Was Usain Bolt’s theatrical exuberance before, during and after his 100 metres final appropriate for a man who gave a devastating performance that broke his own world record?
Or was it indulgent, inappropriate and over the top?
Do we want our sportspeople to be modest personalities whose performances do the talking?
Or is showboating and swagger part of the big game experience, key to both the entertainment we crave and the self-belief needed to win at the top level?
Sprinters are not known for being shy, retiring people but a touch of braggadocio is needed by people who explode in intense effort for a few seconds, adrenaline and energy coursing through them, and must then run off their brain-popping endorphins in victory laps or a disappointed jog to the dressing room.
Even so, Bolt’s dancing, gesturing, chest thumping and shoe kissing has divided opinion. Did he go too far?
Was it all a tease to excite us ahead of the 200 metres sprint, Bolt’s favourite race, which he is now hot favourite to win on Wednesday night? Or is the 21-year-old Jamaican such a brilliant athlete he is entitled to his histrionics and we owe it to him just to admire?
Some commentators felt he made a mockery of the race, literally and figuratively. Others chided him for clowning around. Egotistic, said one blogger. Disrepectful, said others. He missed an opportunity to truly devestate the world record by slowing up before the finish, said one fellow athlete.
Others made humorous lists about what Bolt could have done in the spare time he had at the end of his sprint. Text his agent, was the suggestion in one U.S. newspaper.
Charges of hubris come fastest when the celebrations start before the athlete is over the finish line. Is it more acceptable in endurance sports, where a competitor is clearly ahead, has already earned the victory and can be forgiven for wanting to amplify the moment of joy?
Triathlete Emma Snowsill had time to collect an Australian flag more than a 100 metres from the finish and drape herself in that and the finish line banner to celebrate her triumph in the Beijing women’s triathlon. But she was leading by more than a minute. Bolt was leading by two tenths of a second or so.
Despite Bolt’s outstanding form I will be watching the 200 metres carefully, mindful of the famous pratfalls of sport, where a competitor has their arms raised in triumph, medal in the bag, only for a rival to sweep past them at the end.
I was reminded of snowboarder Lindsay Jacobellis who was set for gold in the Turin Olympics. She tried to show off on a jump and crashed out of first place. I hope the laidback Jamaican looks carefully over his shoulder.
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come on stop hating…. if he was a white kid somersaulting would this arrticle be written…. it seems to me that those left behind our backs always got something to say about us…….. as far as im concerned he coulda done the butterfly.he deserved it…… and he also deseved to finish the race anyhow he saw fit…. cha man.. just be happy fo a brother
- Posted by susanLet the kid dance!
- Posted by Enthusiast“Triathlete Emma Snowsill had time to collect an Australian flag more than a 100 metres from the finish and drape herself in that and the finish line banner to celebrate her triumph in the Beijing women’s triathlon. But she was leading by more than a minute. Bolt was leading by two tenths of a second or so.”
What kind of crock is this? So if Usain was leading by a second or two are you claiming you wouldn’t have a problem? But because he was only leading for .20 sec you do. In other words if Bolt had given them even a worse beating he would have been entitled to celebrate. So here we see the glaring contradiction demonstrated by the press. Can’t you see the rubbish you engage in when you attempt to distinguish? The fact is since you are recognizing that many athletes do in fact enjoy their victory now and in the past you are seeking to find differences to justify your criticism of Bolt and you end up looking silly. Believe me Sir, like Snowsill when Usain started to celebrate he had already earned his victory and you would have noted in the 200 he could have somersaulted, called his mother, father, girlfriend ate a meal of yam, green bananas and ackee and saltfish washed down by some Milo and he still would have won given the brutal ass kicking acknowledged by his competitor Kim Collins. No need to look over his shoulder.
No one had a problem with this Australian woman and rightly so but Usain with his pure unadulterated joy has to take licks. It really begs the question, what is at work here? I wonder if it were an Australian aborigine if the press would have analyzed it differently.
Incredibly Usain has continued to shine, oblivious to the nonsensical utterances of the ignorant. I love his trademark pose. To the Worl’!!!!!!
- Posted by Dee[...] have discussed on the blog the rights and wrongs of the Jamaican’s “premature” celebrations as he crossed the line in the 100 [...]
- Posted by 2008 Olympics Blog » Blog Archive » Criticism of Bolt is hard to fathomThe metamorphosis of usain Bolt is complete. Today, we honour a giant among men.. a god no less. If you thought the 100m world record performance of Usain Bolt earlier in the week was super-human, we wonder what you’d say if you’d watched the 200m. It was a revelation. The sort that the gods deem us fit to behold once in an age. “Extraordinary”, “surreal”, other-worldly”"… those are the words that best describe the experience of the grace that this god has bestowed on us.How then can mere mortal sit idly by talking about showboating when we have a god amongst us!
- Posted by KritzmoritzThe writers of the criticisms of young Usain Bolt should really, really stop hating!! Bolt is young, gifted and Jamaican … Jamaicans are not like anyone else in the world …we are different, we are special and we do our own thing. Notice that he is not sticking his tongue out and menacing his opponents like Maurice Greene; nor tearing his shirt like countless other American athletes … he is just being a young Jamaican man!! Dancing, clowning around and not behaving as though he is carrying the cure for cancer in his running shoes .. he is having fun.
He is a great young man … a wonderful, free spirit .. and we love him … the rest of you as we say here in Jamaica …”just hug it up!”
You cannot stop this bolt of lightening!
- Posted by Carmen ClarkeThe position Bolt was in when he started celebrating was equivalent to the minute lead that Triathlete Emma Snowsill had when she started celebrating. It actually would probably convert to more than a minute.
- Posted by A NavaThe Bolt of lightening struck again (Who says lightening does not strike the same place twic?) and this time there can be no accusations of disrespect to the sports. In fact it was a total demolishion of the 200m World Record held, by the distinguished American Michael Johnson. Gold number three in the 4 X 100m. Big up Jamaica again Mr Bolt!
- Posted by Bill Graham[...] More on Usain Bolt’s celebration following his gold medal performance. Usain Bolt Celebrates Victory [...]
- Posted by Usain Bolt - World’s fastest man and showman to boot?! « I need a job…. too bad I can’t swim foreverEveryone needs to stop hating!
The biggest showboaters in track & field has always been the US Team. Come on people, think back to the last three olympics and it became so bad, most of you looked away in disgust at the way they behaved.
Track is known for showboaters, you’re all just mad now because it’s not the US doing it.
He’s 21 years old and acted like one. With his in-experience he doesn’t care about records yet, he just wants to win, and he did.
Get over it and move on.
- Posted by feeUsain did it…and I say to my other Jamaican athletes…do it too… Celebrate as much as you want…you deserve it and once you do not cross the line in your celebration, which I don’t think Bolt did, don’t change no course…FULL speed ahead! To the worl’
- Posted by SajouneI think athletes are allowed to be human and even over the top in celebrating their victories… I, ANOTHER PROUD JAMAICAN, salute Usain Bolt’s phenomenal performance and wish him all the best!!
- Posted by Ruthibelle