What You Shouldn't Have Missed This Weekend
The week brought little of consequence in the markets, but the weekend brought big sports news: Usain Bolt lost. Or was it that Justin Gatlin won? No, it was Bolt's loss that dominated reports from the London world track and field championships.
Being a fan of track and field, I watched the semi-finals and finals of the men's 100 meters. Bolt, arguably the greatest sprinter of all time, apparently ran one race too many. Never one to start particularly well, he looked like he was having special difficulty getting out of the blocks this time around. In the end, that did him in. The crowd, though, couldn't care less. They chanted and celebrated as they usually do after he wins. He took his victory lap as he usually does and "partied" with the crowd, taking selfies with folks in the stands. He's a character, to say the least.
Gatlin, on the other hand, was not only ignored, but booed a bit despite his victory. It seems the cause of this rude crowd reaction was his being caught twice doping, resulting in two suspensions from the sport, the second time causing him to miss the 2008 Olympics. His first suspension was for amphetamine, a drug present in a medication he had taken since childhood for Attention Deficit Disorder. So it's been claimed that one was unfair; he really hadn't cheated. The second involved testosterone. He claimed innocence there too: a masseuse had used a cream that contained the substance. Who really knows? The sport itself, has famously been riddled with suspensions, especially involving sprinters. Bolt himself was the target of speculation, but it was never proved.
After a quick perusal of the media coverage, it seems two stories were lost with the focus on Bolt: Gatlin's amazing race, and the fact that Americans finished first and second, winning gold and silver. (Bolt was third, winning a Bronze).
If you watch the race, you'll see Gatlin improbably catching both Bolt and the new U.S. phenom Christian Coleman. Coleman had beaten Bolt in the semis, and clearly had the lead in the finals. It really looked like he had the race. Gatlin caught them both, passing Coleman just steps from the finish line. The exciting finish was lost to most, though, who were watching Bolt to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.
Not only was the finish exciting, but Gatlin's accomplishment was, frankly, amazing. He won a gold in the 2004 Olympics and won the world championship in 2005. After that, and after four years out of competition due to his second suspension, he ran under the "cloud" of Bolt. Consistently failing to beat the Great One, it looked like he would be one of those unfortunate great athletes who happened to compete during the reign of a super-athlete. So having won this race against both the super-athlete and the new kid on the block (Coleman, who ran the fastest time in the world this year) - and at the age of 35 no less - must have been - to put it mildly - satisfying.
As for that second story - American gold and silver - you have to remember that, for the most part, men's sprinting was dominated by the USA before Bolt and his Jamaican cohorts rudely interrupted that reign. Are the American's back? Only time will tell. I suspect the Jamaicans won't fade away despite Bolt's retirement, but without Bolt they may be just another group of great athletes in the hunt.
Anyway, if you're a sports fan, but not particularly a fan of track and field, you may want to reconsider. Admittedly I'm prejudiced here with an athlete in the family who's run in a fair amount of track meets. But I can tell you the folks I've met at track meets - all non-professionals - are always impressive in their dedication. They're not compensated and yet they show up over and over again to pursue excellence. As for the professionals, unlike the plethora of pampered, spoiled, and sometimes unseemly athletes that dominate the media coverage of sports, these men and women never fail to impress. Few make the money that you find in football, baseball and basketball or even soccer. But as a rule, these folks don't focus so much on showmanship as on winning and graciously accepting the results - win or lose - of their efforts. Track and field may be the last bastion of sportsmanship (with the possible exception of pro hockey).
While gamesmanship plays a role, as in any sport, track and field doesn't need glitz and glamor to impress. Even Bolt, with all his "partying" wasn't ever really obnoxious or offensive. He was just enjoying his run in the sun. Now that it's over, we should wish him the best.
Being a fan of track and field, I watched the semi-finals and finals of the men's 100 meters. Bolt, arguably the greatest sprinter of all time, apparently ran one race too many. Never one to start particularly well, he looked like he was having special difficulty getting out of the blocks this time around. In the end, that did him in. The crowd, though, couldn't care less. They chanted and celebrated as they usually do after he wins. He took his victory lap as he usually does and "partied" with the crowd, taking selfies with folks in the stands. He's a character, to say the least.
Gatlin, on the other hand, was not only ignored, but booed a bit despite his victory. It seems the cause of this rude crowd reaction was his being caught twice doping, resulting in two suspensions from the sport, the second time causing him to miss the 2008 Olympics. His first suspension was for amphetamine, a drug present in a medication he had taken since childhood for Attention Deficit Disorder. So it's been claimed that one was unfair; he really hadn't cheated. The second involved testosterone. He claimed innocence there too: a masseuse had used a cream that contained the substance. Who really knows? The sport itself, has famously been riddled with suspensions, especially involving sprinters. Bolt himself was the target of speculation, but it was never proved.
After a quick perusal of the media coverage, it seems two stories were lost with the focus on Bolt: Gatlin's amazing race, and the fact that Americans finished first and second, winning gold and silver. (Bolt was third, winning a Bronze).
If you watch the race, you'll see Gatlin improbably catching both Bolt and the new U.S. phenom Christian Coleman. Coleman had beaten Bolt in the semis, and clearly had the lead in the finals. It really looked like he had the race. Gatlin caught them both, passing Coleman just steps from the finish line. The exciting finish was lost to most, though, who were watching Bolt to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.
Not only was the finish exciting, but Gatlin's accomplishment was, frankly, amazing. He won a gold in the 2004 Olympics and won the world championship in 2005. After that, and after four years out of competition due to his second suspension, he ran under the "cloud" of Bolt. Consistently failing to beat the Great One, it looked like he would be one of those unfortunate great athletes who happened to compete during the reign of a super-athlete. So having won this race against both the super-athlete and the new kid on the block (Coleman, who ran the fastest time in the world this year) - and at the age of 35 no less - must have been - to put it mildly - satisfying.
As for that second story - American gold and silver - you have to remember that, for the most part, men's sprinting was dominated by the USA before Bolt and his Jamaican cohorts rudely interrupted that reign. Are the American's back? Only time will tell. I suspect the Jamaicans won't fade away despite Bolt's retirement, but without Bolt they may be just another group of great athletes in the hunt.
Anyway, if you're a sports fan, but not particularly a fan of track and field, you may want to reconsider. Admittedly I'm prejudiced here with an athlete in the family who's run in a fair amount of track meets. But I can tell you the folks I've met at track meets - all non-professionals - are always impressive in their dedication. They're not compensated and yet they show up over and over again to pursue excellence. As for the professionals, unlike the plethora of pampered, spoiled, and sometimes unseemly athletes that dominate the media coverage of sports, these men and women never fail to impress. Few make the money that you find in football, baseball and basketball or even soccer. But as a rule, these folks don't focus so much on showmanship as on winning and graciously accepting the results - win or lose - of their efforts. Track and field may be the last bastion of sportsmanship (with the possible exception of pro hockey).
While gamesmanship plays a role, as in any sport, track and field doesn't need glitz and glamor to impress. Even Bolt, with all his "partying" wasn't ever really obnoxious or offensive. He was just enjoying his run in the sun. Now that it's over, we should wish him the best.
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