Reckon silver is second rate? Watch this video:
That’s Australian athlete Sally Pearson after finishing second in the 110m hurdles final at the Beijing Olympics. If the mythical “Olympic spirit” resides anywhere, it’s in that three minute clip.
Pearson sprints for gold tomorrow morning Australian time, a much more assured and controlled athlete than she was four years ago. She’ll probably win it, too.
But amid all the bleating about silver medals, the head-scratching over performance, the navel-gazing over coaching structures and school participation, the demands to increase already inflated elite sports funding … well, the story of a wildly joyous athlete and her shock silver medal might still win in our book.
What the hell is all the fuss about medals, making headlines, these kids gave their best, thats what counts, people were counting the gold, before the games started.
Let us be proud of the effort put in by our wonderful team, BUGGER THE MEDALS, they are nice to have, but they dont prove a countrys greatness, we sure punch above our weight, for a small country.
I am proud of our team, and would be even if there were no medals won, “WELL DONE TEAM”
Yes the theory is correct – but – if you should win based on past performances but you don’t, well that’s when the disappointment kicks in. You might only get one chance so the pressure must be enormous. I watched her race last night it it was obvious she was shit*ing bricks. If you are not expected to win then coming second is much easier to take.
Having said that if she doesn’t get the gold then I won’t be complaining because she’s achieved infinitely more than me in a sporting sense.
Can somebody explain why gold medals are so important (apart from getting sponsorships for the recipient)?
Nobel Prizes have far more prestige, not to mention substantial cash rewards, but we never see the same media frenzy when an Australian earns one. Nor do the recipients need to be drug-tested, it’s a clean contest.
One of the most execrable slogans from Sydney 2000 was on the M4 (probably elsewhere as well) into Sydney (from the west but not from the east – wonder why?) which shouted “you don’t Win silver, you lose GOLD!”.
And this is about”sport“, aka a pastime?
Ah yes, The Australian Institute of Sport; the last vestige of soviet enterprise in Australia (along with road-building)!