The Big O!

Every two years, I get the biggest thrills for two full weeks! Yes, I'm talking about the Olympics. I fully admit to being an Olympic whore - summer, winter, makes no difference to me. I first remember being enamored with the Olympics during the 1972 Munich summer games. That summer, it was all about Olga Korbutt and Mark Spitz. Between watching the two of them, I swore I was destined for Olympic greatness.  I had high hopes for myself at the tender age of 6.  I remember begging my mother for gymnastics lessons, but to no avail. With five children, there just wasn't enough money for me to be the next Olga.  Four years later (during the 1976 Montreal games), each time I watched Nadia Comăneci score a perfect 10 (seven in total), I seethed with jealousy.  Not that that could have been me.  At 10 years of age, I was still too young to compete, but it could have been me in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.  I might have given Mary Lou Retton some competition.  Okay, okay - delusions of grandeur, I know.

This summer's Olympics have been fantastic, so far.  I unfortunately missed the opening ceremonies due to being in Philly without a television but since arriving home, my television has been stuck on NBC. I've watched as much of the coverage as I can. The hardest part of these Olympics is avoiding hearing about the results before watching the prime time coverage - not easy. There have been so many thrilling moments, like watching the US women's gymnastics team winning the gold and Gabby Douglas becoming the first African-American to win the gymnastics all-round gold. Or Michael Phelps winning his 19th medal, becoming the most decorated Olympian in history. (He has gone on to win 2 more for a total of 21 with 1 more swim to go later today.)  How about Bradley Wiggins from Great Britain who wins gold in the cycling time trials less than 2 weeks after winning the Tour de France? I loved seeing him sit on the throne at Hampton Court Palace. Of course, having a Brit sitting on the throne makes sense, but an American?  Kristin Armstrong, at the ripe age of 38, won the gold in the cycling time trials and got to sit on the throne. Brilliant!

There are also the inspiring stories. There is the 35-year old rower from Niger, Hamadou Djibo Issaka, who only took up rowing 3 months ago in a country that is landlocked and 80 percent desert.  It took him nine minutes to finish his heat (a full 2 minutes after the leader), but that wasn't the point. He finished - that was the important part. His plans are to stay in the sport and compete in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. There is the female sprinter from Afghanistan, Tahmina Kohistani, who endured all sorts of verbal abuse while she was training to compete in a sprint which would take less than 15 seconds. She is the lone female on the Afghanistan team (a team of 6) and finished 31st out of 32 competitors. That doesn't matter. She has become a beacon of hope to all the women of Afghanistan. There's the sad story of the first female track and field participant from Qatar, Noor Hussain Al-Malki, who collapsed in pain after about 15 meters into the 100-meter dash, having pulled a hamstring. Qatar decided to include female athletes (four in total) in its delegation for the first time. Al-Malki was pushed out of the competition arena in a wheelchair, but she's still a trailblazer for other female athletes from the region.

Many people complain about the Olympics and eschew the games, but there are so many wonderful and inspiring moments. There is an indomitable spirit in the 10,000+ athletes who have spent so much time and energy training for the Olympics and I admire their fortitude. The games are only halfway through and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the games have to show.  I also say "Huzzah" to London for hosting these fantastic games. Well done, Britain! (BTW, if you want to know why Britain rarely wins gold medals, see the Eddie Izzard clip below.)