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OLYMPICS
Hawke’s Bay Today
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Where the Bay’s news comes first!
Leaner but meaner team likely for London
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Lightning Bolt from the gods
A FEW METRES BUT A COUNTRY MILE: Usain Bolt emphatically shuts the door on his rivals in winning the 100m, left, and 200m in Beijing.
PICTURES /AP
In two races covering 300 metres in less than 30 seconds, Usain Bolt created a legend that surpassed even that of Michael Phelps’ historic eight golds, writes James Lawton
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HENEVER anyone thinks of Beijing and the year 2008, it will not be the man who has been proclaimed the greatest Olympian of all time, swimmer Michael Phelps, who comes to mind. It will be Usain Bolt. He made the 29th Olympics his own in less than the time it takes to open your newspaper. In two races, covering 300m in somewhat less than 30 seconds, he fashioned a legend to rank with the greatest in the history of sport — all sport — and we must now hope his reputation survives without stain. He recreated the compulsion created when men run faster than any have done before, and gave us reason to believe he may be doing it in a way that does not inevitably involve, somewhere along the road, a sickening fall from grace. The most suspicious of minds will point out that some of Bolt’s female team-mates competed with performance improvements and world records that reminded us of the late Flo-Jo, Florence Griffith Joyner, in Seoul in 1988 — the year of Ben Johnson. Bolt is his own man. He runs more like a powerful gust of wind than any manufactured explosion of staccato power. Twice in five days he created a certain air that he was about to run beyond previously known limits. Putting aside his part in the worldrecord breaking sprint relay which earned him a third gold, the real mark of the man was in eating the 12-year-old 200m record of Michael Johnson. Bolt acknowledged with every stride and a final stoop at the line that he required every morsel of his most extraordinary talent and physiology to overhaul Johnson’s mark, achieved in the Olympics of Atlanta. While the 6ft 5in Jamaican merely trimmed his own world 100m record, in the 200, Bolt eclipsed the standard of one of the greatest Olympians of all-time — Johnson — and drew alongside arguably the most versatile track and field performer of them all, Carl Lewis. Bolt knocked .02s off Johnson’s mark of 19.32s — but, if that is an extremely small fraction of time, it was another massive stride for a sport which had been looking tired in its appeal and irredeemably tainted in its culture of win at all costs. Believing in Bolt as redeemer is still not a formality without risk after 20 years of ingrained duplicity — but there has never been a greater incentive since the fall of that other Johnson. Bolt runs at blinding speed and, if he truly is what the world of athletics so desperately wants him to be — a
Reggae power key to running like wind
paragon of cleanliness and phenomenon of unprecedented talent — he also brings a surge of pleasure to all who see him. When he picked up the Jamaican flag, after his 200m success, Bolt briefly orchestrated the singing at the Bird’s Nest. He generally clowned his way out of a stadium he came to own in just a few days. If Bolt plays the clown, he also runs like a god, a freakishly assembled one perhaps — but still a god. In Atlanta, you thought Johnson had brought a unique approach to running faster than anyone had ever done. Lewis, the last man to complete the Olympic sprint double, in 1984, was a different but still staggering force as he worked his way elegantly to nine gold medals in the sprints and the long jump in four Olympics. Lewis, Michael Johnson — they have defined track and field and, in the latter’s case, without ever hint of a blemish. Lewis was pardoned by US track and field authorities when he was found to have shown traces of stimulants — a fleeting lapse worthy of exoneration, we are told. The point is that both Lewis and Johnson added hugely to the allure of track and field. The overwhelming impression as Bolt lowered records and destroyed class fields, was that he was operating on his own terms. In the 200m, his run was utterly riveting for the stunned audience of the stadium and the world — and quite disembowelling for those required to run in his slipstream. Running in lane five, between America’s Shawn Crawford, the Olympic champion of 2000, and Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai, Bolt brought any mystery about the race to an end on the stagger of the bend. The only remaining question concerned his ability to pick off Michael Johnson’s record. That he knew it was something that was going to take him close to his limits was evident in his final strides to the line. In the 100m, he had flaunted his triumph. In the 200, he pushed himself right to the moment it was over. It was only then when the world allowed itself to shift in its seat. Be sure it will be transfixed for some time, and, after so long, maybe with an old willingness to believe what it sees.
AS Jamaica celebrated its difference, he says. It meant also track gold-rush, the rest of the that runners who saw the chance world had a question: how did of success on the world stage did the little Caribbean island, with not feel compelled to leave the a population of just three island and compete on behalf of million, do it? other nations. It in fact has a history of They used to go to the US producing medal winners on the mostly, while Linford Christie track going back to the last headed for England and Donovan London Games, in 1948. Bailey left for Canada. Each of those early winners ‘‘Most everybody went to the inspired young people in States,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘We don’t Jamaica, for whom the paths out need to go to the States any of poverty were few. Success more. We can do it right here.’’ engendered a culture where Wellesley Bolt, father of excelling at running is as Usain, cites a more unusual reason for the gold rush: the important to Jamaicans as being good at football is to Brazilians. Yet the foundations for this fast show were laid as long ago as 1910, when Champs, an event designed to discover the best school sprinters, was launched. Now it is the island’s flagship sporting event and POWER AND JOY: Shelley-Ann Fraser wins the attracts crowds 100m in Beijing. PICTURE / AP upwards of 30,000. Children as young as five start sprinting — and all Trelawny yam. A kind of sweet Jamaica’s best athletes have been potato, yams have been through this system. cultivated for decades by Scholars of the island’s sports Jamaicans in the fertile and industry also point to Dennis mineral-rich lowlands. It has long Johnson as having done more been assigned special nutritious than anyone to integrate track qualities. Shelley-Ann Fraser, the and field into the university 100m gold medallist who will be curricula and to impose structure feted with Bolt when they return and discipline into the training. home, has a different thought. Johnson is a Jamaican who ‘‘The secret of team’s success? attended university nearly 50 Reggae power.’’ There’s a reggae years ago at San Jose State, song with the lines: ‘‘We’ve been southern California, where he running ever since we came here, strived on the track under many years ago. Now the whole legendary American coach Bud world wanna know how we Winter. running so. They say there must He took what he learned back be something in the air, down to Kingston and introduced there in Jamaica, that make sports into the curriculum of the Jamaicans run like the wind.’’ University of Technology for the Of the 43 medals Jamaica has first time. won in its Olympic history, 42 Offering would-be runners the have been in track and field, and chance to train and learn at the nearly all of those have gone to — Independent same time is what made all the sprinters.
IFE returned to normal in Beijing yesterday, if there is such a thing as normal over here, as thousands of athletes, coaches, media and other assorted hanger-ons said ‘‘zai jian’’ to China. They have been left with a legacy that should benefit the city for decades: spectacular stadia, improved roading, a commitment to cleaner air — and, better beer. China has shown it is capable of hosting major sports tournaments. No, they haven’t quite nailed that whole human rights thing yet, but only the most conceited would say they are problems the Olympics can solve. The NZOC beijing olympics and funding agency Sparc will view Beijing as a success, especially after two previous campaigns garnered as many medals between them as the nine won here. New Zealand won as many golds in Athens (3) as here, and all but four of the medals here have been bronze. Of the six sports targeted by Sparc, just one will be thrilled, three will be satisfied and two, despite what they might publicly utter, will be looking at ways to prove to the funding agency they haven’t failed. Athletics will be thrilled. A Valerie Vili gold (she could feasibly win four of these things) and Nick Willis’ stunning bronze were the highlights of the Games. These two athletes must be used as the springboard to re-invigorate the sport at home. Rowing was the most successful sport but is a gold and two bronzes all we should have expected after three years of great results? No, it was one medal shy of claiming these Games as an out-and-out success. Bevan Docherty’s bronze was valiant and, with just six medals on offer in the sport of triathlon, we cannot expect a one-two every Games. If Sarah Walker had picked up a medal in the BMX, cycling bosses would have been thrilled instead of quietly satisfied. The Hayden Roulston-inspired track team rode out of their skins, with the men’s team pursuit desperately unlucky to miss the gold medal ride-off. Alison Shanks has gone from netball to world-class cyclist in three years. The road team never threatened a medal, nor did the mountain bikers. Sailing again disappointed, despite Thomas Ashley’s boardsailing gold. They seemed too ready to blame fickle conditions, yet the Ben Ainslies and Nathan Wilmots, tended to prevail. Swimming also provided little. Two ‘A’ finals and a few personal bests does not a successful meet make. More worryingly, New Zealand appeared to be slipping further behind the big nations. The make-up of the New Zealand team in London promises to be interesting following NZOC generalsecretary Barry Maister’s comments. In a commendably frank admission, he said the team sports had been ‘‘a disappointment’’ and the Games proved that just reaching a qualifying standard in the likes of shooting, badminton and synchronised swimming was no longer enough to warrant selection. These sports might be asked to put together rigorous programmes over a two to three year period to prove they are internationally competitive — albeit on minimal funding. New Zealand will surely send a smaller, more streamlined team, with a heavy concentration on the six sports in receipt of targeted funding. The NZOC has already been approached by 16 high-performance sports centres in Britain and France about setting up a home away from home there, preferably within the year. This will be expensive but is the best chance to remain competitive. While we might expect a haul in rowing, sailing and cycling, they are sports Britain have, and will again, target. To keep up, Sparc needs to spend wisely. The NZOC needs to plan diligently. If that means trimming the fat, then so be it.
HASTINGS INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL ENROLMENT 2009 OPEN EVENING
Andrew Shortcliffe, Principal
THURSDAY AUGUST 28TH 7pm
Students and Caregivers should arrive at our administration block where you will be met by student hosts.
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