You failed us Lance, you really did

                     What have you done to me Lance, what have you done to me? To yourself?  To your fans? And most of all, to the survivors? Do you realise what you have done? Of course I know you decided ‘enough is enough’. I know you don’t give a damn to those titles, but that doesn't mean you can do this – quit.

                    There can be only two things Lance: you genuinely decided that ‘Enough is Enough’ or you are a - I can’t even spell it out – a cheat. Either ways Lance, you have failed us. All of us.

                     Four years back, in an immaturely long blog, my first ever, I had written that you are the Greatest Sportsperson of All Time, in my opinion.

                     In my b-school interview, I quoted you as my role-model. The interviewer asked me why.

                     In my list of the best books I have read, I considered yours as one.

                     When Yuvraj Singh wanted to survive cancer, he looked up to you.

                     There are millions of cancer affected people around the world who want to do ‘an Armstrong’ – to survive.

                    Do you realise why all these happened? Because you never quit, Lance. You were a symbol of fight, spirit, endurance, survival and more. But now? You quit because you thought ‘enough is enough’? Didn’t you realise the responsibility you had? How would anyone motivate a cancer patient now? Won’t they tell that you quit? Didn’t you realise that you had a heritage to protect? I know that you felt happier when your first kid was born more than all the titles, but we needed your titles. We – me, your fans, people who quote you as
their role model, the survivors – all of us needed your titles to proudly proclaim that ‘Nothing is impossible.’

                      You failed us Lance.

                       I shudder to think of the other possibility, that you are a cheat. And I don’t want to, but if you are one of them, those that sold the integrity of sports, then you are a bigger disappointment.

                      Either ways, you failed us Lance, you really did.

Best Moments of the London Olympics

You know, we humans can never stop comparing, however absurd it may be. This, of course, happens in sports as well. Who is the Greatest Cricketer of all time? Bradman or Sachin? Or Worse, Who is the Greatest Olympian of all time? Phelps, Paavo Nurmi or Jesse Owens? More often than not, we do not end with an answer to these questions, but that never stops us from doing it. Because, things like these make life interesting. The fun is not in the verdict, but in the discussion.

Similar to these comparisons is this clichéd category of articles called, ”Top Ten Moments of the (Year, Century, Olympics, Elections, Life and what not).”  Cliched, but never ignored.

So, here is my list of Best Moments from the Olympics- not the best achievements, but the moments that made me feel so good.

In no particular order..

Michael Phelps – The Magnificent Farewell

            As Michael Phelps powered home the anchor leg of the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay, he did something he had never done before underwater during a race: He started smiling with about 20 meters left. He could not help himself. (Washington Post)

How does it feel to be the first ever medallist of a country?

           Just a lap away from the end. After one hour and 15 minutes of walking, you are 4^th, apprehensive if the country’s blank slate will continue to remain so. But if you are Erick Borrondo, you will get that last kick to hold your nerves, not lose hope and end with silver. He became the first ever medallist from Guatamela.

Inspiring

            This will be one of my most favourite moments. To see Tirunesh Dibaba just sprint away in her last lap of the 10000m race and win by a huge margin was the most inspiring moment of the London Olympics for me. Her last 2 laps would be in the top 20 timings for the 800m this year. Not for nothing is she known as the “Baby faced Assassin.”

Intimidating

            Sharapova, the World No 2, was playing an opponent, who just had recovered from a career threatening injury, and way below her ranking. But the scoreline read 0-6, 1-5 against her. Because, on the other side was Serena Williams, sending down an ace that would have made most male players proud. At one point, Serena had more aces than points won by Sharapova. This is what you call “Intimidating”.

The Curse of the 100m hurdles

Liu Xiang, the 2004 Athens champion, the most celebrated athlete of China, in his own turf, Beijing, had to pull out of the finals at the last moment, depriving us of what was expected to be a marquee race. Dayron Robles had hurdled to the Gold and a World Record. This London Olympic was supposed to be redemption time for him. But tragedy struck again as he fell down and injured himself in the first hurdle itself. The curse of the 100m hurdles was complete when Robles, the defending champion also hurt himself in the finals and lost. But heartrending it was when, Liu refused the wheelchair offered and walked through the 110m on one leg and supported by the winner of the race.

The most competitive event of the Games

            This is for the most passionate lovers of the Games. The top 5 women in the 200m were World Champions in 100, 200 and 400 metres in the recent past - Allyson Felix, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, Carmelita Jeter, Veronica Campbell and Sanya Richards Ross. It was so competitive that Sanya Richards said that she would not even run again among such great champions.

Jack of all trades but...

            Decathlon is one of the toughest events in the Olympics. While Bolt did his 7 races covering 1000m over a period of 8 days, this has 10 events happening in just 2 days. But this also means that they are not proficient in all of the events, while Bolt is, in his event. This led to quite a funny scenes, particularly in Pole Vault – jumping in a crazy style, in the opposite direction, falling face flat on the mat were some of the scenes witnessed.

What a moment!!!

            This is very difficult for me to explain. This picture tells the complete story. This is how Carmelita Jeter( My Darling) reacted when she realised she is going to set a WR in the 4*100m relay.

Who am I?

Guor Marial completed the Men’s marathon at 47^th position but still made headlines in atleast a dozen countries. Why? He ran away from his home in South Sudan to the US when he was 15, but he is not a US citizen yet. And South Sudan has still not been recognised by the Olympic committee. So he ran under the Olympic flag itself signalling hope to millions of people like him, His position in the race was never a matter of concern, wasn’t it?

Never again say “Dont cry like a girl”

            This has been a universal phenomenon in this Games – grown up men crying like babies. Two particular winners stand out – Mo Farah and Felix Sanchez. They just couldn’t stop crying on the podium.

                    I am still waiting for the day when I could be one among those 80000 cheering the most competitive race, a double amputee running, grown up men crying, a photo finish to a punishing triathlon or a injured athlete spiritedly finishing his race.