Changing China

Blade Runner eyes triple gold and a crack at London 2012

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius has put the disappointment of not qualifying for the Beijing Olympics behind him and is confident of snaring three gold medals in the athletics at the Paralympics.

He is also looking forward to an attempt to make the next Olympics in London 2012.

The 21-year-old South African, dubbed the ‘Blade Runner’ because of the prosthetic legs that enable him to sprint, won a legal battle in May for the right to participate in the Olympics, only to then fail to meet the qualifying time.

“I didn’t make the Olympics this time, I’m hoping for the future,” he told me just ahead of the Paralympics.

Click here to read the full interview.

PHOTO: Pistorius runs the men’s 400 meters at the international EAA athletics meeting in Lucerne July 16, 2008. Needing a time of 45.55 seconds to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, Pistorius, 21, failed to qualify, finishing third with a personal best time of 46.25. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer

Snapshot Beijing, 7: Bolt breaks the unbreakable world record

My abiding memory from these Games  will be watching Usain Bolt give everything he had to break a world record most of us had thought unbreakable.

Michael Johnson’s time of 19.32 in the 200 metres had never been seriously challenged before the Jamaican sprinter, a headline writer’s dream, decided it was finally time to get down to some serious work.

Bolt had won the 100 metres, and broken the world record, with ridiculous ease on the Saturday to set the Games alight. He was running so well that he had time to ease up well before the line and still record a commanding win.

Wednesday was different. Again, he had the race won well before the line, thanks to a brilliant bend, but there was no question of him slacking off as he hurtled down the straight. I could see him grimacing with pain as he neared the finish line before looking over to check the time.

The clock stopped on 19.31 but times are often rounded up or rounded down and there was a second or two to wait before we would find out whether he had broken Johnson’s world record or merely equalled it.

Those seconds seemed a long time for me — heaven knows what Bolt must have been feeling — but eventually the time was rounded down to 19.30. It was an incredible achievement for the Jamaican and a memory I will treasure.

This is the seventh and last in our series of Beijing snapshots — moments from the Games that will live long in the memories of all who witnessed them.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 1: Matt Emmons, by Erik Kirschbaum here.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 2: Matthias Steiner, by Sophie Hardach here.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 3: Usain Bolt in the 100m, by Paul Majendie here.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 4: Matthew Mitcham, by Emma Graham-Harrison here.

Beijing 2008: Were these the best Games ever?

The Beijing Olympic Games closed on Sunday, as China passed on the flame to London.

Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch was in the habit of describing each Games as “the best ever”, with the notable exception of Atlanta in 1996.

His successor Jacques Rogge does not go in for such superlatives. He described Athens in 2004 as “unforgettable, dream Games” and on Sunday he pronounced the verdict on Beijing, saying they had provided “an exceptional Games”.

Perhaps that was a fitting phrase for an Olympics that began with an opening ceremony on an unparalleled scale and went on to provide highlights that will live on in the memory of all of us.

American swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals, with a little help from his friends on the relay team, to break the record of seven at a single Games, achieved by Mark Spitz in 1972. Usain Bolt took the breath from all of us in the Bird’s Nest stadium when he won the 100 and 200 metres, breaking the world record in each.

Matthias Steiner broke our hearts by offering up his weightlifting gold to the wife he lost in a car crash, while Matt Emmons made us all gasp when for the second Olympics in succession he blew a certain gold medal with a ridiculous mistake on his final shot.

Beijing podcast — day 16

Join us for the 16th and last podcast from the Beijing Olympics. We cast an eye back over the best moments of the Games, discuss Beijing’s world ranking and look ahead to quite a contrast with the next Olympics in London.

Julian Linden, Belinda Goldsmith, Nick Mulvenney and Robert F Woodward join me for the festivities. And Laura, that line at the start is really only a joke… 

Snapshot Beijing, 3: Usain Bolt’s victory in the 100m

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. I shall never forget sitting in the front row and watching Ben Johnson hurtling towards the finish line in the 100 metres and then raising his hand aloft in an almost contemptuous “I am Number One” gesture.

Twenty years later, sitting — lucky me — in the front row again, my indelible memory of the Beijing Games will always be that magical last 100 metres when Usain Bolt looked left and right, spread his arms wide and thumped his chest for sheer joy.

He was glorifying in his talent, treasuring a moment that he would relive for the rest of his life. So will I.  

Kevin Fylan adds: This is the third in our series of snapshots from the Beijing Games, where Reuters reporters give their thoughts on what it was like to be there at the key moments of the Olympics.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 1: Matt Emmons, by Erik Kirschbaum here.

Read Snapshot Beijing, 2: Matthias Steiner, by Sophie Hardach here.

More to follow over the course of the day.

PHOTO: Usain Bolt (L) of Jamaica celebrates winning the men’s 100m final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 16, 2008. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn

Kenya, Ethiopia reap rewards from hard work

Despite setbacks ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, Kenya will leave Beijing in glory after capturing 5 gold medals, 5 silvers and four bronze in distance running.

Kenya’s hope for an Olympic marathon medal were dealt a blow when Robert Cheruiyot pulled out due to injury and three-times London marathon winner Martin Lel’s training was affected by flu. But Sammy Wanjiru saved the day and brought the marathon gold medal, proof that distance running is Africa’s forte.

Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, collected four gold, one silver and 2 bronze medals, showing that poverty does not have to stand in the way of great sportsmanship. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele both cruised to victory for the 10,000 and 5,000 metres, the first time the double has been achieved since the 1980 Games.

Kenya’s assistant athletics coach put it down to dealing with hardships from a young age and altitude, which helps the athletes deal with hot conditions.

“Our athletes have to walk long distances from a very young age to go to school unlike those in developed countries, so they just get used to it quite early,” Peter Mathu told Reuters. “We are very good at long distance because of the hardships we face. Training at high altitudes has also helped.”

Kenya and Ethiopia’s Olympic success stems from focusing on what they do best and a strong culture of athletics. While other countries see sports as a diversion Mathu said they start identifying and nurturing talent from Primary school.

Kenya and Ethiopia’s victory contrasts the underperformance of bigger teams such as Nigeria and South Africa, the latter having some of the best developed facilities on the continent.

Beijing podcast — day 15

Join us on the penultimate podcast from the Games for a look at Argentina’s win in the football, mixed feelings for Jamaica in the 4x100m relays and the prospect of Pearly Kings and Queens taking over the Bird’s Nest stadium.

Paul Radford, Al Himmer, Robert Woodward, Julian Linden and Paul Majendie join me around the laptop. Sorry about the end-of-term feel.

Is this the most fun you can have on two legs?

Jamaica’s sprinters have pulled off a remarkable trick at the Beijing Games by making running look like the most enjoyable thing you can do standing up.

While speedsters from other nations have looked tense on the track at the Bird’s Nest, Usain Bolt and the women who swept the medals in the 100 metres have clearly been enjoying themselves.

Bolt in particular had the look about him of a Brazilian footballer in the 1970s, toying with the opposition, or West Indies cricketer Viv Richards clattering all comers around the ground.

Here’s what Tyson Gay said about Bolt’s 100m victory celebrations in an interview in Time magazine:

The guy is young. And he’s always joking, playing, never taking anything too seriously. You’ve gotta have fun. Obviously, people have just never seen anyone win by such a margin, or celebrate like that in the 100.

Who wouldn’t want to emulate runners like Bolt, whatever Jacques Rogge might think? We should therefore expect a whole new generation of Jamaican runners to come through. My colleague Simon Evans takes a closer look at that prospect here.

PHOTO: Usain Bolt celebrates winning the men’s 200m final, August 20, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Clean sweep in the sprints — it’s the Jamaica Olympics

Congratulations to Jamaica for completing a clean sweep in the men’s and women’s sprints at the Beijing Games on Thursday.

Veronica Campbell-Brown surged to 200 metres victory on Thursday, making it four golds from the four individual events and shutting out the U.S. for the first time since they boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

According to Kerron Stewart, who finished third in the 200m to win a bronze medal to add to the silver she claimed in the 100m, the Jamaicans are taking over.

“We’ve been saying it but I don’t think anyone’s been taking us seriously. I guess they are now,” said the 24-year-old. ”When you put Jamaicans in an environment like this, only good things will happen.

“I think as a team we’re dominating the sport. The Americans have dominated (in the past), but this Olympics has been a Jamaican Olympics.”

Usain Bolt, who turned 22 on Thursday, set the tone with victory in the 100m on Saturday and followed it up with a second gold and a second world record in the 200 on Wednesday.

Relay bad mistakes from United States, Britain

On another miserable day for Tyson Gay, the United States failed to make it to the final of the 4×100 metres relay after their latest case of baton bungling.

Britain, the defending Olympic champions, followed them out of the event when a messed up changeover led to their disqualification from a later heat.

The U.S. in particular have been plagued by problems in this area over recent Olympics. You could say they only have themselves to blame but it was impossible not to feel sorry for Gay.

It was his changeover with Darvis Patton that caused all the trouble and it means Gay, the triple world champion, will leave without a medal after failing to reach the 100 metres final, or even qualify to compete in Beijing in the 200.

His disappointment must have been immense but he showed great character in taking responsibility for the mix-up.

 ”The stick was in my hand,” he said. “I think I felt it hit my hand, but I don’t think it was in all the way before I grabbed. It’s probably my fault. I take the blame for it.”

Nigeria were also eliminated after dropping the baton in heat one, meaning all three the teams on the podium in Athens are out. The night got worse for the Americans when their women’s 4x100m team dropped the baton as well.