Wednesday, August 20, 2008

a rare olympic moment

This is my first and probably my only Olympics post. I'll keep it short.

I love watching Olympic competitions. And I love seeing athletes live up to the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius. Faster, Higher, Stronger. Records are being shattered...it is thrilling to witness history in the making.

The track races are especially fun to watch. Years of preparation (plus excellent genetics) yield amazing athletes who lay it all on the track in the few seconds duration of their races. But for all the talent and physical training, have you noticed that many of the winning runners seem to be a bit cocky? Many of the track athletes, after racing for mere seconds, run around the track for minutes, prancing and displaying their self-proclaimed greatness. Okay, maybe more than a bit cocky.

Tonight Melaine Walker of Jamaica ran the 400m hurdles race and won... by a lot... she set a new world record. It was fantastic. Just after Melaine crossed the finish line, she dropped to her knees. At first I thought, oh no, she is going to puke. She bowed her head, ignoring the deafening crowd. But she didn't look sick. She looked peaceful. Then I realized Melaine Walker was kneeling to pray after her victory. She took her time and silently, humbly prayed on her knees... in the middle of a screaming stadium... with hundreds, maybe thousands, of cameras aimed at her... in China. After that, she took a victory lap and tastefully relished her golden moment.

Hooray Melaine! You are truly great.

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