The Sexiest Olympian

And just like that, the Beijing Olympics 2008 are over. I thought of doing the usual roundup – Athlete of the Games, Moment of the Games, Loser of the Games. Instead, I decided to do the Sexiest Olympian. Immediately, all male athletes were out of contention. It’s not just about the looks. To be the ultimate Olympian turn-on, you must have a super body, and more importantly, have won a medal. The sexiest athlete for me at this games, given the above criteria – Russian Yelena Isinbayeva.
The title of her autobiography will be, ‘It’s not about the pole’.

Lezak can Phelp it

I saw all of Michael Phelps’ gold medal wins. Phelps needs to forever worship his teammate Jason Lezak. The crux of his winning eight gold medals was not he, himself, but, Lezak. Phelps’ dream would have ended on the second gold medal quest itself – the 4x100 team relay. On the last leg, freestyle, the US is trailing to Alain Bernard of France (a man who would later destroy the field in the 100 mts freestyle individual), and all hope was lost. Lezak, then swam what is for me the greatest comeback of these games. He won it for Phelps.

Pride and country

In a world of sport that is so commercialized and hype-driven; where globalization has doused the fire of nationalism, the Olympics bring tears of joy and relief. I cried as Tirunesh Dibaba ran a last lap that defied human limitation in the women’s 10,000 metres and as Shawn Johnson lost the gold in the gymnastics all-round to Nastia Liukin. These were superhero performances devoid of monetary gain, lucrative deals or sponsorship plans. They were for pride and country. Now, two of our boxers are one bout away, each, from a guaranteed medal. I’ll be happy to cry again.