I was never supposed to be at this athletics session. I was supposed to be watching it at home on tv with the rest of my family. But because my brother and I are both so sports obsessed, we had spent pretty much every spare minute online during the first week of the Olympics trying to get more tickets to the Olympics. And it worked!
Women’s pole vault final
Medal results
Gold: Jen Suhr, USA
Silver: Yarisely Silva, Cuba
Bronze: Elena Isinbaeva, Russia
Women’s shot put final
Since I’m actually writing this post a full week after watching the women’s shot put final, I know that the final results of the night have since changed. A Belarusian had the longest throw of the night, a massive 21.76 meters, which defending gold medalist Valerie Adams of New Zealand could not match. Gold went to the Belarusian, silver to Adams of New Zealand, and bronze to Evgeniia Kolodko of Russia. But around the time of the closing ceremony, the Belarusian was stripped of her medal once it was discovered her A and B urine samples from both before and immediately after her event tested positive for the steroid metenolone (both Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez tested positive for this same steroid on the early 2000s).
I’m glad that a cheater has been caught, but I’m sorry that Adams didn’t get to hear her national anthem played or see her flag raised or experience the joy and relief at defending her gold medal from Beijing. I’m guessing that Gong of China, who has since been promoted from fourth place to bronze, is disappointed she didn’t get the opportunity to stand on the medal winners’ podium and receive the acknowledgment she was due.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who competed–cleanly.
Medal results
Gold: Valerie Adams, New Zealand
Silver: Evgeniia Kolodko, Russia
Bronze: Lijiao Gong, China
Women’s 200 meter, round 1
After six heats, twenty four women earned the right to advance to the semi finals on the following night. Favorite Alison Felix (below, waving) of the USA looked relaxed and confident as she comfortably won her heat.
Women’s 400 meter hurdles semi final
By now you should know that I’m a big fan of jumping over things, so I loved watching the three heats produce eight women who would compete for the gold medal in two nights’ time.
Men’s 400 meter hurdles final
Remember how I started off this post by saying I wasn’t supposed to have been at this session? The men’s 400 meter hurdles final was the event I was most excited about. The sentimentalist in me wanted to see defending gold medalist Angelo Taylor of the USA become the first man to win three times while my inner Dominican (after working with so many immigrants from the Dominican Republic in New York City, having so many Dominican friends, and having traveled to the island, I can’t help but feel una poquita Dominicana) was rooting for Athens gold medalist and aging Felix Sanchez.
I was so anxious watching the athletes settle into their starting blocks that it was a relief to hear the bang of the starter’s pistol. I was up on my feet, yelling and cheering the whole way (including screaming a few choice words in Dominican Spanish…).
Forty seven seconds later, Sanchez had won and Taylor crossed the line in fifth place. Taylor was shattered, he lay on the track in misery for the longest time and it broke my heart.
Meanwhile, Sanchez was wiping his tears on the Dominican flag. I later learned he had won the race for his late grandma who had raised him and had died the morning of the preliminary heats for the 400 meter hurdles during the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Sanchez had been so devestated that he ran poorly and failed to advance but he promised himself he’d win a gold medal for her before he retired. Today he had a picture of his grandmother pinned to the inside of his race number to keep her close by.
As luck would have it, I was in the first row of the second level and in a relatively quiet section, so when Sanchez came my way, I took a deep breath and yelled as loud as I could, “FELICITACIONES, SANCHEZ!” I caught this picture just as he was looking up to acknowledge me.
Later in the evening when Sanchez stood on the podium with his medal around his neck and watching the Dominican flag being raised, he absolutely lost it. He sobbed and bawled through his entire national anthem: shaking shoulders, weak knees, wiping his nose, the whole nine yards. I still felt disappointment for Taylor but I’m glad Sanchez, for whom the gold medal obviously meant so much, had won.
Medal results
Gold: Felix Sanchez, Dominican Republic
Silver: Michael Tinsley, USA
Bronze: Javier Culson, Puerto Rico
Women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase final
I was thrilled to have the perfect view of one of the jumps! Zaripova of Russia set a new personal best to win gold and Ghribi of Tunisia set a new national record to win silver. One of Ghribi’s supporters was so excited that she tried to go on the field and celebrate with Ghribi but security tackled her back to the coaches’ section before she had even taken half a step!
Medal results
Gold: Yuliya Zaripova, Russia
Silver: Habiba Ghribi, Tunisia
Bronze: Sofia Assefa, Ethiopia
Men’s 400 meter final
At the start of the Olympics, I found a list of countries participating in the Olympics that had never won a single medal. Thanks to Kirani James and his victory in the men’s 400 meters, Grenada is now off of that list! The prime minister declared the next day a half day so citizens could celebrate and Grenada became the country with the most medals per capita (1 per 100,000). James also shook hands with everyone of his competitors before he started to celebrate his gold medal. The previous day, James, who won his heat, waited for the last man in his heat to cross the finish line: Oscar Pistorius. James asked Pistorius if they could trade name bibs because Pistorius, and all he had already achieved running on his artificial blade legs, was an inspiration to him. James has to be the classiest nineteen year old around.
Santos of the Dominican Republic was obviously happy with his silver medal but, after Sanchez had just won the gold forty five minutes prior, there were no more big Dominican flags to go around! The poor guy took his victory lap with a dinky little hand held flag!
Medal results
Gold: Kirani James, Grenada
Silver: Laguelin Santos, Dominican Republic
Bronze: Lalonde Gordon, Trinidad & Tobago
You know how I said that Poland’s fans were all decked out in Polish gear at the men’s volleyball match in the morning…I saw this same guy three times in one day at two different venues across town!
And to think, I wasn’t even supposed to have been at this athletics session.