My favorite competition over the years has been watching the women's gymnastics. I saw the team competition, but I missed the individual all-arounds where our team one the gold and silver medals in addition to snagging the silver for the team. The team competition was very dramatic with several faults (falls, out of bounds) dashed the dream of gold. What is remarkable is that Russia and Romania, once the powerhouses in gymnastics, were never serious contenders for anything above bronze. How things change.
The Michael Phelps story is certainly an interesting one, but I think that it often-times dominates the stories of others' accomplishments. His apparent modesty certainly makes the attention wholesome. I'm sure that his story attracts people like me--people who typically do not watch swimming. I'll attempt to stay up for the next Phelps event.
[Sunday a.m. Update: I didn't "post" this prior to walking out the door Saturday morning (8:30 a.m) for my dog transport . I did stay up (barely) to see Phelps. I had a very long transport that had me out of the house from 8:45 through 3:30 (lots of summer driving traffic!) I also watched the women's marathon and marveled at Constantina Tomescu-Dita's ( of Romania) win. She is 38 and the second oldest athlete in the women's marathon. Further, I watched Dara Torres, 41, swim and win two medals (indiv/team). It was really tremendous to watch these older athletes perform well. Mind over body. My new mantra. But I did forget to 'post' this yesterday, so perhaps neither my mind nor my body will cooperate.]
I never watched track and field competition until Michael Johnson took it my a storm--same thing: an extraordinary athlete that piques the attention of the inattentive! I was mesmerized. I've not watched track and field since.
But in the spirit of the Olympics, I found this pictorial essay by Sports Illustrated that I thought I would share with you. Click on the image to be transported.
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