Category: Olympics

Sijag PyeongChang !

Sijag PyeongChang !

The Winter Olympics always have had a concealed identity. The Games of snow and ice changed to an alternate even year in 1994 to gain a degree of spotlight from it summer counterpart.It seems half the nations don’t compete most of the times due to the nature of the sports.Sochi had a record 88 with 2873 attending.Nevertheless, its occupied an integral part of the sporting calendar and these year’s games have been rated as the event of the year.

With 92 associations competing and a record 2920 athletes,Pyeongchang, in the province of Gangwan-do,becomes the third Asian city to host the winter games.Ecuador,Eritrea,Singapore,Kosovo, Malysia and Nigeria are the newest entries to the fold.The hosts of the last olympics though Russia competed under OAR flag after their association was banned under state sponsored doping issues.

 

Its build up was never going to be easy being 40 miles from the border with North Korea and tensions on the rise.However as Sport has always proved in the past, it s the best uniter whereas Politics is the great divider.On February 9, The two Koreas marched together under one flag last as the hosts in a spectacle seen globally.They were competing as one team as well in the women’s ice hockey.

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With Soohorang and Bandabi watching as mascots,a colourful ceremony took ot the olympic stadium outdoors in tundra like conditions.Following the parade of teams,the Olympic torch lit in Athens and brought from its global voyage to Korean shores before finally arriving to Pyeongchang where as expected the South Korean queen of figure skating from Vancouver 2010, Yuna Kim who set it alight following her mini routine .The Games had begun.The Koreans would have plenty of cheer in the first week.Even though its at 700 metre elevation, most of the venues had artificial ice and snow.

Not surprisingly their women’s ice hockey team struggled but the  North Korean cheerleaders contingent  set the stadium alight with plenty of  K pop pumping and jumping.The home crowd cheers were responded to as Lim Ho-Jun first and then Choi Min Jeong took the 1500 metres short track double. They also captured the skeleton gold with Yun Sung Bin.

Norway and Germany have a good tradition in the games and Korea was no different. Norwegians’ strength was evident in week 1 in the cross country skiing scooping 5 golds.Germans had the luge sealed taking three with three more in the Biathlon in the first week.Sean White and Chloe Kim in the half pipe were convincing winners as Americans ran the snowboarding golds at a canter, picking four.The Dutch had skating glory with six golds.

Britain had a bronze in the Skeleton that Yun won through Dom Parsons, but its crown jewel event was the women’s version where the defending champion from Sochi Lizzy Yarnold took the nation’s first gold of Pyangchang.Laura Deas took bronze in the same event to double the overall medal tally.Lizzy’s 4 heat run was impressive and at times when Jacqueline Loelling of Germany and Janine Flack of Austria threatened to take the top medal away, she stormed back to line up clutch runs down the slide to take the title.

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Though the perennial heavyweights are ruling, there’s plenty of cheer wherever you go.From the Jamaicans to the Swiss, the Argentines to Ghanaians.Yes, Korea has welcomed with open arms.The world is present in Pyangchang witnessing some great feats, thrills and spills, glory and defeat but all in the honour of healthy competition. Its only week 1, but some of fireworks are set ablaze and more surely are to come. Bring it on! Let the magic enchant you on the ice and snow!

 

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Olympics Diary: Part 2 – Lightning Bolts Rio !

The North Western Parish of Trelawny was founded in 1770 in the Caribbean state of Jamaica and has been  famous for something humans hold really dear and a valuable commodity- Sugar. Home to many sugar estates and mills, it has been thriving part of the island. That is not only the commodity Trelawny is famous for.Nearly a quarter of millenium later, the residents of this fertile land were on cloud nine  during the warm August nights rejoicing on  the sweet rewards of Olympic glory.For Trelawny’s famous son celebrated the unmatchable  “triple triple ” on the track of Rio. Lightning had  truly hit Rio in the form of Usain Bolt.

Majestic as it sounds, the 11 time world champion overcame obstacles he has never been accustomed to in his career. There were critics  who doubted if he will be able to achieve the incredible feat of three consecutive golds in three different disciplines. The fastest man in the world became the biggest star thrashing the competition in 100 metres first in a time of 9.81 seconds , somewhat slow by his standards.He recaptured the limelight a few night s later with 19.78 in the 200 metres.It wasn’t over yet. On the penultimate night on the track , he helped Jamaica to their third straight gold in the relay anchoring the star quartet of Nickel Ashmeade, Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake to a season’s best of 37.27.Bolt became an Olympic legend. Gold wouldn’t have tasted this sweet for him as he took the bite of the medal.

Usain’s sprint counterparts did Jamaica proud as well. Omar McLeod took the 110 metre hurdles whilst Elaine Thompson became the sprint queen of Olympics.Like Usain,she secured the sprint double of 100 and 200 metres.Jamaica ended with  six golds in its tally of 11 medals,all on the track.Moments before Usain’s 100 metre run the shock of the track came in the 400 metres, where Wayde Van Niekerk obliterated the world and olympics record in a 43.03 run.His countryfellow Semanya Caster took the 800 metre tilte.

David Rudisha retained his 800 metre title and led the Kenyan gold rush on the track.The women had success in the 800, 1500 and 3,000 metre steeple chase as well as the Marathon. Elluid Kipchoge took the coveted final day Marathon in a canter.They finished with good haul of 13 medals.

Team USA, often known for track riches  found the field  equally productive. Both sets of long jump and shot put golds were won in addition to Christian Taylor ‘s triple jump win.Adam Eaton retained his decathlon gold.On the  track ,the women took the 100 and 400 metres hurdles courtesy Brianna Rollins and Dalillah Muhammad whilst the relay teams swept both the 400 metres.It was an interesting 100 metre relay after their  women initially lost the baton in heats then had the opportunity to participate in a solo standoff for qualification.Buoyed by the circumstances, the quartet of English Gardner, Tianna Bartoletta, Alyson Felix and Morolake Akinosun gave no second chances.

Four years ago in London, the loudest cheers on the track were reserved for Mo Farah for his 5 and 10k wins.So, it was unsurprising in Rio when the whole of Brazil was lit up by Thiago Braz Da Silva in the pole vault and he  leapt over the bar for the famous gold.As for Farah, he orchestrated a perfect “double double” again leading the field despite a fall in the He can hang a gold in each of his children now as he becomes the most successful Brit athlete.His  win was ever more exciting  as it took Team GB to overtake its 65 medal haul of London and one ahead of China overall in golds.British women took bronzes in both relays and Jessica Ennis Hill defending her heptathlon from London came in second to the 22 year old Belgian Nafissatou Thiam.

Away from the track in week two, there were other notable performances. Russia despite handicapped in the track and field  was victorius in rhythmic gymnastics synchronised and four fencing golds alongside the women’s  handball. They ended with nineteen golds in a haul of 56 medals.Germany with its canoeing prowess grabbed four golds in the sport  but Thomas Rohler’s javelin and Christoph’s Harting discus golds  would surely be the pride of Deutschland as they concluded with seventeen golds.

Whilst German  women also captured gold  in football ,their men faced the test of fate. History was to be made in the Maracana as finally the two most successful footballing nations but devoid of Olympic Gold matched up.Brazil and Germany. Neymar who had given up the chance to play in Copa America earlier in the year took the honours sealing the winning kick in the shootout. Brazil had no end to joy of their seventh and final gold !

Their neighbours and fierce sporting rivals Argentina matched novelty with Men’s hockey success beating Belgium and Maddie Hinch led Team GB to a huge upset again in a topsy turvy shootout win over the world and defending champions Netherlands as the Dutch were left in tears for the second successive year.To cap the team sports, the final event of Olympics brought gold once again to the undefeated Team USA.Kevin Durant, Paul George, De Andre Jordan might not be Bird, Jordan and Johnson of Barcelona but were top notch in the crushing win over Serbia. Team USA ended with 46 golds in an impressive tally of 121 medals,head and shoulders above the rest.

So Rio ended with showers from the heaven, athletes dancing and the Rio carnival performers enriching  its already superlative festival status. “Super Mario ” PM Shinzo Abe of Japan stole the show with his appearance as formally the Governor of Tokyo  inherited the Olympic flag.The sixteen days of sporting overdrive had come to pomp end. The torch was extinguished.Tokyo awaits in 2020.

A city known for its resplendent sunshine and beaches, the Bolts of Lightning from the sugar sweetened fields of Trelawny will always be associated as a marker of success for these Olympics. Bem Feito Rio !

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Olympics Diary: Part 1 – A New World

It was a mild sunny midweek day in the Estadio Joao Havelange in Rio which was  serving as the main hub for the track and field events.The 5,000 metres heats were on.Abbey D’Agostino of USA and Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand  were vying for a place in the final.Four laps fromt he end , they collided. D’Agostino twisted her leg and Hamblin pulled her up.The two helped each other to the finish, where they came in last.The spirit of Olympics was clearly reflected in this act of  sportsmanship displayed by the two athletes, as Hamblin waited at the finish line for considerable time for Abbey to finish and end up in  a warm embrace.They both were given entries to the final in a good will  gesture by the authorities.The Pierre de Courbertin medal from the IOC was awarded to only its second and third woman recepients.

The opening ceremony of the first Olympics staged in South America was held at the historic Maracana stadium on 5 August amidst a colourful display that also showcased environmental concern with appeal for conservation and prevention of global warming. Famous for the football it has given to the world, Brazil welcomed the parade of a record 207 nations.They featured  Kosovo and South Sudan, IOC’s newest members.Two new sports were added, Golf and the  Rugby sevens.With the ceremony, all the pre games hype of Zika virus and the doping scams were laid to rest.The Olympic cauldron was lit by Vandelei Cordeiro de Lima, the Men’s marathon bronze medallist at the 2004 Athens Summer games.

For many,the Games represented a culmination of intensive hard work and dedication that took four years to achieve.For some,even a lifetime.Many won’t get another shot. Some like Michael Phelps overcame a childhood of  difficulties to become the most decorated Olympian. Achieving five golds, he took his tally to a record 28 in these Games, 23 of them golds,in the pool.Truly sensational from the Baltimore Bullet.The pool had other amazing feats. Katinka Hosszu carried on Hungary’s swim medal run taking 3 golds.Katie Ledecky ,the Stanford grad, had one better with four golds while her colleague Simone Manuel became the first African American female to win a gold in individual event when she tied in the 100 metres freestyle.Adam Peaty began the record for British overseas haul  by smashing a  world record en route to his 100 metre breaststroke gold.It was soon going to become a memorable haul for Team GB.

Away from the pool,at 19, Simone Biles became a star in the Rio Olympic arena, capturing four golds and a bronze, becoming the most decorated medallist in a single Olympics.as an American gymnast.The Ohio teenager’s routines in the floor exercise, vault, individual and team all arounds  were unmatchable.Nadia Comaneci would be proud.

In the Velodrome,cycling lay witness to an amazing feat. Each member of the British track cycling team bagged a medal as their domination from London 2012 continued.The had six golds in ten events. Such  achievements  exceeded expectations even though in the track world championships earlier in the year,Team GB had five golds in tally of nine medals. The track team were led by lovebirds Jason Kenny and Laura Trott who surpassed national records in golds winning the Kierin and Omnium events.

China claimed a sweep of the table tennis events in all four disciplines.Ma Long and Ding Ning captured individual golds beating compatriots and then  led the team events to glory. Ning defeated compatriot Li Xiaoxia in the women’s individual finale but combined with her to take the team events.Long led China to the team victory  after  beating Zhang Jike in the individual final.China added the women ‘s team Volleyball gold.One of their popular successes was in  Badminton men’s singles where world champion Chen Long beat an industrious Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in straight sets.

Asia  was well represented in the top honours. In addition to the Chinese honours,their eastern neighbours were also in form.Korea cleaned up the Archery events. The hosts of the next Olympics, Japan, found wrestling to  their women’s expertise, nabbing four of the six golds on offer.Judo provided them with three more gongs.Whilst west of Xinjiang province the Uzbeks were on fire leading the boxers  with three golds.Iran laid claim to five wrestling medals and two weightlifting golds and in the blue ribbon swim meet of 100 metre freestyle, Joseph Schooling was head of the class for Singapore.Even Vietnam made a name for themselves in shooting event of 10 metre  air pistol.

Speaking of the shooters,the first gold of the Olympics was taken by an American teenager, Virginia Thrasher initiating a huge medal run  for the Stars and Stripes.The Barra Olympic park was left buzzing,the Favelas of Rio chirping, Copa Cabana whistling,the global  media tweeting and the Olympic  torch which crossed 300 Brazilian cities including all 26 state capitals  was continually blazing.Rio de Janiero welcomed all and  had become the ” New World”  for the Olympics as per its motto but more was to come. As the sun will have to give way to change in weather, a certain thunder of energy from the skies and on  its earth  was imminent. Pode Vir Rio !

(To be continued)

olympics part 1