As you probably well know, the Olympics
in London are now over. The 17-day celebration of the world's best
athletes had ended once more, with people now looking towards the
Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and the next Summer Olympics in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. It has certainly been one for the history books –
an Olympics of highs and lows, of lasts, and – most importantly –
firsts.
I do not want to offend any men here
(if any read this at all), but I would have to say that these
Olympics belong to the women. You have probably heard this other
places, but it is something that I certainly agree with. For the
first time the countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei had
female athletes as part of their delegation, making this the first
Olympics where every participating nation had at least one female
athlete. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it signifies
huge strides for women in these countries. Maziah Mahusin from Brunei
ran 400m and was flag bearer for her country in the opening
ceremonies. Sprinter Noor Al-Malki ran the 100m for Qatar, and even
though she did not finish the race, she was proud to represent her
country. Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar ran the 800m in 2 minutes 44.95
seconds (43 seconds behind the winner), but received a huge ovation
from the crowd. She attends Pepperdine University here in the states,
but says that she raced to inspire the women of Saudi Arabia.
Malasyian shooter Nur Suryani Mohammed Taibi was even 8 months
pregnant while competing in her event!
The male athletes also brought a number
of firsts to these Olympic Games. In the 400m, Kirani James won
Grenada's first Olympic medal, and it was gold. In a true show of
sportsmanship, he exchanged bibs with South Africa's Oscar Pistorius.
Pistorius became the first double-amputee to compete in an Olympic
Games against able-bodied athletes. Even though he did not make it
past the semi-finals in the 400m, he did his country proud and went
on to run again in the men's 4x100 relay. Usain Bolt became the only
runner to win the 100m and 200m twice, successfully defending his
wins in Beijing. Even though he had only started training three
months prior, Hamadou Issaka from Niger competed in the men's single
sculls rowing event. He crossed the finish line dead last – nearly
two minutes after the winner from New Zealand – but he received a
raucous ovation from the crowd.
The women of the US team in London
certainly did not shy from showing what they are made of, no matter
their age. For the first time, there were more women than men in the
US delegation, and 29 of the 46 gold medals were won by women. If
they had been their own country, the US women would have tied with
Great Britain for third in the gold medal count. Katie Ledecky was
one of the youngest athletes at the games at the age of 15, yet she
blew away the competition in the 800 meter freestyle swim. Missy
Franklin is not much older at the age of 17, yet she won 5 medals (4
gold) at her first Olympic Games. Allison Schmitt broke a world
record twice – once during the semi-finals, and then again the next
day during the finals. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Jennings-Walsh set
a record by winning their third straight gold medal in beach
volleyball, and in a match in which the silver-winning team was the
other female beach volleyball pair of April Ross and Jennifer Kessy.
The women's basketball team won its fifth straight gold medal, the
first time it had ever been done, and the women's water polo team won
its first gold medal. In a reversal of the World Cup, the US women's
soccer team won over Japan to take the gold, and had the largest
Olympic crowd ever for women's soccer at Wembley Stadium. In women's
gymnastics, the US took the gold (the first time since the
Magnificent Seven), and Gabby Douglas became the third straight US
athlete (and first African-American to win the gold in the all-around
competition. In the 4x100 relay, the US women not only won gold, but
they smashed the record that had been set by East Germany in the 80's
by more than half a second. Tennis legend Serena Williams. In
shooting, Kim Rhode set a record by winning her fifth consecutive
gold medal in women's trap shooting
The men from the US also did not
disappoint. Diver David Boudia won gold in the 10m platform, the
first time since Greg Louganis in 1988. In his last Olympic Games,
Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time with a
grand total of 22 medals, and has the most gold medals at 18.
As the host nation Great Britain did
not disappoint. Rather than trying to duplicate the Opening
Ceremonies from Beijing, they did their own thing, filling it with
truly great moments. James Bond and the Queen parachuting in from a
helicopter, Rowan Atkinson, Mary Poppins, Captain Hook, Voldemort,
and Sir Paul McCartney all made it an eventful and memorable evening.
Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins (who also started off the
Opening Ceremonies) won gold for Britain in the men's time trials. In
men's tennis, in came down to a rematch of the previous month's
Wimbeldon, with Andy Murray once again head-to-head with Roger
Federer, but this time Andy Murray came out victorious in the match
for the gold medal. The win was doubly sweet for the host country
because it was the first win by a Brit there since 1936. On August
4th, Britain won a total of 6 gold medals. In the 10,000m
run Mo Farrah surged at the end to win the gold, sending the entire
stadium into a frenzy and even causing the BBC broadcasters to go
nuts on live television. The winner of the silver was his fellow
training partner in Oregon, US runner Galen Rupp. At the end of the
games, the host country had won a total of 65 medals (20 of them
gold) – the most British medals in century. The closing ceremonies
were a tribute to British music throughout the decades, featuring all
manner of legends from just about every decade and having something
for everyone to enjoy.
As with anything, the Olympics were not
without their controversies. NBC received a lot of flak from the
American view for its broadcast choices. They cut out a segment of
the opening ceremonies that featured a dedication to the victims of
the bombing shortly after London was announced the winner of the 2012
games. Also, because of the time difference, they would often hold
off on showing certain events until the prime time broadcast, yet they
would spoil the results by posting them on their own Olympics website
and even on their own evening news shows. As for the closing
ceremonies, they cut out performances by The Who and Muse (who had
had their song specifically chosen as the song of the Olympics),
among other things. Another controversy to receive quite a bit of
attention was over women's doubles badminton. Teams from China,
Indonesia, and two from South Korea were disqualified for
intentionally trying to lose in order to earn a better spot in pool
play. Also, social media played its role in Olympic controversies. A
Greek triple-jumper was expelled after sending out a racist tweet,
and US soccer player Hope Solo was chastised after she sent out
several negative tweets about commentator Brandi Chastain.
I love the Olympics. Not only do you
get to see the best athletes in the world compete against each other,
but you get a chance to see sports that you might not otherwise have
a chance to follow very closely. There are stories of victory and
defeat, and stories of triumph against great odds. For the many who
do not win a medal, they are merely proud to represent their country
and show what they are made of.
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