Citius, Altius, Fortius: Or you may know it as "Faster,
Higher, Stronger.” That has been the motto for the Olympic Games since they
were held in Paris in 1924. London just finished hosting the XXX Olympiad,
somewhat dominated by the United States, but there were many others who made
their mark in some sort of way, positive or negative. The Olympics can be
glorious and they can be a poor display. They can be memorable and they can be forgettable.
So here is my attempt at a recap of the events that took place in the U.K. over
a 17-day-plus stretch:
The Good: The weather looked as good as could be asked for, given
the normal expectancy. The crowds were great, and NBCs coverage was fantastic.
The Bad: Spoilers. I know there isn’t too much we can do when the
events happen eight hours earlier than when we see them on TV. Luckily, it will
only be a four hour difference in Rio, four years from now. But there has to be
some way the powers that be throughout the internet can get together and
prevent so many results leaking.
The Ugly: The Opening Ceremonies were just awful to watch. Other
than the countries making their entrance, nothing was worth it. Even Paul
McCartney sounded terrible.
The Good: Michael Phelps – We can all acknowledge the fact that
this was not the Phelps from Beijing, 2008. But then again, that is fine. He
wanted to have a little more fun this time around. He was still better than
most and became the most decorated Olympic medalist in history. Subway, Eat
Fresh.
The Bad: Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary - Lochte talked the talked,
and well, didn’t quite walk the walk. Almost anyone in the pool would be
overshadowed by Phelps, but I would say that Lochte’s overall performance was
just good. Tyler Clary spoke out saying that Phelps wasn’t training as much as
he should. That should be a good thing if you have to compete against him. Let
the sleeping dog lie. Clary only netted one individual medal.
The Ugly: Twitter - I could care less if Justin Bieber tweeted to
Missy Franklin inviting her to his concert. And even less than that, I don’t
need Ryan Seacrest pretending he belongs next to Bob Costas and Al Michaels.
Seacrest, out! For good hopefully!
The Good: Usain Bolt - Sweeping the 100, 200 and 4x100 meter relay
again. No one in history has done that. Will he go for three in a row in Rio?
The Bad: The talk of steroids and other performance enhancing drug
possibilities for Bolt and his Jamaican teammates. I guess in the world of
Track and Field, it is to be expected.
The Ugly: Carl Lewis - All but saying that we should wait til the
drug tests come out to judge Usain Bolt. Carl, what are you worried about? He
is not ruining your legacy. You were nothing but class when you competed and
represented your country. Let it go. The truth will come out, no matter what.
The good: Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman – usually their comes a
new media darling from the US Women’s Gymnastics’ team. This year, we got two
of them. Douglas, the rags to riches story that led to two gold medals, the
team and the all-around. Raisman, the captain of the Women’s team, along with
medalling in two other individual events. A great story for both of them.
The bad: Jordyn Wieber – Partly her fault for just not rising up
to the top of the competition, partly the fault of Tim Dagget and the other
gymnastics media coverage clearly rooting for Wieber to shine above all else.
The ugly: The rule that only two from each nation can be
represented in the gymnastics all-around competition. Ridiculous. Take the best
24 competitors, regardless. And what was with all the protests of scoring and
judging? This is the main reason I cannot completely get behind events like
gymnastics and figure skating. Too objective.
The good: Oscar Pistorius – It doesnt matter that he didn’t get
past the semifinals of the 400 meter race. It doesn’t matter that he and his
team finished 8th in the 4x400 meter relay. Oscar Pistorius ran
those races as a double amputee. It matters that he has become a voice or
athlete for the handicapped. It matters that he got to carry the flag for South
Africa in the opening ceremony. It matters the respect he got from his
competitors, specifically Grenada’s Kirani James, who asked to exchange jersey
numbers with him.
The bad: US Men’s Gymnastics – You got badly outclassed by the
world. You got shown up by the US Women’s team. You looked defeated right from
the beginning of the team finals. No big deal for the rest of the world. For
the United States, unacceptable.
The ugly: Losing on purpose – Forgetting that badminton is an
Olympic event, eight badminton players were disqualified for throwing matches
to “help them win down the line.” Supposedly this has happened before. Just
awful. You have earned the right to represent your country in the Olympics.
They happen once every four years. Act accordingly.
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