olympics 18 August 2008
I am trying my best not to get hooked on the Olympics. The best thing is not to switch the tv on during morning or afternoon hours otherwise a near fatal interest may be aroused and the day lost. Not that I have to do much in the way of admiring the Irish team – we’re having a fairly torrid time of it, barring a couple of boxers and a man who ran fast today but will be up against Bolt and Co from here on out. I did hear one wonderful woman runner on radio yesterday, however, and to me she embodied all that’s potentially wonderful about the meet. She was selected at the last moment to represent Ireland in the marathon and is a total amateur (as opposed to the professional ‘amateurs’ competing). She went to China at very short notice and completed the race and DID NOT COME LAST. She was overjoyed and said the experience, particularly entering the stadium itself, was beyond words. She kept saying ‘I feel like I’ve won the gold’.
