Olympic Avoidance Log 2008: Day 10: Runnin’, Jumpin’, Throwin’, Interviewin’
When I was a kid, I thought the Olympics was just an athletics competition. This was before the red button and us being good at anything that involves sitting down. (Note how many of our medals have been ones in sports where you get to sit down). No it was runnin’, jumpin’, throwin’ and gettin’ told off for doing the javelin in the back garden with a bamboo cane. That event never went away. But in this Olympics, even a studied avoid has noticed that the athletics has been played down a touch because we did not expect to win much. Well we won a few. And we got a silver int he High Jump that we did not expect. How do I know this? All the commentators saying, over and over again as I was trying to hide in another room, that it was truly remarkable. When I finally poked my head around the door it became apparent what was so remarkable. The hubris of his fellow competitors believing they could jump higher.
The problem, it strikes me, with a lot of the athletics which aren’t straight races is making them sporty. With the throwing you could just give everyone just one go. That seems fair enough. With the high jump they could keep jumping until they fail. But this could all be over too quickly. Best of five then, or your allowed three fails or, or, make the rules up as you go along. But at least in the field events you get a bit of time to face the inevitable.
And the inevitable seems to be a quick trackside interview with some dim BBC track jockey asking you why you lost. I saw a great one in one of the four hundred metres semis where the Brit boy got spanked and romped in last. Within a minute of the most important race of his life, huffing and puffing, BBC mike gets rammed in his face. “So,” says the voice of a nation “what went wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is it that you weren’t fast enough?”
“Well, er, yes.”
Best interview ever.
Worst seven minutes ever.
TOTAL OLYMPIC MINUTES: FORTY TWO.
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FT's Tracer Hand on August 20th, 2008
The track bikes last night had a great moment of British commentating:
“And SHE’S COMING IN, SHE’S GOING TO DO IT — SHE’S DONE IT! SHE’S WON THE GOLD — AND SHE COULDN’T BE A NICER PERSON! ANOTHER GOLD FOR BRITAIN!”
lex on August 21st, 2008
Steve Cram’s “And, er, I have no idea who came in second and third” after Bolt’s 200m awesomeness yesterday was great. Cuz, like, who cares! BOLT!
Though apparently Wallace Spearmon only found out he’d been disqualified from that race (and therefore no bronze medal) in a TV interview :(