I stopped watching the Olympics half way through the first week. It was spectacular on the HDTV, but between the IOC's money grubbing and the Chinese dictatorship, I just couldn't watch. I'm sure I missed a lot of really interesting things, but its over now, so that's that.
The big stories seem to have been Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. What a name for a sprinter, Usain Bolt. Great competitors, true champions, but not quite heroic. Here are some heroic athletic performances that stand out in my memory. Not all are from the Olympics. Not all won. One isn't even a human. Argue as you please, but its my blog, and these are my heroes.8. Elvis Stojko - Men's Figure Skating - Nagano 1998
It was finally Elvis' year. He was the best skater in the world and the gold was pretty much his for the taking. Several days before the final, he caught the flu, then suffered a groin injury. That would have ended the games for anyone else. Elvis skated anyway. It was obvious during the performance something was wrong. His signature quadruple-triple combination became a triple-triple. It was a great performance, but not as good as the Russian Ilia Kulik. Kulik got the gold, Elvis the silver. The extent of his injury only became apparent during the medal ceremony immediately following the event. Elvis could barely walk, and had to wear running shoes to the podium. A guy who was in so much pain he could barely walk, and still turned in a performance worthy of being second best in the entire world. That's more than willpower, that heroism. I think that silver medal is worth far more than any gold he could have won.
7. Emil Zatopec - Men's Marathon - Helsinki 1952
Zatopek did brilliantly in Helsinki winning gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres. As he was on a roll, the Czech team decided to let him have a go at the marathon, despite his never having run one before. He won, setting an Olympic record.
6. Tiger Woods - US Open - Torry Pines 2008
In future, this may be seen as his greatest victory of all. With a severe knee injury, he like Stojko, could barely walk. Yet he played 90 holes over 5 days and won. This incredible accomplishment has been overshadowed by the Olympics. However, I think in future Woods' triumph will be thought of as the significant athletic event of 2008.
5. Abebe Bikila - Men's Marathon - Rome 1960
An almost literally last-minute addition to the Ethiopian delegation, Bikila did not have a properly fitting pair of shoes from the team sponsor Addidas. So he ran barefoot as he had in training. This caused some derision at the start of the race. But Bikila won, becoming the first African to win an Olympic gold medal. In 1964, he ran with shoes, but did so only 40 days after having his appendix removed. He still won, finishing an incredible 4 minutes ahead of the silver medalist and setting a world record. Bikila is one of only two men to win the Olympic Marathon twice.
4. John Akhwari - Men's Marathon - Mexico City 1968
An hour after the medal ceremony, with just a few people left in the Olympic stadium , a lone figure entered the field. He was John Akhwari of Tanzania, the last man to finish the 1968 Olympic marathon. Early in the race, Akhwari had fallen badly, damaging his knee and suffering deep lacerations. He got up, accepted bandaging from the medical personnel and continued. Hours later, barley able to walk, he stumbled into the stadium. The few thousand spectators gave him a thunderous ovation. Some said that they made more noise that the full stadium had for the winner. Akhwari crossed the finish line and collapsed. He was taken to the hospital. The next day, a reporter asked him why he had persisted long after any hope of coming in anything but last had faded, he replied: "My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5000 miles to finish the race." Fortunately, his finish was caught by a documentary crew and is included in the video African Runners, part of the Olympiad Series.
3. Muhammad Ali - Ali Vs. Foreman, Kinshasa 1974
Games within games. How could the older, slower, outgunned Ali possibly hope to match the juggernaut of George Foreman? Foreman had trained for months to eliminate Ali's only advantage, his dancing movement around the ring. It looked grim. Everyone agreed that if Ali could be cornered, Foreman would pulverize him. Even Ali seemed to believe it. But what the old lack in strength, they often gain in cunning. Instead of dancing around as usual, Ali stood still. He leaned against the ropes and let Foreman pound him. Veteran fight observers couldn't believe it. Was he giving up? Throwing the fight? His coaches were apoplectic, confused, hysterical. But Ali had figured out the one way to beat Foreman, and he told nobody. Not his trainers, or his entourage, or the journalists who pounded him with questions for months before the fight. His strategy was simple, he called it "rope a dope". Instead of his trademark dancing, he stood still, leaning against the ropes. He put his arms up and let Foreman hit him as hard as he could. Ali's arms and abdomen could take the blows, and the ropes absorbed the force. Ali taunted in a whisper only Foreman could hear. "Is that all you've got George?" "You can hit me harder than that." As an enfuriated Foreman exhausted himself, Ali came off the ropes with his strength intact and knocked Foreman out. It was a brilliant boxing match. My favorite documentary "When We Were Kings" tells the story. I highly recommend it, even to non-sports fans.
2. Tiger Woods - The Masters - Augusta 1997
He was the youngest (21) and the first African-American to win. And he did so with the lowest score in 32 years. But that's not why he's on this list. Its because he tore the course and the competition apart. He started Sunday morning with a nine stroke lead. He finished with record 12 stroke lead. If they had given him another 18 holes, he would have won with a 20 stroke lead. Tiger won it going away. It, along with Secretariat at Belmont, was the most electrifying athletic performance I've ever seen.
1. Secretariat - Belmont Stakes - 1973
I'm not a fan of horse racing, but everyone in North America watched this race on June 9, 1973. Secretariat had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. A successful Triple Crown would be the first in 25 years, and only the 9th in history. Like Tiger Woods at the '97 Masters, he won it going away. His margin was 31 lengths. Had they given him another 1/4 mile, it would have been 41 lengths. It was the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt in history at 2:24 flat. Not only has that record stood, but no other horse has ever gone below 2:25. More than 5,000 winning bets were not redeemed, the holders kept the betting chits as souvenirs.
