they grab the most number of Gold medals in even the sports where u think they will not excel in i.e fencing.
they put up a fantastic opening and closing ceremony, simply spectacular. i remember that the opening ceremony was one day before our National Day Parade and everybody felt that NDP this year weren't as good because they just saw the opening ceremony the day before. of course can't win la. imagine the amount of resources, manpower, effort and co-ordination Zhang Yimou and the committee put in to put up such a big scale show.
spectacular fireworks (they shoot fireworks like they are free!)
nevertheless, we witness many falls and rise.
the falls of many Olympic Records (OR) and World Records (WR) in many events.
the rise of countries in disciplines which they were not known in.
we saw how Michael Phelps rewrote history by grabbing 8 Gold medals in swimming. we saw how he won by 0.01 seconds. we saw him being ahead of the green WR line 90% of the time. we saw how long he can keep his mouth open and shouting non stop. we saw how long he can dolphin kick underwater.
and we saw a man who chase after his goal with sheer determination and hard work.
see, his mouth is open again
the man in action.
Phelps and his team..
Usain Bolt brought Jamaica to our eyes. not just by his frame of 1.96m. this man is now the fastest man over 100m and 200m. a speed of 9.69 seconds for 100m. a brand new world record. he even slow down in the last 20m, provoking the idea that he can even make it to 9.55 seconds.
and he became the first man to smash both 100m and 200m (his pet event) world record in a single Game. 19.30 second for 200m. and also smashing world record at the 4 x 100m relay.
we also saw how he point to the TV and said "i am no 1. i am no 1". we saw his awfully choreographed dance moves and his golden PUMA boots. how Jacques Rogges ask him to GROW UP. but he's only 22 this year. give him some slack la. when you are young, you should behave young. he didn't exactly disrespect the other athletes anyway. he was just enjoying his moment.
the Jamaica 4 x 100m relay team.
Triathlon also brought a surprise result to us. Fordeno of Germany pulled through at the last stretch to grab the Gold while the favourite Javier Gomez 'punchek' at the last 200m. i think the heat and humidity got to him. well, that's the thing about sports. the unpredictability.
Frodeno (same shades as me!)
Emma Snowsill fought her way to Gold, after jumping across the boards when a buggy containing lunch boxes blocked her way! she was a pre-race favourite and her victory was definitey in the calculations.
Emma Snowsill (she has asthma u know!)
Men's marathon witness a new Olympic Record of 2:06.32, smashing a 24 years old record. Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first men from Kenya to win a Marathon Gold medal. these people are just damn fast. i am probably due at 25km when they already completed!
Samuel Kamau Wansiru.. 21 years old only!! and also Half marathon record holder.
this Olympic also saw the fall of many.
Team USA 4 x 100m relay men and women all saw their baton on the ground instead of seeing it at the finishing line. maybe, arrogance got to them. afterall USA had been dominant in this event previously.
Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110m hurdle race due to injury and how China weep the fall of their hero. right at home. the pressure of 1.3 billion hopes were too much for his shoulders.
Brazil losing 3-0 in the Football semi finals. the samba nation couldn't hold their stand.
Team Singapore had another shot at the Olympic. honestly speaking, i ain't really proud of the Silver medal we won in table tennis. i believe many would think likewise. maybe we should just embrace them for now and cultivate our very own medal along the way. it sounds crude but that is how it work.
Singapore is still a very young nation. Sports culture take very long to be cultivated. we are picking up in sports, but not there yet. i believe one day, our own Singaporeans will be a bigger force to contend with. just.. not yet..
i believe focus is very important. we need to find our strength and work on them. for many years now, we have been focusing on a particular sport (f**tba*l) and it has been obvious that Singaporeans can't play that for nuts. sometimes, we should stop dwelling on the past and move on. there are so many other sports we are good in but SSC just kinda ignores them. wake up u old fat big beer belly people! stop drinking beer and watch the Olympic to wake up your idea!!
Beijing 2008 is probably the best Olympics up till now. the sheer effort of the Chinese deserves our praises. we saw how different people can push themselves to achieve for their ultimate goal. sporting excellence and a celebration of humanity. the message of the Olympic of a unified human race has been reinforced by this 29th Olympic Games. Kudos to the Ah Tiongs!
