Unless you have been in a spaceship orbiting Pluto for the last week you couldn’t have failed to miss the fact that the Olympic Games are on in London.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Games. I love the sport but hate the corruption and politics of it. I love the spectacle but hate that the money could be better spent on the less fortunate in society. I love barracking for my country but hate it when it descends into mindless nationalism. I love the granduer of the contest but hate it when competitors turn out to be pampered prima donas. Case in point;the Australian swimming team.
James Magnussen is a good country boy from Port Macquarie and the fastest 100m freestyle swimmer in the world. As world champion and world record holder he came into the Games as favourite for his pet event and rightly so. However his failure in the 4x100m relay lead him to revealing himself as a spoilt loser who couldn’t take the fact he hadn’t performed to the standard he expected in a swimming race.
Emily Seehbom is another one. Put on a spectacle for the cameras after finishing second in her pet event which she had expected to win. She cried and lamented her loss and declared herself a national disgrace and a pox on her parents for producing her. All very dramatic.
Geez Emily! Build a bridge and get over yourself. It’s sport. Sometimes you lose. And how you lose can often make you a greater champion than when you win. And by the way Emily, that’s an Olympic silver medal you have there. Most of the rest of the 400-odd Australian athletes at these Games will only ever see one on television. Silver ain’t half bad!
That being said James Magnussen suffered another disappointment when he was beaten into second in the individual 100m freestyle by one of those frightful Americans. This time however he showed a bit more class in defeat and I applaud him for that. He’s a champion whose day at the Olympics will come eventually.
I like a bit of emotion in sport and I realise these young athletes invest their entire lives in these acivities and when they fail it is obviously going to hurt. Shed a tear for sure but surliness and histrionics I can do without.
I think some of the problem is that coaches and parents build these swimmers up and tell them how great they are to a point where failure is not an option and defeat an alien concept and they react badly when it happens.
I think a touch of self-conciousness when things go bad can sometimes be good for your image. Especially when you are front and centre at the Olympic Games.
I think James and Emily could do a lot worse than go and talk to Australian cyclist Kaarle McCullough. She, with her partner Anna Meares were among the favourites for the Olympic sprint on the first night at the velodrome and finished with the bronze medal.
Miss McCullough, when interviewed later on TV showed graciousness, class and maturity when she stated that although she was disappointed not to win, a bronze medal was a thrill and she was really happy. Good on you Kaarle. I sincerely hope the day comes when you get that big win that you deserve. I’m not a great fan of women’s cycling but I will be cheering loudly the day you win your gold medal.
Have a good day.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Games. I love the sport but hate the corruption and politics of it. I love the spectacle but hate that the money could be better spent on the less fortunate in society. I love barracking for my country but hate it when it descends into mindless nationalism. I love the granduer of the contest but hate it when competitors turn out to be pampered prima donas. Case in point;the Australian swimming team.
James Magnussen is a good country boy from Port Macquarie and the fastest 100m freestyle swimmer in the world. As world champion and world record holder he came into the Games as favourite for his pet event and rightly so. However his failure in the 4x100m relay lead him to revealing himself as a spoilt loser who couldn’t take the fact he hadn’t performed to the standard he expected in a swimming race.
Emily Seehbom is another one. Put on a spectacle for the cameras after finishing second in her pet event which she had expected to win. She cried and lamented her loss and declared herself a national disgrace and a pox on her parents for producing her. All very dramatic.
Geez Emily! Build a bridge and get over yourself. It’s sport. Sometimes you lose. And how you lose can often make you a greater champion than when you win. And by the way Emily, that’s an Olympic silver medal you have there. Most of the rest of the 400-odd Australian athletes at these Games will only ever see one on television. Silver ain’t half bad!
That being said James Magnussen suffered another disappointment when he was beaten into second in the individual 100m freestyle by one of those frightful Americans. This time however he showed a bit more class in defeat and I applaud him for that. He’s a champion whose day at the Olympics will come eventually.
I like a bit of emotion in sport and I realise these young athletes invest their entire lives in these acivities and when they fail it is obviously going to hurt. Shed a tear for sure but surliness and histrionics I can do without.
I think some of the problem is that coaches and parents build these swimmers up and tell them how great they are to a point where failure is not an option and defeat an alien concept and they react badly when it happens.
I think a touch of self-conciousness when things go bad can sometimes be good for your image. Especially when you are front and centre at the Olympic Games.
I think James and Emily could do a lot worse than go and talk to Australian cyclist Kaarle McCullough. She, with her partner Anna Meares were among the favourites for the Olympic sprint on the first night at the velodrome and finished with the bronze medal.
Miss McCullough, when interviewed later on TV showed graciousness, class and maturity when she stated that although she was disappointed not to win, a bronze medal was a thrill and she was really happy. Good on you Kaarle. I sincerely hope the day comes when you get that big win that you deserve. I’m not a great fan of women’s cycling but I will be cheering loudly the day you win your gold medal.
Have a good day.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 