential results in the upcoming Olympic regatta. The leading rivals for Pearce were the Briton Theodore Collet, the American Kenneth Myers and the local sculler, Dutchman Lambertus Collet.<br /><br />In the opening round Pearce demonstrated his superiority over his German rival Walter Flinsch, a five-time national champion, reaching the finish of their scull 26 seconds in front of the German. In the Sydney Morning Herald it was reported that Bobby Pearce had actually pulled up and waited for Flinsch to finish. Amongst the other potential medallists Myers had defeated De Kok from South Africa, Collet beat Candeveau of Switzerland and Gunther had narrowly lost to the Canadian Wright. Importantly Pearce had set the quickest time for the distance, winning in 7 minutes 55.75 seconds.<br /><br />The next round of sculling matches were even more promising for Pearce. Rowing against the Dane oarsman Schwartz Bobby Pearce won with eight lengths to spare, taking almost a full half minute off his previous race time. Gunther had won through his reclasification round and won his race, whilst Myers defeated Collet. It was obvious by now that Bobby Pearce was in gold medal winning form. It was going to take a lot to stop Pearce in his quarter-final race against the French rower Victor Saurin. No one would have expected what did stop the Australian on his way to gold.<br /><br />As recorded by Harry Gordon in his book "Australia and The Olympic Games", the following story was reported by a Dutch newspaper and had many and varied retellings. However Pearce himself gave only one recorded version of the incident that occurred in his scull against Savrin, in an interview given to sports historian Henry Roxborough in 1976, just after Pearce's death;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I had beaten a German and a Dane in earlier heats and I was racing a Frenchman when I heard wild roars from the crowd along the bank of the canal. I could see some spectators vigorously pointing to something behind me, in my path. I peeked over one shoulder and saw something I didn't like, for a family of ducks in single file was swimming slowly from shore to shore. It's funny now, but it wasn't at the time for I had to lean on my oars and wait for a clear course, and all the while my opponenet was pulling away to a five length lead."<br /><br /></span>With an effort that would have been considered impossible from any of his competitors, and even today is hard to believe Pearce chased Savrin after stopping for the duck and its ducklings, caught up with the Frenchmen and then by the time the race was over Pearce had finished almost 30 seconds in front of his challenger. In fact Bobby Pearce's time even with the stop included was the fastest of the remaining eight scullers in that round. Not even swimming ducks could halt Bobby Pearce.<br /><br />In the semi-final Pearce came up against the Briton Collet, and won through to the gold medal race by four lengths. The American Myers was unbeaten like Pearce, but his fastest time for the course was still a good 12 or so second behind the Australian's best. The final race, held on smooth water in the Sloten Canal on 15th October 1928 ended as it was expected. Pearce took the gold (in a time of 7 minutes 11 seconds, a record that would remain for the Olympic single sculls until Munich 1972) and was thus the greatest single oarsman at the 1928 Olympics. He was the first Australian rower to win a gold medal at the Olympics, then four years later he was the first Australian to successfully defend an Olympic title when he took gold at the 1932 Los Angeles regatta. Arguably the greatest pre-World War Two Australian Olympian, Bobby Pearce will always be remembered as the man who stopped rowing for ducks at the Olympic Games.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.beijing2008.cn/20070503/Img214046210.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://images.beijing2008.cn/20070503/Img214046210.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 85%;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics" </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1928/1928.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1928/1928.pdf</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Australia And The Olympic Games" by Harry Gordon, UQP 1994</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"100 Greatest Olympians from 1896" by Jim Tracy, Savvas Publishing, 1983</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia Article - Bobby Pearce Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Pearce">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Pearce</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Australian Dictionary of Biography Online - Harry Pearce Jnr: <a href="http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050468b.htm">http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050468b.htm</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Australian Dictionary of Biography Online - Bobby Pearce: <a href="http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110183b.htm">http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110183b.htm</a></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-17024359905390943562008-08-08T21:07:00.000-07:002008-08-09T00:40:50.235-07:00Emil Zatopek: The Czech Locomotive in HelsinkiAt the Opening Ceremony of the 1952 Summer Olympics the Olympic torch was brought into the Helsinki Olympiastadion by legendary Finnish long distance runner Paavo Nurmi, with his fellow legendary athletic compatriot Hannes Kolehmainen actually igniting the main cauldron. Each one of these so-called "Flying Finns" had excelled in distances ranging from the 5,000 metres through to the marathon. Therefore it was poetic justice in Helsinki that one of the most iconic performances in Olympic history was that given by the Czech long-distance runner Emil Zatopek. Zatopek entered these games with one gold medal; at the end of them he added three more plus perhaps more importantly showed the spirit and honour of a truly Olympic champion.<br /><br />Emil Zatopek was born in Kopřivnice, Czechoslovakia on September 19, 1922 and didn't start running competitively until the age of 19, when he (reluctantly) ran in a race sponsored by the shoe factory in which he worked. His second place encouraged him and a local athletics club to make further efforts in developing his running, and by 1943 he held the Czech 1500 metres record. By the age of 22 he had broken the Czech national records for the 2000 metres, 3000 metres and 5000 metres and then at the end of World War Two he was drafted into the army where he was given the opportunity to concentrate on his running. With no coach he developed his own system of interval training, influenced by the great Paavo Nurmi and the Swede Arne Andersson. Running alone in every weather type, on athletic tracks or cross country he went to the 1948 Olympics as an entrant in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He ended the first Olympics after the Second World War with a gold in the 10,000 metres and a silver in the 5000 metres, winning fame and respect for his efforts. It was in Wembley Stadium at the 1948 London Olympics that the world first heard an Olympic crowd chant 'Zat-o-pek, Zat-o-pek!" as the anguished face of the Czech runner circled round the athletics track.<br /><br />Whilst the medals he won in 1948 were brilliant achievements for the Czech lieutenant, it was four years later when Zatopek emerged from mere greatness into Olympic legend status. Between the London and Helsinki Olympics Zatopek won 38 10,000 metres races plus every 5000 metres event he entered. In 1951 after a delayed start to his season due to a skiing accident he broke the world record in the one hour event, breaking the 20 kilometre barrier. He held the world record over 10,000 metres (29 minutes 2.6 seconds) and was undoubtedly the favourite for Helsinki in this distance. On a personal note he had also married Czech javelin thrower Dana Ingrová after the 1948 Summer Olympics, and both Zatopeks were going to Helsinki hoping to bring back gold for Czechoslavakia.<br /><br />The first event for Zatopek in Helsinki was the 10,000 metres. Held on the first day of the athletics program there were 33 competitors from 21 countries. Zatopek was the world record holder and favourite, however Gordon Pirie (GBR), Aleksandr Anufriev (URS) and the so-called "Zatopek's Sahdow' Alain Mimoun (FRA) were credible opponents. Aamzingly the night before the gold medal race an Australian journalist entered Zatopek's room around midnight; instead of being hustled out by a reasonably angry Zatopek, the Czech champion calmly and with great dignity was interviewed by the journalist for twenty minutes. When Zatopek discovered the reporter had no bed for the night he offered to share his room with the Australian. The next day after one lap the Australian Les Parry had the lead in the 10,000 metres, but this evaporated when the Soviet Anufriev took over. If Zatopek was wearied by the previous night's activities he failed to show it. With 2000 metres completed Zatopek too the lead and was never headed. Mimoun stayed true to his nickname and up until the 8000 metres mark was running a strong second. Yet Zatopek surged away at that point, completing the last five laps well in front and raced to cross the finish line first. The gap between him and Mimoun the silver medallist was over 15 seconds or about 90 metres, with Anufriev third. Zatopek had won his second gold medal in his career and successfully defended his 10,000 metres title from London. It was also the first in his Helsinki saga which made Emil Zatopek a legend.<br /><br />When asked if he would compete in the 5000 metres Zatopek replied "The marathon contest won't be for a long time yet, so I must simply do something until then." This self-deprecating reply and his behaviour in his heat of the 5000 metres belied his ability and desire to win the event he had come second in four years earlier. Two days after his 10,000 metres gold Zatopek lined up for his qualifying heat relaxed and keeping in mind the first five from each of the three heats would progress on the next day's final. Chatting with his competitors as he ran Zatopek finished in third with Anufriev winning the heat. Zatopek demonstrated his immense personal friendliness after the race bu presenting the fourth place runner Les Perry his training suit.<br /><br />Going into the final on July 24th 1952 Zatopek was again to race Mimoun, Anufriev, Pirie and Perry from the 10,000 metres, plus fancied German runner Herbert Schade and Pirie's compatriot Chris Chataway. Zatopek tried to advise Schadeon the starting line how the German could approach the final, however Schade failed to appreciate this help to his later regret. With about a lap and a half to go a group of six runners were poised for the final surge. Zatopek, Pirie, Chataway, Mimoun, Schade and the 1948 gold medallist, Belgian Gaston Reiff. Reiff dropped out, unexpectedly leaving the track. Then Pirie fell behind, and as the bell lap began the red shirted figure of Zatopek was in front of his three main rivals.<br /><br />His face contorted in rictures of agony (later saying "I was not talented enough to run and smile at the same time.") Zatopek surprisingly lost the lead in the back straight. With 300 metres to go and the crowd yelling "Zat-o-pek!" the Czech runner was in fourth and now out of the medals. Then coming into the final curve Zatopek surged, showing his unique ability to time his pace at the most effective time. Passing Mimoun, Schade and Chataway Zatopek hit the lead. Chataway clipped the concrete bordering the inner track and tripped, effectively ending his race. Meanwhile Mimoun and Schade faded, and as the finish line came closer it was Zatopek first and the Frenchman and German fighting for the minor medals. Mimoun was running the race of his life but his nickname of 'Zatopek's Shadow' struck again; the gold went to the Czech now-triple gold medallist and Mimoun took his third silver behind Zatopek. Schade took bronze and Pirie passed his British team mate Chataway to come fourth. Zatopek had won a remarkable long distance double at the Summer Olympics; the last time anyone had won both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres golds at the same games was at Stockholm in 1912, when Helsinki cauldron-lighter Hannes Kolehmainen had taken the golds in the two longest track races.<br /><br />Later that same day Dana Zatopek won the gold medal in the women's javelin. It was a golden day for Czechoslavakia and the Zatopeks and when Emil was asked if he would try to win the marathon he replied:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"At present the score of the contest in the Zatopek family is 2-1. This result is too close. To restore some prestige I will try to improve on it - in the marathon race."<br /><br /></span>That chance came three days after the 5000 metres final. Zatopek had never run a competitive marathon before, and the favourite was British runner Jim Peters. Peters paradoxically owed his status in the marathon after taking to the event when he was beaten by Zatopek in the 1948 London final of the 10,000 metres. With a recent time of 2 hours 20 minutes and 42 seconds the British runner had established a time about five minutes better than all his prospective competitors in Helsinki. This included the marathon virgin, Emil Zatopek.<br /><br />At the start Zatopek sought out Jim Peters, looking to the favourite to help him pace the longest event for male athletes at the Helsinki Olympics. Looking for Peter's number (187) the Czech marathon debutant found the British world record holder and asked "Hello are you Peters?" Jim Peters said yes and Zatopek then said "I am Emil Zatopek from Czechoslovakia, I am very pleased to see you." The fastest man over the marathon distance and the man who had already won two gold medals in Helsinki then set themselves for the climax of their relative Olympic careers.<br /><br />From the beginning Peters set a fast pace, with the first five kilometres completed in 15 minutes 43 seconds, then the 10 kilometre mark was passed in 31 minutes 55 seconds. Zatopek and Swedish runner Gustaf Janssen challenged Peters after the 15 kilometre mark and it was then Zatopek asked Peters "Jim, the pace. Is it good enough?" Peters replied "Pace too slow", even though he was feeling the effects of his efforts so far. Zatopek considered this reply and then said "You say too slow. Are you sure the pace is too slow?" Peters again said yes, at which point Zatopek shrugged his shoulders, before making his move. Then Zatopek made his move nearing the 20 kilometres. Jansson followed with Peters falling behind, so that with roughly half the race marathon to go Zatopek and the Swede were equal first (1.04.27) and Peters third (1.04.37). Jansson took a slice of lemon at a feed station and Zatopek noted this, thinking that as the Swede was running well when the Czech came to the next feed station Zatopek would take two lemons. Meanwhile Peters was fading fast, and at the turn for the last half of the marathon Zatopek grabbed the lead, without taking any lemons to suck. Jansson faded as well and by the 35 kilometre point he was over a minute behind Zatopek. Peters had collapsed exhausted after 32 kilometres, so he was no longer a threat. The Argentinian Reinaldo Gorno improved his position from fourth after 30 kilometres so that by 40 kilometres he was second behind Zatopek, with Jansson third. The incredible strength and ability of Emil Zatopek was about to bring him the amazing troika of gold medals at the one Olympics; 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon.<br /><br />The Helsinki Olympiastadion rang once last time with the chant 'Zat-o-pek! Zat-o-pek!' as their hero ran the last lap of the marathon. The gap between gold and silver ended up to be over two and a half minutes, with Zatopek crossing the line in 2 hours 23 minutes and 3.2 seconds. The Jamaican 4x100 metres realy team hoisted Zatopek on their shoulders chairing him around as the ecstatic crowd gave him a standing ovation. Then as Gorno crossed for his silver medal Zatopek came over to the Argentinian, greeting him with a slice of orange, with Jansson collecting the bronze. After his victory Zatopek said:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I was unable to walk for a whole week after that (the marathon), so much did the race take out of me. But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known."</span><br /><br />So it was when the Helsinki Olympics finished the most renowned athlete from any nation was the Czech Emil Zatopek, increasing his career Olympic medal tally to 4 golds and one silver. Greatly loved by his competitors as well, the quality of Zatopek not just as an Olympian but as a man was shown not just by his victories in Helsinki, but also by the way he went about securing them. Finally, with one last generous act Emil Zatopek soared further into the stratosphere of Olympic legends. In 1968 Australian 10,000 metre world record holder Ron Clarke met with Zatopek after the Mexico City Olympics. On the point of leaving Prague after his visit, Clarke was walked through customs by Zatopek. Shaking hands in a final farewell Zatopek passed a small package to the Australian, which Clarke took unopened onto his flight. Worried that he was carried some smuggled information from Zatopek (who signed the manifesto supporting the so-called "Prague Spring" of 1968), Clarke only opened his package when the flight was well outside Czechoslovakian airspace. Inside was Zatopek's 10,000 metres gold medal from Helsinki. With this act of true sporting friendship Emil Zatopek's words to Ron Clarke as he had got on the plane made sense to the Australian; "Because you deserved it". If anyone can be said to have received the gift of Olympic greatness, then it must be Emil Zatopek. Because he too deserves it.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1yIbsvMxTgQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1yIbsvMxTgQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center>Sources<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report of the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics" </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1952/OR1952.pdf</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Olympic Series: Supreme Achievements" (Video), Twentieth Century Fox, 2003</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Emil Zatopek Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Official Web Site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics: <a href="http://en.beijing2008.cn/video/historyv/helsinki1952/">http://en.beijing2008.cn/video/historyv/helsinki1952/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Running Through the Ages" by Edward Sears, McFarland, 1991</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-47061783054223903372008-08-07T03:57:00.000-07:002008-08-07T07:04:14.125-07:00Paraskevi Patoulidou: The Hellenic Heroine of BarcelonaWhen the modern Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896 the host nation's competitors were all male and were also singularly successful. The revival of the Olympic tradition by the Frenchman Baron Pierre de Courbetin was an important development for Greek national pride and culture, however as the years passed Greek sport failed to capitalise on their ancient Olympic heritage in the modern era's games. After winning ten golds in Athens 1896, the next 96 years only brought another three gold medals to Greek Olympians. For a country that had given birth to the Olympics it was a disappointing history. So it was in Barcelona, on the 6th August 1992 that Paraskevi 'Voula' Patoulidou carried the weight of her country's Olympic tradition and the relative failures of preceding Greek athletes into a final of the 10 metres hurdles, and to the surprise of everyone including herself brought Olympic glory back to the home of the games.<br /><br />In the months leading up to the Barcelona Summer Games the leading contenders for the 100 metres hurdles were American sprint queen Gail Devers, Russian world champion Lyudmila Narozhilenko and the 1988 Seoul gold medallist from Bulgaria, Yordanka Donkova. Donkova held the world record (12.21 seconds), whilst Devers had run 12.63 seconds at the 1991 Tokyo IAAF world championships (coming second behind Narozhilenko who won gold with a time of 12.59 seconds). Devers was also an exceedingly well accomplished 100 metres sprinter and was expected to medal on the flat in the Montjuic Stadium as well. A victim of Graves disease who had almost had to have both feet amputated, Devers was nominally much quicker than Patoulidou. 'Voula' had run a time of 13.41 at the 1991 track and field world championships, and hadn't progressed into the final where Narozhilenko and Devers excelled. Also recording 11.51 for the flat 100 metres (0.22 seconds behind Dever's best time for that year) Patoulidou would in almost all circumstances been discarded as a medal threat. But of course the Olympic Games can bring out the best in the most unexpected of circumstances, and for a Greek athlete the burden of Olympic history can also become a launching pad.<br /><br />The Barcelona Summer Games track and field program began on July 31st 1992, and on the second day of events Gail Devers gave her 100 metres hurdles competitors food for thought with her gold medal victory in the 100 metres sprint. In a closely fought battle Devers had beaten her more favoured team mate Gwen Torrence and the Jamaican Juliet Cuthbert in an incredibly tight final. Voula Patoulidou on the other hand hadn't even started in the heats, therefore giving no one an indication of her current track speed. Devers was in rare form, and she was ready for more gold in Barcelona.<br /><br />In the heats of the 100 metres hurdles Dever's set the fastest time, running 13.19 seconds, with Donkova running 12.96 and Narozhilenko 13.04. LaVonna Martin, an American team mate of Devers was the fastest into the quarter finals with 12.82 seconds whilst Patoulidou came fourth in her heat with a time of 13.14. Then in the quarter finals LaVonna Martin kept pace with her initial time, with Devers dramatically improving to 12.76 and Donkova third fastest into the semi-finals with 12.84. Again Patoulidou qualified into the next round of the 100 metres, but her time wasn't as impressive as the leading contenders.<br /><br />In the semi finals disaster hit the campaign of the world champion Narozhilenko when she strained a hamstring, thus unable to compete she failed to progress to the final. Devers was in the slower of the two semi races and qualified for the final in 13.14. In the second semi the most consistent performer of the earlier rounds LaVonna Martin won with 12.81 seconds, Donkova came second with 12.87 and then in a significant improvement Patoulidou was third in 12.88. For the first time in Olympic history a female athlete from Greece had qualified for a final.<br /><br />The line up for the final featured three Americans, two Cubans, one Ukrainian, the Bulgarian world champion and Paraskevi Patoulidou from Greece. Devers had experienced some foot numbness in the final of the 100 metres, but she was in fine condition for this, her second chance for Barcelona gold. She was in lane two, Patoulidou in lane five and Donkova in lane six. The eight finalists took their marks at the start, were given the command to get set, and then with the firing of the starter's gun the hurdlers began their race for gold.<br /><br />By the third hurdle Devers was in a leading position, whilst next to her in lane three Lynda Tolbert (USA) was also up towards the front. Donkova had a slow start but was starting to move up, whilst Patoulidou was in the middle of the field. Devers continued to build momentum with every hurdle, and she was literally shooting ahead of her nearest rival Tolbert at the seventh hurdle. Importantly for Patoulidou the Bulgarian world record holder had not distanced herself from the Greek, and in fact Voula was within range of a bronze or silver medal at this stage. At the ninth hurdle Patoulidou surged into second place with Tolbert fading and Donkova not matching, whilst Devers was hurtling towards her second gold medal.<br /><br />The distance between the ninth and tenth hurdle was 9 metres, and then from that last hurdle it was another 9 metres to the finish line. Devers' speed was impressive but at some point in the penultimate gap between hurdles her rhythm faltered. Without any slowing down her lead foot smashed into the last hurdle, bringing her crashing down and instantly wiping out her lead. Patoulidou in the middle of the field was hurdling smoothly and with a slight lead over the improving LaVonna Martin in lane four the Greek athlete surged towards the finish. In lane two Devers rolled and tumbled over the line, but her fall had taken away her opportunity for gold, dropping her back to fifth. The field breasted the line and in one of the most amazing results of any Olympics the unheralded Paraskevi Patoulidou took the gold medal. Martin took the silver and Donkova took the bronze.<br /><br />Whilst the crestfallen Devers rose and then walked further down the track clapping the athlete's efforts a totally stunned Patoulidou first knelt in surprise at her time and position as it was flashed on the electronic scoreboard. Then she ran back to the stands behind the starting line, grabbing the blue and white Greek flag, calling out for her husband Dimitris. Later she was asked if she found him; "No," she said. "I think he is somewhere alone, and he is crying." She also remarked upon what she thought of her competitors; "I wanted to beat the Americans, because they think they are invincible," Patoulidou said. "But I really thought I would finish third. I won't be sleeping tonight."<br /><br />Patoulidou had run 12.64 for the 100 metres hurdles, her best time by 0.32 seconds. She had achieved something no one including herself had expected. 'Voula' had won the first Greek Olympic gold medal since 1980, the first Greek track gold medal since 1912, and the first gold medal for a Greek female Olympian ever. Her success at the Barcelona Olympics was an utter suprise, and both the manner in which she won and which Devers lost her chance, plus the importance for Greek Olympic history of Patoulidou's victory made this moment one of the greatest of all in recent Summer Games history. It could be argued that the amazing victory of Voula began a Greek renaissance in Olympic sport, which in turn saw Greece win six gold medals in the return of the Olympics to Athens in 2004. Patoulidou was the heroine of a new Greek Olympic legend.<br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iw6UqwEBBB0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iw6UqwEBBB0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >IAAF Official Biographies of Patoulidou, Devers and Donkova: <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/index.html">http://www.iaaf.org/index.html</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sports Illustrated - Ode to Joy (17/8/1992): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004102/1/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004102/1/index.htm</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press, 2008</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Wikipedia - 1991 World Championship in Athletics Article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_World_Championships_in_Athletics">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_World_Championships_in_Athletics</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >New York Times - Last Hurdle Stops Devers From 2nd Gold (7/8/1992): <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DE1731F934A3575BC0A964958260">http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DE1731F934A3575BC0A964958260</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Todor Tratsev Sports & Election Statistics - Women's 100 metres Hurdles Barcelona 1992: <a href="http://todor66.com/olim/1992/Athletics/Women_100m_Hurdles.html">http://todor66.com/olim/1992/Athletics/Women_100m_Hurdles.html</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Gail Devers Official Website: <a href="http://www.gaildevers.com/">http://www.gaildevers.com/</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"Summer Games Access 1992 Barcelona" by Richard Saul Wurman, Access Press, 1992</span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-69020500916561877022008-08-05T01:44:00.000-07:002008-08-05T04:38:55.726-07:00Dick Fosbury: A Flop And A Gold MedallistAs noted in another entry in this compilation of the 101 Greatest Olympic Moments, the 1968 Mexico City Olympics saw a leap or two into the record books. One was incredibly long, thanks to the efforts of <a href="http://101olympians.blogspot.com/2008/07/bob-beamon-event-destroyer.html">Bob Beamon</a> who launched himself into Olympic history with his 8.91 metre sail into the men's long jump pit. However Beamon wasn't the only US field athlete to grab his particular event by the scruff of the neck and turn it into something new and revolutionary. The other was Richard 'Dick' Fosbury, a student at the University of Oregon who began the downfall of the old Olympic high jump routine of western and eastern rolls, scissors and straddle jumps with his eponymous "Fosbury Flop".<br /><br />Dick Fosbury started his career as a high jumper without such revolutionary technical visions. In fifth grade at school Fosbury discovered through his own body shape that of all athletic events the high jump was perhaps the most apt for him, and starting with the scissor technique by the age of 16 he had changed to the straddle then back to scissors, with a backwards twist helping him hit 1.75 metres (5ft 10 in). Gradually changing his layout over the bar into an almost horizontal position, by 1965 and his senior year in high school the combination of the backward layout over the high jump bar had almost completed its evolution for Fosbury, taking him to a height of 1.98 metres. It was at a national junior's meet that he was signed by Oregon State University coach Berny Wagner, which formed the final link in Fosbury's development as a 'flopping' high jumper.<br /><br />Toying briefly (at Wagner's suggestion) with a return to the straddle Fosbury convinced his coach that his "Fosbury Flop" was the way to higher jumps after the coach filmed for curiousity's sake the 19 year old using his own technique. In an unexpected fashion Fosbury easily cleared 1.95 metres (6ft 6in), climbing to a possible 2.1 metres whilst wearing a pair of plaid bermuda shorts. This ensured that Dick Fosbury would take the flop to the US Track and Field selection trials for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.<br /><br />Meanwhile in Canada the female high jumper Debbie Brill had also discovered the results attainable from using a high jumping technique where the bar was passed backwards horizontally. The so-called "Brill Bend" may have been seen by Dick Fosbury whilst he was at OSU, however there is no evidence to show that either he nor Brill copied each other. The major difference between the two techniques was whereas the "Brill Bend" was recorded as early as 1966, the "Fosbury Flop" was the one which made the longest and most important impression at an Olympic Games, during the field program at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Unfortunately for Debbie Brill she wasn't able to match the publicity (or the Olympic success) of Dick Fosbury's high jump style.<br /><br />Dick Fosbury had to take his new jumping technique to another level as part of qualifying for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Requiring a jump of 2.17 metres (7 ft 3 in) to make the US team he did so, falling only five centimetres of then men's world record holder Valery Brumel (URS). Later Fosbury narrowed the gap to only 1 inch (2.54 centimetres). However Brumel was unable to respond to the challenge from the exciting new American high jumper, and was destined not to meet Fosbury in Mexico City. Three years earlier Brumel had been involved in a motorcycle accident which almost destroyed his right leg. With the Tokyo gold medallist and world record holder unable to participate in the 1968 high jump, the field was just that little bit more open.<br /><br />Like so many times in the period 1952-1988, the main challengers for the gold medal in the men's high jump at Mexico City came down to a East versus West battle. The Soviets sent two well credentialled jumpers, Valentin Gavrilov of the Dynamo Moscow club and Valery Skvortsov who had jumped 2.17 metres at the 1968 European Indoor Championships. For the US there was Fosbury and his compatriot Edward Caruthers. Caruthers like Skvortsov had been in Tokyo four years earlier (where the American came 8th, the Soviet 14th), and like all bar Fosbury used more traditional methods of clearing the high jump bar. Also competing for the US was Reynaldo Brown; he, Fosbury and Caruthers had all cleared 2.17 metres at the trials, but it was Caruthers who had won that meet (Fosbury came third). As an added wrinkle to the story of Fosbury's qualification alongside Brown and Caruthers was his flunking out of OSU and expiration of his draft deferment (Fosbury evaded military service due to a congenital spinal problem). The rarefied air of Mexico City would see a remarkable high jump competition.<br /><br />Surprisingly on the day of the final itself Dick Fosbury went barely challenged. From his first starting jump right up to 2.22 metres every first attempt by Fosbury was achieved. The Mexican spectators called out "Ole!" with every leap, gaining in volume as Fosbury leapt higher. Brown dropped out at 2.14 metres, whilst Skvortsov finished in fourth with a best jump only 2 centimetres higher. The final three were Gavrilov, Caruthers and Fosbury. Wearing 802 on his top Gavrilov tried to clear 2.22 metres, which would have kept him level with the two Americans. Unfortunately for the Soviet he failed, leaving Caruthers and Fosbury to battle out for the gold.<br /><br />Propelled by a mixture of self-belief, crowd support, a remarkably successful new technique and awareness that with a failed jump Fosbury would give Caruthers an opprtunity to pass him, Dick Fosbury had the bar raised to 2.24 metres. As in most of his adult high jumping career as well as for every jump he had taken at the 1968 Summer Olympics Fosbury ran in a looping curve towards the bar for this last effort. Then at the last moment he shifted from an inward lean to an outward lean, his body pivoting and spinning so that his back was to the bar. Arcing upwards Fosbury carried himself over the bar, arching his back and angling himself 90 degress from the vertical. The jump was good, the bar stayed up and the "Fosbury Flop" had taken its first practitioner to an unassailable lead. Caruthers tried to match Dick Fosbury but couldn't, thus winning the silver. The gold medal and (perhaps just as historically important) the popular 'patent' on the radical style that made 2.24 metres possible was now and forever in Dick Fosbury's possession.<br /><br /><centre><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Id4W6VA0uLc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Id4W6VA0uLc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></centre><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Dick Fosbury Article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Fosbury">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Fosbury</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">OSU Beavers Web Site: <a href="https://admin.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4700&ATCLID=822479">https://admin.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4700&ATCLID=822479</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">GBR Athletics Official Web Site - Soviet Championship Records: <a href="http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/urs.htm">http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/urs.htm</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">International Olympic Committee - Official Web Site - Richard Fosbury High Jump Revolution: <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2095">http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2095</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Valery Skvortsov Biography: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriy_Skvortsov">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeriy_Skvortsov</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia - Fosbury Flop: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_Flop">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_Flop</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - Being Backwards Gets Results (10/2/1969): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082073/2/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082073/2/index.htm</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sports Illustrated - Triumph & Tragedy at Tahoe (23/9/1968): <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081605/index.htm">http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081605/index.htm</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1968 Mexico City Olympics: Volume III Part 1" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3pt1.pdf</span></a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Olympic Series: Olympic Spirit" (Video), Twentieth Century Fox, 2003</span></span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:AkzidenzGroteskBQ-Reg;font-size:10;color:black;" ></span></span></span>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-87064616352384668702008-08-04T06:05:00.000-07:002008-12-08T21:15:30.665-08:00Danyon Loader: The Kiwi That Really Could SwimNew Zealand has a long and very successful Olympic history, starting way back in 1894 when Leonard Cuff was voted one of the thirteen original members of the International Olympic Committee. Athletes from Aotearoa first went to the Summer Games as part of the Australasian team of 1912, then began competing independent of their larger down under neighbours at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. It was in Stockholm that a Kiwi Olympian first won gold; Malcolm Champion who swam the second leg for the Australasian 4x200 metres men's relay swimming team collected his gold medal alongside three Australians. It took another 84 years before another New Zealander would win gold in the swimming pool, and when it happened it was amongst one of the greatest Kiwi Olympic underdog performances of all time.<br /><br />Before the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics the best hopes for Kiwi gold medals arguably lay in their equestrian, rowing and yachting teams. Blyth Tait and Mark Todd formed the core of a well-credentialled three day event team, whilst Barbara Kendall was returning in the women's windsurfing event for which she won gold in Barcelona. Yet lurking behind the headlining favourites was Dunedin-raised Danyon Loader. Loader had shown some indication of what he may be capable of at the so-called Centennial Olympics when he took 3.36 off his personal best to win silver in the men's 200 metres butterfly. Then at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada he had claimed a gold in the same event, whilst also winning 2 silvers (one in the 400 metres freestyle) and a bronze (the latter behind Australian 1500 metres Olympic champion Kieran Perkins) in the 200 metres freestyle. It would have been logical to consider Loader as a potential finalist in Athens but with the likes of Kieran Perkins, fellow Australian Daniel Kowalski, the Swede Anders Holmertz, American Tom Dolan and Italian Massimiliano Rosolino competing against him in the middle distance fresstyle events Loader would have to beat some big odds to win any coloured medal in the Georgia Tech Aquatic Centre's pool.<br /><br />Immediately prior to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics one of those opponents suffered a shock defeat. Kieran Perkins failed to qualify at the Australian Olympic Swimming trials in the 400 metres freestyle, the distance for which he held the then world record of 3 minutes 43.20 seconds. However Dolan was still much fancied, whilst it was expected by some that Kowalski would replace his more famous Australian compatriot as the great down under chance. However Loader had an attitude shared by so many of his compatriots, a Kiwi sense of self-belief and self-reliance. Later he would express this determination this way:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“When we were introduced to the crowd before our races, there would be huge cheers for the Americans and the Australians, but when a New Zealander was announced, there would only be applause from our team-mates. It made me very determined. I’d think, ‘Don’t you write off the underdog! Don’t you count out the New Zealander - don’t you dare!' "<br /><br /></span>The first opportunity for Loader to show up his more fancied rivals came with the 200 metres freestyle. The Kiwi swam a very credible 1.48.48 which may have been almost 2 seconds slower than then world record still gave him the second fastest qualifying time for the final. His nearest rival was Brazilian Gustavo Borges who swam a slightly slower heat and took lane one in the final, to Loader's lane five. Kowalski had a disappointing qualifying time whilst Holmertz from Sweden was the fastest qualifier with a time only seven hundredths of a second quicker than Loader. The underdog Kiwi was now very close to becoming a red hot chance for gold.<br /><br />In the final of the 200 metres freestyle Loader was behind Holmertz until the third 50 metres, where taking the chance to hit his opponents at a phase in the race when they would be gathering themselves for the last lap he surged, grabbing the lead, As much as Holmertz tried and Kowalski came back the New Zealander finished the final with a time of 1.43.67, almost half a second in front of the Brazilian Gustavo Borges who claimed silver. "God Defend New Zealand" was finally going to be heard at an Olympic swimming meet for the first time, and the pony-tailed Kiwi from Timaru had done something many more fancied swimmers from taditional Olympic swimming nations couldn't match.<br /><br />Danyon Loader wasn't finished however in Atlanta. His favourite event, the 200 metres butterfly was held the following day and unfortunately he wasn't able to repeat his success from Barcelona. The Russian world record holder Denis Pankratov completed the butterfly double with his gold medal, whereas Loader couldn't even qualify for the B final. It could have been expected that Loader would have been satisfied with one gold medal. Yet again he was to surprise the swimming world and show why New Zealanders will always be tenacious competitors at the Olympics.<br /><br />With the heats of the 400 metres freestyle beginning and the world record holder Perkins out of contention Tom Dolan had emerged as the gold medal favourite. However Dolan was feeling the effects of winning the 400 metres individual medley gold two days earlier, and his time of 3.53.91 in the fifth heat meant he wasn't in the final. In the fourth heat the Italians Massimiliano Rosolino and Emiliano Brembilla qualified for the final with times that were approximately six seconds behind Perkins' world record. Third fastest qualifier was Jorg Hoffman, whilst Loader was fourth quickest (this claiming lane six in the final). New Zealand was poised to claim another swimming medal, and it was up to Loader to deliver.<br /><br />In the final held on July 23rd the Swedish swimmer Anders Holmertz again took the field out and swam to the lead. Loader was well placed at the half way mark and Kieran perkins observed after watching the race:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I knew by the 200m mark that Danyon couldn’t be beaten. He can beat any swimmer in the world if the field isn’t more than half a body length ahead at that stage. Danyon is so good you can’t afford to give him even a sniff over the final stages.”<br /><br /></span>Danyon Loader took the lead at approximately 290 metres and with just over two laps of the pool to go remained unheaded. Again Daniel Kowalski from Australia came back into the leading pack to claim bronze, but between him and the frontrunning Kiwi was British swimmer Paul Palmer. Then after 3 minutes 47.97 seconds after he had dived into the pool Loader completed his amazing Olympic double, winning a second swimming gold for New Zealand. The Atlanta 1996 swimming meet was remarkable in that competitors from Belgium, Costa Rica and Ireland had each won gold medals in the pool, but for the Kiwi swim team which had long laboured under the shadow of their more glamorous down under neighbours Australia it was a magic time. And Danyon Loader was the chief conjuror. As a mark of respect for the man Australian swim coach Don Talbot called "The Quiet Assassin", Danyon Loader was appointed in June 2007 the New Zealand Olympic Committee's first official ambassador, and in many ways his achievements in Atlanta show why New Zealand Olympians will always be proud representatives of their country.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpORMTzAsONH5WmFAJVeJEhD1aIXSSIkc7jtodtuX1uoy2-ceRz5Z4PvoC_7maQj4C9YDxrS398eB4EKap9_Fi37qW9bBykD46mSQHwB9tJajx0ZHc7kCFPo6WR7cjk35vcct3KvOLzrhS/s1600-h/loader.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpORMTzAsONH5WmFAJVeJEhD1aIXSSIkc7jtodtuX1uoy2-ceRz5Z4PvoC_7maQj4C9YDxrS398eB4EKap9_Fi37qW9bBykD46mSQHwB9tJajx0ZHc7kCFPo6WR7cjk35vcct3KvOLzrhS/s320/loader.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230699730767501106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Danyon Loader celebrating his gold medal finish in the men's 400 metres freestyle final, Atlanta 1996<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sources:</span></span></span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Volume III" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf</a>)</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Centennial Olympic Games Official Souvenir Program, Sports Illustrated 1996</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Australia And The Olympic Games" by Harry Gordon, UQP 1994</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New Zealand Olympic Committee Official Web Site: <a href="http://www.olympic.org.nz/">http://www.olympic.org.nz/</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Swimming New Zealand Hall of Fame - Danyon Loader: <a href="http://www.swimmingnz.org.nz/about-us/hall-of-fame">http://www.swimmingnz.org.nz/about-us/hall-of-fame</a></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikiepedia: New Zealand at the Olympics: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_at_the_Olympics">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_at_the_Olympics</a></span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-75634329364310217552008-08-04T00:49:00.000-07:002008-08-04T04:43:57.855-07:00Brian Boitano and Brian Orser: The Battle of The BriansMany of the greatest moments in modern Olympic history have been where two champions have met and not just competed against each other to win gold, but also they have become inextricably linked. It could be because they were from the same or from different countries. It could be because they shared a strong friendship, or the reverse were bitter rivals. It could also be that one was on the way up, the other one the way down. So many Olympics have had their story told through the competitions between athletes like Zatopek and Mimoun, Powell and Lewis, Johnson and Yang, Thorpe and Spitz. From this type of perspective the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics will always been known for the legendary "Battle of the Brians"; the men's figure skating competition where the American Brian Boitano and the Canadian Brian Orser went head to head in arguably the greatest men's skating program at the Olympics.<br /><br />Calgary won the right to host the 1988 Winter Olympics on September 30th, 1981, after two previously unsuccessful bids. Canadian Summer Olympic history was long and prestigious, however the Montreal 1976 Games had been a traumatic experience thanks to the cost blow-outs, the African boycott and the failure of any Canadian to win a gold medal at their home games. Therefore, with the Canadian passion for such winter sports as ice hockey, speed and figure skating, and skiing it was hoped that the Calgary Winter Olympics would do much to redeem the emotional and financial investment in Canadian Olympism.<br /><br />Four years before the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Canada found a new emerging figure skating star to support, who would hopefully bring them gold in their home-town Olympics. In the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics Ontario-born Brian Orser had skated well enough to surpass the eventual gold medallist American Scott Hamilton in both the short and long programs of the men's figure skating, however his relatively poor performance in the highly technical figures meant that Orser ended up with the silver medal. The best result for a Canadian male figure skater at the Olympics, it was reasonable to assume he climb one step higher up the podium in Calgary. Between 1984 and 1988 Orser developed into a genuine gold medal hope with one world championship gold, two silvers plus the 1987 season saw him win almost every championship he entered. However there was one particular rival who loomed large as a gold medal threat; his name, Brian Boitano.<br /><br />Boitano, an American from the state of California with Italian ancestry had first competed against Orser in the 1978 Junior World Championships where Boitano had won first place, followed by the Canadian in second. The first American male skater to land a triple axel, at Sarajevo he finished fifth. Then, at the 1985 ISU World Figure Skating championships he came third behind Orser again (with Soviet skater Alexandr Fadeyev winning the title), followed by winning that championship one year later in Geneva. Significantly for the build up to the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, at the 1987 World Championships in Cincinnati Orser reversed the preceding year's result as Boitano failed to land a new move, a quadruple toe loop. The stage had been set; the two Brian's were established as the leading contenders for the Calgary gold medal and whilst Orser was arguably more proficient artistically (which made him more attractive to spectators during the long program), Boitano arguably more athletic but not as inspired in his choreography. Naturally there would also be the home-town factor; unlike Sarajevo where neither of the two Brians had any support from local spectators, in Calgary it was to be expected that Orser would have fanatical Canadians willing him on to gold.<br /><br />The 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were in full swing by the time the men's figure skating program began. After the first round (the compulsory figures) the men's figure skating was actually led by the 1985 world champion, the Soviet skater Fadeyev, in front of Boitano (second) and Orser (third). However it wasn't that part of the program which would define who would win gold; the artistic segments of the skating program where the skaters would spend most of their time on the ice with the greater potential benefit score-wise. Plus both the short and long artistic would bring to bear the influence of the spectators, both on the skaters and possibly the judges.<br /><br />The short program saw Fedeyev drop dramatically down to 9th place, whilst as expected Boitano and Orser lifted into second and first respectively. The Ukrainian skater Viktor Petrenko rose into third, but his compulsory figures weren't good enough to threaten the two Brians. It all depended upon the long artistic or free skates from Boitano (who had chosen a routine developed by his relatively new choreographer Sandra Bezic which aimed to show him off as less "a jumping robot") and from Orser (who also used a military theme in his free skate, with music from Shostakhovich). Pundits noted that whilst Orser was perhaps more skittish on the ice, he had the advantage (or disadvantage) of Canadian expectations.<br /><br />Boitano was the first to skate in the long artistic program, and his performance was near perfect technically. He scored five 5.9's from the judges which reinforced the reputation of him as a strong and correct skater. His artistic points weren't quite as strong, with three 5.9's and one 5.7. The majority of the crowd may have been Canadian however they recognised a great skater with strong applause. The opening was there for Brian Orser to take the gold medal with a higher scoring performance, and as he skated out to begin Orser looked unusually confident.<br /><br />For the first 90 seconds of his skate Orser was both technically and artistic brilliant. However when Orser attempted a triple flip jump he failed to laucnh off his toe pick correctly, and whilst he didn't fall his two feet landing was a small flaw that the judges interpreted as a difference between him and Boitano. Then, at the 3 minute 41 second mark Orser flew into what was supposed to be a triple axel was performed as a double axel as Orser's fatigue level increased. With the end of his free skate the two Brians were incomparably close, but the judges had two specific reference points to differentiate them on technically.<br /><br />As the technical points were displayed for Orser's free skate Boitano's chances for the gold rose even higher. Orser was only able to secure one 5.9 score, yet this was compensated for with five 5.9s in the artistic scores plus one 6.0. Orser had skated with flair and imagination, but it was Boitano who got the nod from the judges, splitting the decision 5-4 in his favour. Two judges had both Brians tied, but when they looked to break the tie they went to the technical scores. The final score in factored places was Boitano rated a position of 3.0 whilst Orser ranked 4.2. Boitano took the gold, Orser the silver and Petrenko the bronze.<br /><br />Sadly for the Canadians this meant that just as in Montreal they would be denied a home town gold medal at their own Olympics. Yet no matter the medals awarded to them, both Brian Boitano and Brian Orser were good friends with each other and they had provided the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics a defining moment. During the medal ceremony Boitano reflected on his rival and friend, saying afterwards "I almost felt guilty feeling great. I tried to hold it back, so me feeling great wouldn't make him (Orser) feel worse." The Battle of the Brians had been won and lost, yet as always in the best Olympic moments rivalry and winning was pushed into the background. The victor was not arrogant, the loser not humiliated; it was a sublime moment of competition elevated by generous human spirits.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cEYNskBniw0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cEYNskBniw0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EZ4BLCff93M&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EZ4BLCff93M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics"by David Wallechinsky, Sport Classic Books, 2005</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics: Volume II" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1988/orw1988pt2.pdf"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1988/orw1988pt2.pdf</span>)</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times: A Fitting Finale for Boitano, Orser (20/2/88): <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED8143CF933A15751C0A96E948260">http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED8143CF933A15751C0A96E948260</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikpedia Article - The Battle of the Brians:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Brians"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Brians</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Official Brian Orser Website - Canadian Excellence: <a href="http://www.canadianexcellence.com/">http://www.canadianexcellence.com/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">International Skating Union Official Website: <a href="http://www.isu.org/">http://www.isu.org/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">IOC Official Biography - Brian Boitano: <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=70051">http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=70051</a></span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-36276660269769138952008-08-03T03:39:00.000-07:002008-08-05T04:37:50.474-07:00Paea Wolfgramm: Mountain Man, Mountain HeartAs recorded elsewhere in this blog the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics were marred by a Soviet-led boycott, reducing the original number of invited competing nations. The 16 countries that didn't attend were in turn replaced by 19 new countries and their representative National Olympic Committees. One of these debuting nations was the small Pacific kingdom of Tonga. Whilst not officially a member of the IOC, the Tongan NOC was allowed to send a team which whilst small, began a participation history which reached its (so far) most glorious Olympic moment thanks to a boxer, devout Mormon and Auckland-based clerk, Paea Wolfgramm.<br /><br />Paea Wolfgramm was a former rugby player when he was named as Tonga's entry in the Super-Heavyweight category of the Atlanta 1996 boxing program. Paea started boxing in 1990 after receiving encouragement from a University of Auckland friend, Tony Fulilangi. After only 24 bouts and boxing mainly in the Pacific Islands he was on his way to Atlanta. Paea was definitely under the radar when it came to those pundits forecasting gold in his weight division. The favourite was the Russian world champion Aleksi Lezin, with other major candidates for medals including the American Lawrence Clay-Bey and Cuban Alexis Rubalcaba. However as so often in the history of the modern Olympics the pre-games favourites didn't exactly meet the expectations of many an armchair expert.<br /><br />In the first round of bouts most competitors had byes, including Lezin, Clay-Bey, the Ukrainian Wladamir Klitschko, Rubalcaba and Wolgramm himself. It wasn't until the second round of bouts that there was a complete list of super-heavyweight competitors in the ring. Klitschko defeated the hometown favourite Clay-Bey 10-8, underlining the quality of his family's boxing heritage, with his brother Vitali winning silver behind Lezin in the preceding world championships. Lezin also won through, defeating the Kazakh boxer Mikhail Jourchenko, whilst Rubalcaba progressed to the quarter finals with a win over the Italian Paolo Vidoz. In one surprise result the unheralded Nigerian Duncan Dokiwari defeated his Pakistani opponent after only 85 seconds of the first round, but he wasn't the only underdog to progress. Wolfgramm, who chanted before every bout the Tongan mantra "Tonga mounga kihe loto" - "Your mountains are your heart.") defeated Belarus boxer Sergei Dahovich 10-9 on points. The next round match ups included Klitschko versus the Swede Levin, Lezin versus the German Monse and Wolfgramm versus Rubalcaba.<br /><br />Normally the Cuban would have been considered a certainty. Cuban boxers have been literally punching above their weight at most post-war Olympics thanks to their incredible team strength, plus the performances of iconic gold medallists such as Teofilio Stevenson and Felix Savon. However to the delight of the crowd Wolfgramm set out to defy the odds, history and boxing logic.In what he described later as a "gold medal match" the huge Tongan belted Rubalcaba against the rope almost as soon as the bell stopped ringing for round one. To the crowd's chants of "Ton-ga! Ton-ga!" Wolfgramm inflicted two standing counts on the much more fancied Cuban, and at the end of the fight he stood most surprisingly the winner in a 17-12 points division. It was already the greatest moment in Tongan Olympic history as Paea was assured at least a bronze medal, and it was going to get better.<br /><br />Klitschko and Lezin had set up their semi-final with wins against their respective opponents, whilst in Wolfgramm's half of the draw the Nigerian Dokiwari had again flattened an opponent (the Azerbajani Mamov) in almost brutal fashion, 23 seconds into round three of his bout. Dokiwari was set to box Wolfgramm, and these two unknowns would get the chance to battle either a world champion or the European championship runner-up for a gold medal.<br /><br />In Tonga the nation was absorbed in their super-heavyweight's ascent to Olympic glory. Unfortunately the Tongan TV channel didn't broadcast the bout, and it was a truly great fight. Dokiwari had the more credentialled background, having won gold at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. And up until the last round he and Wolfgramm traded hits with the points split evenly 6-6. Then, with lietrally seconds to go Wolfgramm planted a fist into Dokiwari, scoring the necessary point to win the bout 7-6. The Tongan was in the gold medal fight.<br /><br />King Taufa'ahou Topu IV, the Tongan monarch ordered a national day of fasting and prayer for Wolfgramm. Asked if he ever fasted Paea pointed to his massive 182 cm, 140 kg frame and replied "Do I look like I've fasted a lot?".Whilst fasting may not have helped him, prayer was certainly something he appreciated. Unfortunately during his bout with Dokiwari he had broken his wrist and also had a broken nose, and would probably have not even tried to step into the ring if it weren't a gold medal fight. Yet Wolfgramm had unfinished business; a ringside rendezvous with the Ukrainian Klitschko. As he put it;<br />"If I won a gold medal, I could not even imagine. I would die first, coach would die next and the king would give me half of Tonga."<br /><br />The Russian gold medal favourite Aleksei Lezin had been outpointed 9-5 byWladamir Klitschko and so was the the Ukrainian was an unbackable certainty. In the final Wolfgramm gamely tried to match Klitschko, and after two rounds was only down 2-3. However in the third and final round the Ukrainian took another four points to Wolgramm's 1, ending the fight and winning the gold 7-3. Yet as much as his victory was notable, it was the silver medal of Tonga's Paea Wolfgramm that arguably brought most glory to the Atlanta boxing tournament. A country with only about 106,000 people spread over 169 islands had claimed its first ever Olympic medal, and as Wolfgramm brought the silver home he stated "I felt like it was national property", letting anyone who wanted to wear it a chance to don the medal. Never before had such a small country with such little opportunity to stand high on the Olympic stage had achieved so much, and it was thanks to a mountain of a man with a mountain for a heart.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sportgeschiedenis.nl/userfiles/boem.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 294px;" src="http://www.sportgeschiedenis.nl/userfiles/boem.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wladamir Klitschko (red trunks) connecting with Paea Wolfgramm (blue trunks) in the final bout of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Super-Heavyweight boxing tournament<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sources</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Volume III" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Centennial Olympic Games Official Souvenir Program, Sports Illustrated 1996</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Tongan National Olympic Committee Web Site: <a href="http://www.oceaniasport.com/tonga/index.cgi">http://www.oceaniasport.com/tonga/index.cgi</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times: Fans Embrace a Large Unknown From Tonga (August 2nd 1996): <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/specials/olympics/0802/oly-box-tonga.html">http://www.nytimes.com/specials/olympics/0802/oly-box-tonga.html</a></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-57065331356001438302008-08-02T19:26:00.000-07:002008-08-05T04:38:33.825-07:00Gaby Andersen-Scheiss: Staggering Into HistoryUp until 1984 and the games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad the iconic event of the marathon had been limited to male participation only. There had been one unoffical female runner in the very first modern Olympic marathon in Athens 1896. Greek woman Stamata Revithi was not allowed to compete by the commission in charge of entries, and so her time of approximately five and half hours (slowed by a period watching ships at the Piraeus docks) was completely unofficial (plus run a day after the actual men's event). It took 88 years before the IAAF and the IOC allowed female athletes to compete in an official Olympic marathon, and the usually smog and car-bound streets of Los Angeles were to serve as the backdrop for the debut of this most torturous of athletic events.<br /><br />Before the Los Angeles 1984 games there was the usual political problems of the era, with Western and Eastern bloc countries manoeuvering for political and therefore Olympic supremacy. On May 8th 1984 the USSR announced it would not be attending the LA Olympics, citing "chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria being whipped up in the United States". Although this pretext was the official reason for the Soviet led boycott (which eventually encompassed 14 Communist countries), the most popular and reasonable assumption was this was a 'revenge' boycott, paying back the US and her supporters who had staged the Moscow 1980 boycott. In some sports and in some events this meant there was going to be a paucity of world record holders or world champions. Swimming and weightlifting for example were dramatically thinned of world ranked entrants. However the women's marathon was not as drastically effected.<br /><br />Coming into the LA 1984 Olympics the two lead contenders for debut women's marathon gold were Greta Waitz (Norway), the then current world champion and Joan Benoit (USA), world record holder. Benoit had been beaten by Waitz over various distances 10 out of 11 times, and had undergone knee surgery 17 days before the US Olympic trials. Yet there was the indefinable factor of Benoit running in a hometown Olympics, with the undoubtedly major assistance of fanatically patriotic American fans. Other less favoured chances for gold were Waitz's fellow Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen, the Portuguese runner Rosa Mota and Laura Fogli (Italy).<br /><br />On the day of the event, the Los Angeles sky was clear, blue and relatively free of the smog that had been a constant threat before the actual games themselves. Fifty entrants lined up for the start at the Los Angeles Colisseum, main stadium for both the 1984 Olympics as well as the 1932 Summer Games. Amongst the competitors was one sole Swiss female runner; Gaby Andersen-Scheiss. A dual US/Swiss citizen and Idaho ski instructor, she was unheralded as a gold medal threat contrasted with Benoit and Waitz. However in a little under three hours later her efforts to reach the finish line, again in the LA Colisseum left a far more indelible image on Olympic history than the eventual medallists.<br /><br />Benoit took an early lead, with a six second gap between her and the next best runners opening at the 5 km mark. By the 15 km mark this had widened to 51 seconds, with the white capped Benot striding away from Waitz, Lorraine Moller (NZL), Lisa Martin (AUS), Sylvie Ruegger (CAN), Priscilla Welch (GBR), lngrid Kristiansen (NOR), and Rosa Mota (POR). Waitz was expecting Benoit's physical condition to deteriorate as the marathon lengthened, which didn't happen. After 25 kilometres Benoit had added another minute on top of her 51 seconds lead. Andersen-Scheiss on the other hand was well back in the pack. The Swiss runner was not in the hunt for Olympic gold, but like so many Olympians before and after her it was not the winning which mattered; it was the completing her own personal goal of finishing the marathon.<br /><br />Back at the front of the pack, Benoit lost some time to Waitz coming closer to the Colisseum. However she wasn't to be headed, and whilst the Norwegian got within 400 metres the American was able to finish the marathon in 2 hours 24 minutes 23 seconds, 86 seconds inf ront of the world champion. Rosa Mota who would four years later win gold in this same event at Seoul followed Waitz over the line by 39 seconds, winning bronze. Ingrid Kristiansen was fourth, Lorraine Moller fifth and Priscilla Welch sixth. Remarkably Joyce Smith (GBR) came in eleventh; a 46 year old, she was the oldest competitor in either the men's or women's track and field program at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.<br /><br />As Benoit relaxed from her gold medal winning efforts, mingling with the crowd and searching for stamps for her collection, the rest of the field gradually came in. Then roughly 24 minutes after Benoit had entered the final lap the Swiss runner Andersen-Scheiss staggered into the tunnel leading to the main stadium's track. Cap in hand and drenched in perspiration she began a painfully cruel yet truly Olympic final 400 metres, cheered by the crowds as she lurched towards the finish line.<br /><br />With the final straight and finish line ahead she kept slowly limping on, her white cap back shading her drawn and anguished face. Officials beside the track stood back as doctors observed her sweating, noting she wasn't actually in heat stroke. In 1908 a similar scene had played out when Dorando Pietri from Italy staggered over the line of the first London Olympic marathon, but his efforts had been left unrewarded because he received assistance. This time there was to be no helping hands to carry the brave Swiss runner over the line. Waving away offers of assistance Andersen-Scheiss wavered from one lane to the next, veering close to the orange cones marking the outer side of the race track, then almost hunched over veering back again to the inner side. The distance narrowed, five metres...four...three..two...then with a final stagger into lane two she crossed the finish line, to be greeted by first one then three white uniformed Olympic officials. In coming 37th Gaby Andersen-Scheiss had not won any medal, but she had conquered the 42,195 metres of the first women's Olympic marathon. Plus she had marked this particularly event for history with her brave efforts to not just start but also to finish the race.<br /><br />As the women's marathon closed and the last of the runners was brought back to the athlete's village, Andersen-Scheiss accepted medical assistance. Amazingly after two hours she was back in the Olympic Village as well, eating and recuperating. Ten hours later she was interviewed on television. It was a welcome physical achievement considering how tortured she had appeared as she had finished the marathon. Long term, not only did she arguably define the agonies and the challenges for the marathon runner in the Olympics, no matter the gender, she also made the International Amateur Athletic Federation revise their rules for the marathon, making medical assistance available to those runners during the event without fear of disqualification. Gaby Andersen-Scheiss had demonstrated the most enviable of attributes displayed by an Olympian; the will to meet a challenge and complete it, no matter the result.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h5gapRu1bbU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h5gapRu1bbU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Volume II" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1984/1984v2pt2.pdf)</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia: 1984 Summer Olympic Boycott (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet-led_boycott_of_the_1984_Summer_Olympics">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet-led_boycott_of_the_1984_Summer_Olympics</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia: Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss Biography <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Andersen-Schiess">(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Andersen-Schiess</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">IOC Official Biography: Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss: <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=30369">(http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=30369)</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Official Film of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics</span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-91624595415769014562008-08-02T03:59:00.000-07:002008-08-02T05:36:33.764-07:00Jim Shea: The Moonshine Gold MedallistWhen one compares the Winter and Summer Olympics, the former appears to have the more potential for death and dismemberment when it comes to the individual sports. For every dangerous moment involving a bicycle travelling at about 80 kph down a rainy road in the individual or team time trial at the Summer Olympics, there is a seemingly mad bobsledder and his crew racing their aerodynamic bob down a twisting ice track at speeds at times in excess of 120 kph. The combination of speed, ice, snow and sharp blades has a habit of testing the bravery of the human spirit and the fragility of the human body when applied in the Winter Olympic Games. And in the case of the skeleton, it could be argued this is the most frightening of all the most dangerous of Olympic sports.<br /><br />The skeleton is essentially a head first sled ride down a toboganning, luge or bobsled track, where the rider (weighing no more that 115 kilos for men, 92 kilos for women) attempts to set the fastest combined times over two runs. Originating in Switzerland the sport was added to the Winter Olympic program for the St Moritz games of 1928. However like some other sports on both the Winter and Summer program it was an infrequent event, not to appear at the Lake Placid 1932 or Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 Winter Olympics. Skeleton briefly returned post-war, again at St Moritz in 1948 but was then again being withdrawn as a gold medal event. It took some serious effort on the part of the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Togogganing (FIBT) to reinstate the sport as a viable candidate for reinclusion on the Winter Olympic program, which eventually took place in 1999. The next opportunity for a full skeleton competition with gold medals available to both male and female champions was to be Salt Lake City 2002.<br /><br />Whilst the FIBT and the IOC were working through the issues of bring skeleton back into the fold as a Winter Olympic event a third generation winter sportsman was aiming to participate in the Salt Lake City Olympics as part of the US tea. Jim Shea, born in Hartford Connecticut had prime Winter Olympian genes as part of his heritage. His grandfather Jack Shea had won 2 gold medals in the speed skating program at the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, and had also taken the athletes' oath at those games. His father Jim Shea Senior competed in three Nordic skiing events at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics. Plus all three generations lived within a very short distance of the host venue of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.<br /><br />Jim Shea Junior had originally been attracted to skeleton after switching from bobsled when he balanced out the costs of the equipment ($30,000US for a bobsled versus $3000US for a skeleton sled). Yet there was another factor; as David Wallechinsky records Jim Jnr said that:<br /><br />"Bobsled is the champagne of thrills, skeleton is the moonshine of thrills."<br /><br />With this attitude and after a rather unsuccessful 1997 World Cup season Shea decided to travel to Europe to improve his skills. With little money Shea protected his initial meagre resources by sleeping in barns and working on sled courses for free runs. Improving as the years passed he became the first American to win a World Cup race as well as a World Championship in skeleton (1999) and Goodwill Games gold (2000). However there were other and arguably better prospects for winning the US it's first gold for skeleton since 1932, with Chris Soule ending the 2001-2002 season in second place overall, behind Gregor Stähli (Switzerland) and in front of Martin Rettl (Austria).<br /><br />Jim Jnr's 2001-2002 results however secured him a place on the US team and then, with only 17 days to go until the Salt Lake City opening ceremony tragically his grandfather Jack Shea was killed in a motor vehicle accident. This changed Jim Jnr's pursuit for gold into something more than just a desire to win for himself and for his country. As a tribute to the grandson, the father and the grandfather Jim Snr and Jim Jnr were the penultimate torchbearers at the Salt Lake City opening ceremony before handing the flame over to the 1980 US Ice Hockey team. To add further honour to Jim Jnr he was also given the opportunity to follow in Jack Shea's footsteps, reading the oath on behalf of all competitors at the 2002 Winter Olympics. No matter the form of his competitors there was an incredible amount of sentiment and goodwill riding with Jim Shea Jnr as he began his quest for skeleton gold.<br /><br />The competition for the men's skeleton was held at the Park City sled track, dropping over 100 metres from start to finish and running over 1300 metres long. Gregor Stähli was the gold medal favourite, in part due to his success from the 2001-2002 season but also perhaps because his father Buddy was considered 'the father of Swiss skeleton'. Yet unfortunately for Stähli on the day of competition the weather was slightly against him. February 20th was a snowy day, and the conditions meant the track became slower for the earlier sliders. Stähli's time was approximately 2 seconds behind what he should have achieved, opening a gap for others such at Rettl and Shea. Rettl's time was only marginally quicker than Stähli's, with Shea then taking his skeleton sled down the course in 50.89 seconds (a 0.13 lead over the Austrian Rettl). Surprisingly an Irish skeleton racer Clifton Wrottesley was also in contention, finishing the first heat in third place.<br /><br />Snow continued to fall as the second heat proceeded. As the sliders took their turns heading face down the track the times to beat were Shea's, Rettl's and Wrottesley's. Stähli had a far better run but with his 50.99 was still languishing behind the top three. Wrottesley dropped in pace losing valuable time. Then Rettl matched Stähli's second heat time, which in turn gave Shea a definitive target. He had to slide a 51.12 for gold. Although Jim Jnr had a notoriously slow start there was an ace up his sleeve. In his helmet was a photograph of his recently killed grandfather, the dual gold medallist Jack Shea.<br /><br />For most of the run Shea was 0.14 seconds behind Rettl's time. However at the final split the gap had been narrowed by the American to a mere one-hundredth of a second. With the momentum, the loud American crowd and perhaps his grandfather's spirit behind him Shea continued downwards, sliding into the finish with a second run time of 51.07 seconds. His overall time was 1.41.96; five hundredths of a second in front of Rettl. The gold was Shea's. Mobbed by his fellow skeleton sliders who until then had been his competitors Shea pulled the photograph out of his helmet. The crowd erupted, chanting "USA! Shea!" repeatedly. And then Jim Shea Jnr paid tribute to his grandfather Jack:<br /><br />"I think my grandfather had some unfinished business down here, now he can go up to heaven."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/19/107053528_0bd9a72d95.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/19/107053528_0bd9a72d95.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics"by David Wallechinsky, Sport Classic Books, 2005</span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >IOC Official Biography: Jim Shea at <a href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=128456">http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=128456</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >UPI Salt Lake City 2002 Skeleton Preview: <a href="http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/02/04/Olympic_Preview_--_Skeleton/UPI-79651012803293/">http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/02/04/Olympic_Preview_--_Skeleton/UPI-79651012803293/</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >FIBT Official Website: <a href="http://www.fibt.com/">http://www.fibt.com/</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >ESPN 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Skeleton Results: <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/results/bySport?sportId=k#MSKE">http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/results/bySport?sportId=k#MSKE</a></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size: 85%;">"The Official Report fo the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics: Volume II" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2002/2002v2.pdf</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size: 85%;">Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Jim Shea Jnr <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/862225/Jim-Shea-Jr">http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/862225/Jim-Shea-Jr</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size: 85%;">Wikipedia: List of World Cup Skeleton Champions from 1986-87: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Skeleton_World_Cup_champions">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Skeleton_World_Cup_champions</a><br /></span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-37364960827585687582008-08-01T03:47:00.000-07:002008-12-08T21:15:30.874-08:00Konrad Freiherr Von Wangenheim: The Arm In The Sling Gold MedallistWithout a doubt the 1936 Berlin Summer Games were the largest, most controversial and most nationalistic games of the modern era before the beginning of the Second World War. Originally awarded the rights to host the 1936 Games in 1932, prior to the advent of the Nazi's Third Reich, Berlin saw some amazing performances and spectacular ceremonies. And for the home nation the 1936 Games were seen by the Nazi authorities as a way to validate their absurd theories of aryan superiority. Hence gold medals won by German competitors were at a premium. Remembered now in some quarters as an overall defeat for the ridiculous racist basis behind the Nazi theory of Olympic sport (thanks to the likes of Jesse Owens), there were still some amazing results from German competitors at these Olympics. The stoic and ultimately gold medal winning efforts of Leutnant Konrad Freiherr von Wangenheim can possibly be described as the most noble achievement by such a German gold medallist at the so-called Nazi Olympics.<br /><br />As in previous Olympics (and as was to continue until 1948) the 1936 Berlin Olympics three day equestrian event was limited to military officers only. Somewhat bizarrely, considering the supposed peaceful intent of the modern Olympics, participants were usually cavalry officers who competed in military uniform. Von Wangenheim was like his fellow German team members allowed 18 months as part of his army duties to train on a replica of the Berlin Olympic cross-country course. Perhaps unsportingly well prepared, he and his team mates Captains Ludwig Stubbendorf and Rudolf Lippert entered the steeplechase phase of the three day event with Stubbendorf in first place after the dressage and Lippert in sixth. Von Wangenheim was in a rather lowly twenty-fourth, and this may well have contributed to how the cavalry Leutnant attacked the extremely hard corss-country course.<br /><br />At the fourth obstacle, a combined hurdle and pond jump Von Wangenheim's horse Kurfurst stumbled, with the rider being thrown violently to the ground, breaking the rider's collarbone. As at this time there were no fourth riders in an equestrian eventing team at the Olympics, the three entrant riders and their horses had to finish each day's event for the team as whole to stand a chance for a medal. So for the Germans to have any chance Von Wangenheim had to remount and complete the remaing 32 obstacles on the steeplechase course, then return for the final day and the showjumping section. Remounting Kurfurst, Von Wangenheim rode out the remainder of the 8 kilometre course. Von Wangenheim was not the only victim of this demanding stage of the Berlin Olympics three day event; amongst other national teams that had problems with the steeplechase and suffered injured riders or even killed horses were the Danes, the Americans and the Hungarians. However unlike his competitors, due to his determination and that of his horse Von Wangenheim and Kurfurst were able to attend the final day's showjumping stage, held in the main Olympic stadium.<br /><br />The final day of the three day event was held on a sunny but slightly cloudy warm August day in the main Olympische Stadion. At 1100 metres and with twelve obstacles, which had to be copmpleted in 155 seconds or less, the course would have been difficult for any fit rider and horse. The German cavalry officer on his horse Kurfurst however appeared at the venue for the jumps with his left arm in a sling. The significantly smaller field of 38 horses and riders were all ready to finalize their quest for team or individual Olympic gold. Von Wangenheim's arm was removed from the sling and then tightly bound before he mounted Kurfurst and began his ride.<br /><br />After surviving the first few jumps the German horse and rider combination reached a double jump, at which Kurfurst rushed. Von Wangenheim tried to control the horse by pulling back on the reins with both hands, however as the horse reared up it then fell backwards, toppling on top of the now fallen Von Wangenheim. For a moment it appeared to the remaining competitors and the approximately 100,000 spectators that Kurfurst was dead and that the crawling figure of Von Wagenheim was not going to be able to complete the ride. Germany would be denied a team medal after such a heavy fall to both horse and injured rider.<br /><br />Amazingly Kurfurst rose up from its prone position, and with just as great an effort Konrad Freiherr Von Wangenheim returned to the saddle. No doubt motivated by several factors, but ultimately signifying an incredible strength of will and character the bloodied but unbowed cavalry officer took his horse over the remaining jumps. Completing the course in time and with his horse still rideable, Von Wangenheim helped secure a gold for himself and for his team mates Stubbendorff and Lippert. Stubbendorff also won the individual three day event gold medal. Fittingly the medla ceremony was held later that night in the main stadium, immediately prior to the closing ceremony. Von Wangenheim's ride was arguably the greatest achievement of any German Olympian at these, the so-called Hitler's Games.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxIDUPRHzuX_Q6qQPYn7bYueAOVrDzp-pAC6qPtsqez7p0nnQggARrfacBoIVihrk7133zB6ltAapmUTLn5jomwa_3JRcyheT0SZAGVwOnEy_J5XgIUHsF7fzjxMBKQ6KDXuHQe3foPvB/s1600-h/Image2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxIDUPRHzuX_Q6qQPYn7bYueAOVrDzp-pAC6qPtsqez7p0nnQggARrfacBoIVihrk7133zB6ltAapmUTLn5jomwa_3JRcyheT0SZAGVwOnEy_J5XgIUHsF7fzjxMBKQ6KDXuHQe3foPvB/s320/Image2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229518868613644450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Third from left: Leutnant Konrad Freiherr Von Wangenheim, Berlin 1936 Three Day Event Gold Medallist</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Sources:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Nazi Olympics" by Richard Mandell, University of Illinois Press, 1987</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Berlin Games: How Hitler Stole The Olympic Dream" by Guy Walters, John Murray, 2006</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Official Report fo the 1936 Berlin Olympics: Volume II" (available online at <a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf">http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936v2sum.pdf</a>)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Jews and the Olympic Games" by Paul Taylor, Sussex Academic Press 2004<br /></span></span></li></ul></div></div>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-24238646674540759052008-07-31T19:31:00.000-07:002008-08-05T04:37:26.551-07:00Gal Fridman: The First Israeli Gold MedallistThe modern Olympic Games and Jewish athletes have not had the best of relationships. Unfrtunately, due to some very un-Olympic attitudes towards race and religion the efforts of the Jewish athlete have not been always marked with acceptance and reward. For example, in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin two American sprinters (Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller) were dropped at the last minute by the coach and team management of the US 4x100 metres men's relay team. Whilst there was no definitive evidence they were dropped because of their Jewishness, it certainly left a bad taste in these two competitor's mouths and marred the success of Jesse Owens (winning his fourth gold medal of the Berlin Olympics after entering the team as a replacement). At those same games German Jewish athletes were either banned, ostracised or made Aryan by tacit approval (in the latter case the German female fencer Helen Mayer is the prime example), whilst Avery Brundage fought any moves for a pro-Jewish protest boycott of the Berlin Games in part due to his own anti-semitism. Under that same Nazi regime one of the first gymnastic multiple gold medallists Alfred Flatow (a prominent Jewish sports administrator immediately prior to the games) was killed at the Theresienstadt concentration camp.<br /><br />Even after the establishment of the state of Israel Jewish athletes have not fared well. The Munich massacre in 1972 has left a sad and shameful stain on the modern Olympic movement, and the 11 Israeli victims of that tragic affair can be considered the most unfortunate recipients of the most un-Olympic hate ever to have spoiled what is ideally aimed as an event that celebrates youth and peace through sport. Putting aside the politics of the background issues, with those deaths in 31 Harold Connellystrasse and at Furstenfeldbruck airstrip in 1972 the Olympic Games was again the setting for unacceptable anti-semitism, and this in turn could be argued to have contributed to Israeli attitudes to the games.<br /><br />Yet whatever the political and social cost, the discrimination and the mistrust, Jewish athletes have attended the Olympics year after year, and Israel itself has been to every summer games from Helsinki up to Athens (except for Moscow) since 1952. However in all those games not one gold medal was ever won by an Israeli athlete. It took until 1992 and Barcelona, when female judoka Yael Arad won silver in the women's half middleweight final, for an Israeli Olympian to win even a medal of any type. Therefore with such a sad history of maltreatment for Jewish athletes and little success for the Israeli Olympic teams over history, the achievement of Gal Fridman at Athens must be considered as one of the great moments in Olympic history.<br /><br />Fridman was already successful as an Israeli Olympian going into the men's sailboarding regatta at Athens, having previously won a bronze at the Atlanta games in the same event. Unfortunately a lack of success in the lead up to Sydney saw him not participate there. Almost quitting the sport and even turning to sports like cycling, he returned to the Mistral sailboard by 2002. He then went on to medal at world championships leading up to 2004, thus entering the Athens games he was one of the favourites. Amongst his lead challengers were Niklos Kaklamanakis, the Greek gold medallist in 1996 and lighter of the cauldron at the Athens opening ceremony, and the Brazilian Ricardo Santos. In Fridman's favour was the fact he had trained regularly at the Agios Cosmas sailing venue, plus perhaps superstitiously Gal's name in Hebrew means 'wave'.<br /><br />The mistral sailboarding event in Athens consisted of 11 faces, with one result to be dropped from the overall competition assessment. Fridman sailed consistently, and prior to the final race was in second place behind the Brazilian Santos, having had two first places and only one recorded placing lower than fifth. To win gold he needed to finish five places above Santos, whilst keeping an eye on Kaklamanakis. Appropriately, Fridman's tactics meant he kept pace with Santos until, utilizing a wind change the Israeli bolted from the Brazilian, surging into second place. Santos tried to then stay with the Greek, but Kaklamanakis also outpaced the young Brazilian, with the three leading contenders now behind British sailboarder Nick Dempsey.<br /><br />At the final post of the eleventh race of the Mistral event in Athens Dempsey came in first, which did no harm to Fridman's or Kalklamanakis's rankings and actually promoted the British sailor into the bronze position. Fridman came in second, waving his arms in the air celebrating his overall victory on points before diving into the waters with his coach, brother and the female Israeli Mistral entrant Lee Korvits. Gal Fridman had snared the gold coming from behind Santos, with an overall result 10 points better than silver medallist Kaklamanakis.<br /><br />As the whole of Israeli watched that final race, then celebrated Fridman's victory the memory of past sadness and the fate of Jewish Olympians was still present, adding more meaning to the gold medal than even its status of being the first for Israel. Gal Fridman made certain that the victims of the Munich massacre were in his thoughts:<br /><br />"I hope they are happy up there...When I return to Israel I will go to their memorial place and show them the gold medal."<br /><br />Later in the evening of August 25th, 2004 Fridman, Kalkamanakis and Dempsey were presented their medals. Alex Gilady, long time IOC delegate from Israel was there to hang the gold around Gal Fridman's neck and then, for the first time in Olympic history Israel's national anthem the Hatikva was played and the blue Star of David flag raised above those of Greece and of the United Kingdom. After 52 years of waiting, after 11 tragic deaths and 108 years of mistrust, anti-semitism and minimal acceptance from an Olympic movement which supposedly has higher ideals, a Jewish Israeli Olympian had won gold.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9K-8vnXGW-o&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9K-8vnXGW-o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sources:</span><br /></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">IOC Official Biography: Gal Fridman </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=91986">http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=91986</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Israel News Agency: Israel Wins Her First Gold Medal: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israelolympicssports486660.html">http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israelolympicssports486660.html</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"How Hitler Stole The Berlin Games" by Guy Walters, John Murray Press, 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wikepedia: Gal Fridman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Fridman">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Fridman</a><br /></span></span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;" ></span>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-5159863184997380692008-07-30T00:20:00.000-07:002008-07-31T20:54:37.794-07:00Bob Beamon: The Event DestroyerAt every Olympic Games during the modern era there have been athletes who stamp their mark on their events imperiously, silencing critics and shrugging off rivals. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics for example, Florence Griffith Joyner was such a complete athlete that she was never chalenged over the 100 or 200 metres, and the US women's 4x100 metres relay team only had to hold their baton to win. In 1960 Herb Elliot ran the perfect 1500 metres, winning in such a style that the silver medallist from France, Michel said that "Elliot was from another planet". And then there was Jim Thorpe, attributed the accolade by King Gustav V as the greatest athlete in the world after obliterating the decathlon world record at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Yet none of them have soared as high and as long over their competitors nor over Olympic history as Bob Beamon, gold medallist at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in the long jump.<br /><br />The Mexico City games, held during October 1968 were controversial both politically and environmentally. Ten days prior to the opening ceremony a massacre of students at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco area of Mexico City gave the IOC some pause in actually staging the games, but this was quickly resolved with the 1968 games starting as planned. Then, during the 200 metres medal presentation the Olympic champion Tommie Smith and bronze medallist John Carlos bowed their heads and made the Black Power salute, immediately receiving the wrath of the Avery Brundage-led IOC as well as the USOC. All the while there was the issue of Rhodesia's non-participation in the Olympics, as well as Czech displeasure at the Soviet suppression of the so-called "Prague Spring".<br /><br />Concerns about the high altitude also made sure that much of the sporting perfromances were buried underneath distracting headlines. In one notorious incident Australian 10,000 metre world record holder Ron Clarke almost died when he collapsed after finishing his event, won by Neftali Temu in a time nearly two minutes outside Clarke's record. On the other hand, shorter distance track events benefited, with all men's world records for distances equal or lower to 400 metres being lowered in Mexico City. The 1968 Summer Olympic Games had a lot of controversy to shrug off if it was going to be remembered for pure athletic brilliance. Yet Bob Beamon made sure this historical mission was fulfilled, and in a way that could arguably be considered the greatest one sporting moment at any games.<br /><br />Considered to be the favourite prior to the long jump in Mexico City, Beamon was up against three outstanding challengers. Lynn Davies of Great Britain was the gold medallist at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, whilst Ralph Boston (USA) had won silver behind Davies, then went on to hold the world record jump of 8.35 metres with Soviet long jumer Igor Ter-Ovanesyan. However one thing that Beamon possessed that none of his rivals did was explosive speed. Over 100 yards Beamon could run the distance in 9.5 seconds, and this was definitely an advantage in the rarefied air of the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City.<br /><br />Prior to the final however, Bob Beamon almost failed to qualify and have his chance for Olympic glory. Like his famous precessor Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games, Beamon was unable to set a qualifying distance until the last of his three initial jumps. Thanks to the advice of rival and mentor Ralph Boston Beamon adjusted his run up and with some ease set a qualifying mark. Set to begin the final round of jumping in fourth, Beamon was still challenged by Davies (twelfth), Ter-Ovanesyan (thirteenth) and Boston (seventeenth).<br /><br />After a nervous night when he thought he destroyed all chance of an Olympic gold medal due to sexual intercourse, Friday October 18th 1968 began as a gloomy, rainy day. No one would have expected what was to follow, even Beamon wearing the number 254 on his track top, with such potentially adverse conditions. This was partially reinforced as the first three jumpers fouled their attempts. It was Beamon's turn.<br /><br />Striding down the strip towards the takeoff board, Beamon's long powerful legs hurled him with great speed much like a 100 metre sprinter would hope to achieve. Then, landing perfectly and then launching from the takeoff board, Beamon soared through the thin Mexico City air, landed, frog jumped twice and then jogged with loose limbs from the pit. For Beamon it seemed a good jump, but his thoughts were of a distance around 27 feet 10 inches. Meanwhile Ralph Boston and Lynn Davies talked about the leap being over 28 feet, checking out the distance for themselves. The officals, struggling with the optical marker used for measuring the leap realised that the jump was too long for this instrument, and used an older steel tape to record the distance. Then, after a couple of tries the offical result was shown on the scoreboard. 8.90 metres, a full 55 centimetres beyond the previous world record.<br /><br />Even at this point Beamon wasn't sure what he had done. It took friend and competitor Ralph Boston to come up and convert the metric figure into something Bob Beamon could understand; "Bob, you jumped 29 feet." Thereupon Beamon wondered what Boston would do or for that matter Davies from Great Britain or Ter-Ovaneysan from the USSR could achieve, but Boston capitulated. "It's over for me, I can't jump that far." Ter-Ovaneysan then spoke saying that "Compared to this jump, we are as children.", whilst Davies chimed in with "I can't go on. What is the point? We'll all look silly.". Turning to Beamon the Tokyo long jump gold medallist exclaimed "you have destroyed this event."<br /><br />Yet the drama of the moment wasn't over yet. Having soared past the old world record, past 28 feet and into the region of further than 29 feet, Beamon's leap finally hit him and he collapsed in a cataplectic seizure after running to the crowd and his competitors with a broad smile on his face. Head buried in his hands, the new gold medallist and world record holder was helped to his feet by Boston and US team mate Charlie Mays, who suported him until the effects of the seizure passed.<br /><br />The remaining jumps were inconsequential to the final result. Rain started just after Ter-Ovaneysan's first leap, and Beamon himself only made one more leap. Boston was able to jump long enough to win the bronze, whilst unheralded East German Klaus Beer took silver 71 centimetres behind Bob Beamon's leap. But the medal, the event and arguably the Mexico City Olympics themselves belonged to Bob Beamon. His long jump world record would hold for nearly 23 years, and in fact almost 40 years after that rainy October afternoon it still is on the books as the longest jump in Olympic history. As suggested earlier in this article, this one jump by one man at one Olympics can arguably be cited as the single most powerful and perfect moment in any Olympic event at any games.<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FIgk75Jn9ZQ&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FIgk75Jn9ZQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Sources:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"100 Greatest Olympians from 1896" by Jim Tracy, Savvas Publishing, 1983</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bob Beamon article in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beamon">Wikipedia</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Australia and the Olympic Games" by Harry Gordon, UQP 1994</span></span></li></ul>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3125561329551048360.post-23430453422547464072008-07-29T05:11:00.000-07:002008-07-31T20:53:49.545-07:00Josy Barthel: Tears for LuxembourgIn the modern Olympic athletics program there are several events which will always be considered marquee, setting the identity more often than not for that specific games. The 100 metres sprint has the pure and elemental prestige of showing men and women running at their very fastest over the shortest period for a gold medal. Then there is the marathon, which goes to the opposite pole, as athletes endure over two hours of tortuous running, trying to cover in name the same distance run by the ancient Athenian Phidippides. The decathlon takes ten of the events from the track and field program and in turn provides in the form of its winner the greatest all-round male athlete at a Summer Games. For each of these events there have been iconic champions; Lewis, Flo-Jo, Morrow, Owens, Cuthbert, Thompson to name a few.<br /><br />Then there is the 1500 metres. Originally run over a mile and part of the first modern games in Athens in 1896, the 1500 metres has also a proud lineage of champion athletes, who in turn have provided their games with lasting images and historic memories. Nurmi, the Flying Finn in 1924 took out the event, as did the Kiwi Jack Lovelock in 1936 at Berlin. One of the greatest Kenyans to ever race at the Olympics was Kip Keino, and his victory at the 1968 Mexico City games was memorable for on a personal level for that day his wife gave birth to their third daughter. Sebastian Coe, now a Lord and key member of the London 2012 Olympic Games committee took out the 1500 metres twice, each time at a games impaired by boycotts (Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984). Yet on each occasion his achievements reflected his amazing ability to be the best no matter who competed against him. Later, Algeria has provided some of the best 1500 metres runners, with Hassiba Boulmerka at Barcelona and Nourredine Morcelli at Atlanta showing how female and male Muslim African runners can also win gold. Yet this partial list doesn't including other great milers who didn't win 1500 metres Olympic gold. Ovett, Landy, Bannister, Cram, Bayi, Ryun and Aouita never reached the same podium position as these and other 1500 metres Olympic champions. Nor did they achieve what Josy Barthel from the small European Duchy of Luxembourg did, at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.<br /><br />Josy Barthel was not without some credentials before entering the final of the 1500 metres in Helsinki. A previous champion runner in the 800 metres and 1500 metres at various military world championships, he had also attended the 1948 London Olympics where he finished ninth in the same event. Yet there was a definitive underdog aura about Barthels in Helsinki. Some of it was due to his competition; Roger Bannister was yet to set his mark in history by running a mile in under four minutes, the first man to do so, but he had carefully worked out his strategy for Helsinki and was certainly a gold medla chance. World record holder Werner Lueg from Germany had run 3.43.00 over the 1500 metres when he set the record at his national championships, so there was great belief he would win.Rolf Lammers (Germany), Denis Johannson (Finland) and Robert McMillen (USA) were also potential winners.<br /><br />Yet it wasn't just the competitors that faced Barthel at the start line for the 1952 Helsinki 1500 metres final that made him such an unlikely prospective winner of a gold medal. Barthel was also an unlikely potential medallist because he didn't come a traditional Olympic athletic powerhouse like the USA, Finland, Germany or the United Kingdom. Barthels was from the small European duchy of Luxembourg. A country that had a population similar in size to the Australian state of Tasmania, with only one nominal gold medallist before 1952 (Michel Theato, whose 1900 Paris medal is officially credited by the IOC to France), Luxembourg had not been able to provide any other athletes who would hear their national anthem after an Olympic final. Josy Barthels would change this though.<br /><br />As recounted in David Wallechinsky's 'bible' for the Olympic hostorian, "The Complete Book of The Olympics", the 1500 metres final in Helsinki began with Boysen of Norway taking the initial lead, being overtaken by Lammers who held first place till the third lap. Then in the backstretch the German Lueg took the gold medal position, fighting off challenges from several others including Bannister. Successfully countering these moves, Lueg went into the final bend with McMillen and Barthel within range. Wearing the number 406 Barthel made his move in the last straight, striding past the fading Lueg as the world record holder looked over his right shoulder with McMillen strongly following into second place. For a moment McMillen's strong finish threatened Barthel, but thankfully for the Luxembourger the finish line came quickly enough for him to raise him arms in victory.<br /><br />The time in itself was an Olympic record, but not close to the world record. Yet as always at the Olympic Games it is not how quick one runs to win a gold medal, but more often how one achieves that medal and then reacts to the achievement that makes history. And for Luxembourg's first official gold medallist in the modern Olympics, the result was one which made him weep with joy for himself and for his country. Crying with happiness immediately after experiencing the surprising happiness of actually fulfilling his Olympic dream, Barthel later stood on the highest step of the podium, as the red white and light blue bands of his nation's flag fluttered, his tears again falling with joy. There have been very few comparable moments in Olympic history for any country, let alone one as small and as limited in success at the Olympics as Luxembourg has been, where a gold medallist has shown such emotion after an unlikely win. Josy Barthel defined his country's Olympic history with his winning run in the 1500 metres at Helsinki in 1952, and perhaps just as importantly showed that in achieving a dream for yourself against larger or more favoured powers, the open and impassioned display of an Olympian's joy can move us all.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://users.pandora.be/hans.d.hollander1/Helsinki%201952/foto%20Barthel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 429px;" src="http://users.pandora.be/hans.d.hollander1/Helsinki%201952/foto%20Barthel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Josy Barthel (centre, gold), Robert McMillen (left, silver) and Werner Lueg (right, bronze)<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sources:</span><br /></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Complete Book of the Olympics" by David Wallechinsky, Aurum Press 2004</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The Olympic Series: The Medal Ceremony" (Video) 2003</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Josy Barthel in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josy_Barthel">Wikipedia</a></span></span></li></ul></div></div>Andrew McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09344945897478950688noreply@blogger.com0