How the sport works
Athletics, what North Americans call track & field, includes a variety of running, jumping, and throwing events. I won’t explain every single event here, but you can generally assume the winner completed the event the fastest, highest, or furthest.
Please note the official description of the weather conditions…
Women’s 400 meter hurdles, round 1
Over forty women were vying for twenty four spots in the semi finals. A Canadian earned a slot in the semis and I’m pleased to say the Uzbek didn’t finish last in her heat. Small victories! Favorites like Russia’s Antyukh, the USA’s Demus, and the Czech Republic’s Hejnova all won their respective heats and moved on to the semi finals.
Men’s 100 meter semi finals
Usain Bolt, who is not known for having a fast start, was even slower than usual out of blocks in his heat. Nevertheless, he won his heat convincingly and will be in the final later tonight with two of his countrymen and three Americans. Oh, and a sprinter each from the Netherlands and Trinidad & Tobago, too–not that anyone is too concerned about either of them.
Bolt, shadow boxing before his heat.
Men’s 1,500 meter semi finals
From the two heats, the first five finishers automatically qualified and then the next two overall fastest runners would also qualify for the final. The first heat was about eight seconds faster than the second heat and everyone in the first heat ran faster than the winner of the second heat, which meant that six of the fastest times on the track failed to qualify for the final. Doesn’t quite seem fair.
Men’s hammer throw final
The throwing events are typically my least favorite of the field events, but even I was impressed to see Pars’ throw of over eighty meters, more than a full meter beyond his closest rival.
Medal results
Gold: Krisztian Pars, Hungary
Silver: Primoz Kozmus, Slovenia
Bronze: Koji Murofushi, Japan
Men’s 400 meter semi finals
Five athletes from four Caribbean countries, twin brothers from Belgium, and an Australian all advanced to the 400 meter final.
Oscar Pistorius ran in the second heat. He is the first person ever to compete in both the Olympics and the upcoming Paralympics. Even though he finished last in his heat and did not advance, he received a huge ovation from the crowd.
It’s interesting to note that Liemarvin Bonevacia, who finished last in his heat and also did not move on to the final, competed under the Olympic flag and not under a country’s flag. He is one of a handful of athletes who hails from a place that, for one reason or another, does not have a recognized Olympic committee. Such athletes are allowed to compete as IOAs: Individual Olympic Athletes.
Women’s triple jump final
For those of you who read this blog closely, you’ll remember that I said I wasn’t likely to hear the Kazakh national anthem anytime soon again after Vinokurov won the men’s cycling road race. I was wrong! Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova claimed gold with a jump of fourteen meters, ninety eight centimeters. What’s more is that, like in the men’s cycling road race where Colombia earned silver, a Colombian won silver tonight! Too bad there weren’t any Norwegians in the triple jump to claim bronze.
Medal results
Gold: Olga Rypakova, Kazakhstan
Silver: Caterine Ibarguen, Colombia
Bronze: Olha Saladuha, Ukraine
Women’s 400 meter final
It was a familiar cast from Beijing with defending gold medalist Ohuruogu and bronze medalist Richards-Ross both looking for gold. Trotter and Ohuruogu both ran season’s bests but it wasn’t enough to beat Richards-Ross (below, left).
Medal results
Gold: Sanya Richards-Ross, USA
Silver: Christine Ohuruogu, Great Britain
Bronze: DeeDee Trotter, USA
Men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase final
I’ve long believed that one of the key events desperately missing from the modern Olympics is the obstacle course. Since that’s not likely to happen any time soon, I’m pretty content with the steeplechase (although I believe the word “chase” is misleading. Steeple jump, perhaps? Or how about steeple splash?)
I’m not sure what to make of Kemboi. He is definitely a charismatic guy. After crossing the finish line…
…he took his shirt off and traded with the silver medalist of France…
…before leaping into the Frenchman’s arms…
…and putting on the Frenchman’s shirt, which was about six sizes too big…
…and then dancing a jig!
In the negative column for Kemboi, he was accused of stabbing a woman in June after she allegedly refused his sexual advances. Hmm.
Medal results
Gold: Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenya
Silver: Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, France
Bronze: Abel Kiprop Mutai, Kenya
Men’s 100 meter final
Just like everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day, everyone was Jamaican at Olympic Stadium tonight! A Canadian family sat in front of me and the mother had hand sewn dresses for her adult daughters that formed the Jamaican flag when they stood side by side. Like I said, everyone was Jamaican tonight.
Even if you somehow managed to avoid watching the race, I’m pretty sure you already know the results.
Medal results
Gold: Usain Bolt, Jamaica
Silver: Yohan Blake, Jamaica
Bronze: Justin Gatlin, USA
Poor Gatlin was largely ignored by the media on his bronze medal victory lap!
As I joined eighty thousand other people in leaving Olympic Stadium, I noticed two men dressed in Team GB gear. Mind you, half of the fans were dressed like this, but these guys had track numbers pinned to their backpacks and one of them looked like he had a taken off the top half of his unitard. Athletes! I thought I recognized them from the men’s 400 meter semi finals but I couldn’t be sure. I was so dumbstruck that I just walked alongside them, their faces aglow from their smartphones and me trying not to trip over my jaw. It wasn’t long before they noticed me and said a cautious, “Hi.” I managed to respond with a plain, “Hi,” before I had to turn to catch my train. The woman next to me told me they were Nigel Levine and Conrad Williams (respectively, pictured below) and that they were, indeed, 400 meter runners. My first athlete sighting!
