Experts in another form of breast stroke – Photo: L. Weikel
Olympics Geek
I’m a total Olympics geek. I remember watching them religiously every four years as I was growing up. For my entire youth, I seem to recall not only the Olympic jingle (for lack of a better word), but also ABC’s “Wide World of Sport” and “the agony of defeat” reminding us all of the risks of ski jumping.
Both summer and winter Olympics were essential viewing in our household. I can’t even claim to prefer one season’s competitions over the other. Like most of us, I have my favorites in both.
I don’t know, though. This year, watching the Olympics is even more exhilarating and cathartic. I’m surprised. I was not expecting to enjoy them this year.
I’ll admit I was feeling a bit ‘judge-y’ over whether or not they should even hold these iconic competitions this year, given the ongoing Covid risk. It’s appalling to consider that we’re collectively putting at risk the most elite athletes of the world, particularly as the Delta variant is spreading like wildfire. And yet it appears they’re taking the risk of infection seriously, at least – and are doing their best to keep people safe, and keeping attendees to a minimum.
But the – shall we call it robust fraternization – amongst the athletes in their ‘down time’ strikes me as extremely hard to regulate. Encouraging these (predominantly) teenaged and twenty-something people in the utter prime of their lives and peak physical hubris to keep their masks on and maintain social distancing seems a bit naïve.
At least it appears from the broadcast that protocols are being followed by athletes, coaches, judges, and the few other people permitted on-premises. It’s actually the celebrations afterward that are at greatest risk of turning into Olympic-sized super spreader events.
One Great Moment
If you’re sports-inclined, you’ve probably already seen what I want to share with you tonight. If you’re not, I nevertheless encourage you to check out the links below. Because as truly and utterly amazing as it is to watch people who are icons in their sports, such as the Simone Bileses of the world, it’s the unexpected, come-from-nowhere victories that capture my heart and imagination the most.
Two amazing instances come to mind that I want to share, just in case you haven’t been watching. The first was in the 400 m. men’s freestyle swimming event. An 18 year old from Tunisia, Ahmed Hafnaoui, qualified for the final event with the slowest time, placing him in the 8th (outside) lane. I read somewhere that the odds of his winning the event were 5000 to 1.
Of course, you can imagine what happened. Even better, here is a clip of his family and friends back in Tunisia as they watched the event unfold on tv.
This is the stuff that makes the Olympics precious to people from all over the world – and worth watching in these stressed out and worrisome times.
Another Olympic Tear-Jerker
Another such moment also comes from a swimming event: the 100 m. breast stroke. If you didn’t happen to watch tonight, here’s a split screen video of the race itself and the people in the winner, 17 year old Lydia Jacoby’s, hometown of Seward, ALASKA, reacting as they watched her pull off her Olympic moment.
Last but not least the reaction of Jacoby’s teammate, Lilly King, was an Olympic-sized class act. King was slated to win the event but took home the bronze instead. She hadn’t lost this event in five years of competition. The grace with which she responded to Jacoby’s stunning win was simply epic. (Pay attention to the last few paragraphs of this article.)
Finally
Before I sign off for the evening, I have to share a simply hilarious spoof gymnastics commentary. I hope you can access the link (if you can’t, try this). If you’re anything like me, you’ll get more out of it (between tears of laughter) each time you watch/listen to it.
I’m loving the distraction from the chaos of our political woes, existential anxieties, and myriad Covid crises stemming from fear, suspicion, rampant spread, illness, and death. I just hope everyone at the Olympics stays safe and healthy and all the athletes have the opportunity to realize the magic of pursuing their greatest dreams.
(T-123)