Best Performances of the Games
Edward Ovadia
Email: edwardovadia [at] gmail.com
Usain Bolt
Who else could you start such a list with? Bolt has smashed three world records and won three gold medals - including breaking the once-thought unattainable 200m world record with incredible confidence. As if he were challenging us in saying "don't tell me what records I can't break". And he does it with such incredible ease. It's clear that 9.50 for the 100m and 19.00 for the 200m are not far away.
Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba
The great Ethiopian middle distance team have been hard at it, and these two have certainly come out on top. Bekele and Dibaba won both the 5000m and 10000m, male and female, for a very respectable sweep. With a gold for Bekele and a bronze for Dibaba from Athens, innumerable cross country and world championship golds a piece, they can now lay claim to being the best in the world - maybe in history. The fact that Dibaba ran the fastest ever (clean) time over 10000m just makes it even better.
LaShawn Merritt
No one thought Merritt could challenge Wariner at the Olympics. Warner had been dominant. Sure, Merritt had beaten him a couple of times this year, but the Olympics was something different. Wariner was the king of the one lap race. However nobody seems to have told Merritt, who came through and took the gold from a tiring and underdone Wariner. Wariner, the anointed successor of Michael Johnson, and soon-to-be world record holder, may have to revise his plans a little.
Pamela Jelimo
I thought perhaps the long season would take its toll on Jelimo. I thought wrong. The result was another personal best, area record, world junior record, Olympic gold medal, and the fastest (clean) time we've seen in many a year. It's just a matter of time until the drugged up 1:53 word record is gone.
Samuel Wanjiru, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Viktor Rothlin
These three made the Olympic marathon the greatest ever for different reasons. Wanjiru cemented himself as the runner to beat over the distance with an incredible display of front running, leading a lot of the way and setting an almost suicidal pace. Suicidal for all who chose to go with him, that is. Because Wanjiru barely slowed from his sub-3:00/km pace throughout the whole race, to finish in 2:06:32, an Olympic record by three minutes, and one of the fastest times ever run, even without considering the championship setting, the lack of any pacesetter, or the tough conditions. Rothlin was the first non-African home in 6th place, and along with his third place in last year's world champs, showed that he is a classy championship performer, especially in the heat. He will be one to follow. Both he and Ritz came through the field well, with Ritz coming in 9th, one spot ahead of Ryan Hall. Ritz amazingly almost ran to his personal best of 2:11:07 - a personal best that may well soon need revising - and was gamely punching above his weight.
Sally McLellan
She had been confident in the lead up, and talking up her chances as our best medal hope with the withdrawal of Jana and Deakes. People thought she was being premature - but she showed them. McLellan demonstrated beautiful technique, and got an amazing start - she led up until the third or fourth hurdle - and was able to come through when Lolo Jones stumbled beside her. It was almost as exciting as watching her post-race interview. At 21 she has the silver medal. Imagine where she will be in four years.
Youcef Abdi and Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad
Mekhissi-Benabbad is also know as 'the French dude who took it to the Kenyans'. And take it he did, running side by side with the Kenyan frontrunners all the way into second place. While Youcef ran the race of his life to come through in the final lap for sixth, under 0.2 seconds off the Australia record. It's been a while since Kenya hasn't dominated the steeplechase. I liked it.
Jamaican Men's 4x100m Team
Watching Usain Bolt yell after Asafa Powell as he stormed down the home straight to claim the world record was something I'll never forget. The Jamaicans really made their mark in these Games as the top sprinting nation. Bolt (who ran the third leg) even almost beat home the other teams as he chased after Powell to celebrate. Watching them run, you really got the impression that for the few days the Olympics were on, the Jamaicans were capable of anything.
While we're only covering runners, a special mention should go to Australians Jared Tallent, the most decorated walker of the Games with a bronze from the 20km and a silver from the 50km; and Steve Hooker, who jumped 5.96m to claim gold and the Olympic record.
Edward's website
5 comments
Roger Leitchsaid said...
"Sally McLellan? Seriously? Showing your aussie bias a bit Edward.... Sally McLellan's lucky silver wouldn't rate a mention normally, hopefully she does come on over the next four years. Her silver unfortunately covered up the disgraceful state of Aussie runners, seriously, where are they?? One "runner" you may have forgotten was Emma Snowsill, what a phenomenal performance in the tri, esp. the run leg.....".
27 August 2008 22:12
Edward Ovadia said...
"I thought her performance was excellent. Obviously we have an Aussie bias (not ashamed of that!) but she really punched above her weight, and her technique and focus was incredible. She was one of the few athletes who managed to perform at their best, and that deserves a mention. Unfortunate circumstances, illness, etc troubled a lot of the other runners, which was a shame. But in all it was not the smoothest Games, from an admin point, and hopefully the four medals won't be used as a cover. Emma's performance was great, and of course deserves a mention, but unfortunately it's track and marathons only. Otherwise I could go all day! But she really ran well. Love to see her run a marathon...".
27 August 2008 23:00
A Nemaric said...
"Roger is right about Sally McLellan but it should always be remembered that in a short hurdles race where all participants are within a second of each other, the variables play a large role. You could of course not run the final, and merely award placings on times, but then you couldn't call it sport could you?...".
"As far as our runners go, well as De Coubertin said the important thing is to take part. On the other hand if one wishes to take part in the medal ceremony, then Athletics Australia and the AIS would find it better to direct any money they may have (which they say they have none of) towards technical athletic events such as walks, hurdles, pole vault, javelin, discus, etc., where it would be a cost effective excercise. We are surely aware of our limitations, and must stop expecting that our Mottrams and Riseleys and Steffensens can actually beat the world's great running type athletes"...
31 August 2008 16:04
Edward Ovadia said...
"It has been suggested that we target specific events, like a lot of other countries do. That may well be where our advantage can come. But the beauty of athletics is that within all the disciplines there is something for everyone, with every body type - and to focus on only a few events may well make the sport too restrictive. You're right, it may well result in more medals, but probably wouldn't be as enjoyable to watch....".
31 August 2008 18:44
Felix Lievano said...
"Also amazing was the performance of Robles in the 110 m hurldles. Already having the world record he showed the power of cubans in this kind of race. Anier Garcia also defeated all the american guys in Sydney 2000, benissimo Cuba!...".
31 August 2008 20:49