Maybe it's as simple as the difference between hello and goodbye.
But the emotions inside churn so differently when one watches an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony at the Olympic Games. And it doesn't seem to matter where they're held.
The opening is filled with grandeur and hope and wonder about the magic to come. The closing, at least in these eyes, rings with a bit of sadness for the end of something special but mixed with memories that figure to endure for many years afterward.
Ask the athletes and most will place the opening ceremony near the top of their personal Olympic highlight reel (assuming they were a part of it). The closing? That's a well-deserved party after so many weeks and months of sacrifice leading up to this moment.
For many of them, Olympic withdrawal figures to last for a little while yet.
"You've been to Disneyland for a month," Canadian gymnast Kyle Shewfelt told the CBC's Mark Kelley in an interesting 'what's next' feature earlier tonight. "Then you get home and there's no more Mickey Mouse."
Memories? We've had a few. No doubt we won't soon forget the performances of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, the two undisputed biggest stars of Beijing 2008. Canadians will embrace their 18 Olympic medallists, most notably the golden men's rowing eights, wrestler Carol Huynh (a genuine, lovable champ) and equestrian Eric Lamaze, whose incredible tale of redemption figures to be movie material soon enough.
Mostly, though, these Games were about China, a historically reclusive nation that has now officially opened its doors to the world. We read and heard many tales of the friendliness of the people in the host country and if this is China's true face, then the rest of the world is better off today for being introduced to it.
Here's hoping that the rest of the world has made an impression on China, too, and that these Olympics will be a springboard to a better, harmonious future for us all (a naive thought, yes, but it's always nice to dream).
For the first time in Olympic history, China topped the gold-medal list at the Summer Olympics. It is a rather safe bet that this is just the beginning of their dominance.
Now, though, another emotion: Excitement. The next Olympics are ours, the Winter Games of 2010 in Vancouver-Whistler. Yes, the summer torch was officially passed to London 2012 at tonight's closing. But before then, in less than 18 months, the flame will be lit one more time in one of the planet's most beautiful cities. It should be a source of great Canadian pride.
Don't know about you, but I can't wait to welcome the rest of the world to the place we call home.
This blog takes a well-deserved rest for a bit, and thanks to any and all who joined us for the ride. But we'll be with you on the road to Vancouver every now and then. Tag along with us on the way there, won't you?
Showing posts with label Beijing 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beijing 2008. Show all posts
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Torch Is Passed
Au revoir, CBC. Bonjour TSN, Rogers Sportsnet and CTV.
Tucked among the many retrospectives aired tonight during CBC's final telecast from the Beijing Games was a tribute to CBC's Olympic coverage over the years. With images from Tokyo 1964 all the way to this week, it almost played like a farewell concerto.
As most of you no doubt know, CBC's grip on Olympic rights ended this evening. When the five-ring circus opens for business again in less than 18 months — yes, Vancouver, that's how close the 2010 Winter Games are now — you'll see broadcast coverage presented by a CTV Globemedia/Rogers consortium that most prominently features TSN, CTV and Sportsnet. They'll be back two years later to do it all over again in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
We've said it before but it bears repeating once more. While many across our land have lobbed bombs (and justifiably so, at times) in the CBC's direction for some of its bungles in recent years, its Olympic work is generally worthy of our acclaim. They took it to a new level in Beijing, presenting the first full high-definition Games and offering Canadians a wealth of viewing options online.
Tonight's tribute video featured a number of CBC voices we've come to know so well over the years including, interestingly enough, Brian Williams and Chris Cuthbert, now CBC alumni who will be back on the Olympic job in Vancouver. Maybe their appearance was a subtle way of passing the broadcast torch to their competition.
Beijing 2008 introduced us to some new Olympic TV faces, including Diana Swain and Ian Hanomansing — two anchors brought over from CBC's news side who acquitted themselves admirably. It'll be interesting to see if some of the CBC talent, both new and old, employed at the Olympics over the years might find a home with the other guys from now on.
The word is CBC intends to push hard to regain Olympic rights in 2014, the next Games still available (in Sochi, Russia). If Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Olympics, those broadcast rights figure to become much more pricey.
That's a story that still remains to be told. For the CBC, though, it's farewell to the Games.
We'll see soon enough how much they'll be missed. And if and when they'll be back.
Tucked among the many retrospectives aired tonight during CBC's final telecast from the Beijing Games was a tribute to CBC's Olympic coverage over the years. With images from Tokyo 1964 all the way to this week, it almost played like a farewell concerto.
As most of you no doubt know, CBC's grip on Olympic rights ended this evening. When the five-ring circus opens for business again in less than 18 months — yes, Vancouver, that's how close the 2010 Winter Games are now — you'll see broadcast coverage presented by a CTV Globemedia/Rogers consortium that most prominently features TSN, CTV and Sportsnet. They'll be back two years later to do it all over again in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
We've said it before but it bears repeating once more. While many across our land have lobbed bombs (and justifiably so, at times) in the CBC's direction for some of its bungles in recent years, its Olympic work is generally worthy of our acclaim. They took it to a new level in Beijing, presenting the first full high-definition Games and offering Canadians a wealth of viewing options online.
Tonight's tribute video featured a number of CBC voices we've come to know so well over the years including, interestingly enough, Brian Williams and Chris Cuthbert, now CBC alumni who will be back on the Olympic job in Vancouver. Maybe their appearance was a subtle way of passing the broadcast torch to their competition.
Beijing 2008 introduced us to some new Olympic TV faces, including Diana Swain and Ian Hanomansing — two anchors brought over from CBC's news side who acquitted themselves admirably. It'll be interesting to see if some of the CBC talent, both new and old, employed at the Olympics over the years might find a home with the other guys from now on.
The word is CBC intends to push hard to regain Olympic rights in 2014, the next Games still available (in Sochi, Russia). If Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Olympics, those broadcast rights figure to become much more pricey.
That's a story that still remains to be told. For the CBC, though, it's farewell to the Games.
We'll see soon enough how much they'll be missed. And if and when they'll be back.
Beijing Blows 'Em All Away
With one day to spare, the Beijing Olympics have become the most-watched event in American television history.
NBC Universal reports its total audience for these Games hit 211 million through Saturday, pushing it past Atlanta 1996 as the all-time leader for Olympic viewership south of the border. The aggregate number 12 years ago was 209 million for 17 days. Beijing's total has yet to include today's programming, which included the men's basketball final and the closing ceremony.
Perhaps even more impressive: 86% of U.S. households tuned in to at least some part of Beijing 2008.
Audiences got a huge boost in the opening week of the Games, when American swimmer Michael Phelps made his historic charge to an unprecedented eight gold medals in a single Olympics. NBC Universal also spread its coverage over nine networks, with its cable outlets combining for a record 86 million viewers.
While Winter Olympics ratings tend to be stronger in Canada, the opposite is true for a neighbouring country that is traditionally a Summer Games powerhouse. Four of the five most-watched Olympics ever in the U.S. were summer affairs, with Lillehammer 1994 (carried by CBS) the lone exception. We don't need to get into why.
NBC Universal reports its total audience for these Games hit 211 million through Saturday, pushing it past Atlanta 1996 as the all-time leader for Olympic viewership south of the border. The aggregate number 12 years ago was 209 million for 17 days. Beijing's total has yet to include today's programming, which included the men's basketball final and the closing ceremony.
Perhaps even more impressive: 86% of U.S. households tuned in to at least some part of Beijing 2008.
Audiences got a huge boost in the opening week of the Games, when American swimmer Michael Phelps made his historic charge to an unprecedented eight gold medals in a single Olympics. NBC Universal also spread its coverage over nine networks, with its cable outlets combining for a record 86 million viewers.
While Winter Olympics ratings tend to be stronger in Canada, the opposite is true for a neighbouring country that is traditionally a Summer Games powerhouse. Four of the five most-watched Olympics ever in the U.S. were summer affairs, with Lillehammer 1994 (carried by CBS) the lone exception. We don't need to get into why.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Finish Line Clearly In Sight
It is the most traditional of Olympic events and, in recent years, has come to symbolize the five-ring circus is about to pack up and move on to the next big stop.
Men's marathon time means it's definitely almost closing time for the Beijing Olympics, with the closing ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium now less than 10 hours away. Sure, there's still a basketball gold to be decided (which matters a great deal, I suppose, to the country to the south of us) and some boxing finals to be held (talk about a sport that's flown right under the radar in these parts, which might be expected when you send a one-man team to the Games).
But really, once the marathon is over, you know the extinguishing of the flame isn't too far away.
What a historic run it was. Hard to believe that, until tonight, Kenya — the nation which has been a long-distance terror at the Olympics for 40 years, going back to the legendary Kip Keino in Mexico City — had never produced a marathon winner.
Consider that little blip on the Kenyan radar erased after Sammy Wansiru's sizzling 2:06:32 run on an oppressively hot Beijing day. The 21-year-old ran the fastest marathon in Olympic history, blowing away the previous best by nearly three minutes (the old standard, set by Portugal's Carlos Lopes, had stood up since 1984).
For the second straight Games, Canada had no entrant in the event. Kenya, meanwhile, had literally hundreds of prospects to choose from for its Olympic roster. Mark Lee, CBC's voice at the track, pointed out that in that African nation, "more than 500 (athletes) have run a 2:20 marathon. In Canada, we have two."
"It is a mind-boggling depth and strength," added CBC analyst Dave Moorcroft.
*****
Wouldn't be nice if all athletes shared their stories as honestly as Adam van Koeverden?
The Canadian paddler, who was stunned by an eighth-place finish in the K-1 1,000-metre final on Friday, battled back for a silver medal earlier today in the 500 — the distance at which he struck gold four years ago in Athens.
After the race, Van Koeverden bluntly admitted his confidence needed a serious rebuild after the crushing result in the 1,000. It was a sentiment he repeated once more during a studio interview with CBC's Scott Russell on Olympic Prime, saying that he was "still worrying and terrified" about an hour before the 500-metre final.
"That self-doubt was definitely there and very prominent for the last 24 hours," said Van Koeverden, one of the most insightful athletes you'll ever meet. "That's the story of my Olympics, coming back from something as devastating as that."
Men's marathon time means it's definitely almost closing time for the Beijing Olympics, with the closing ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium now less than 10 hours away. Sure, there's still a basketball gold to be decided (which matters a great deal, I suppose, to the country to the south of us) and some boxing finals to be held (talk about a sport that's flown right under the radar in these parts, which might be expected when you send a one-man team to the Games).
But really, once the marathon is over, you know the extinguishing of the flame isn't too far away.
What a historic run it was. Hard to believe that, until tonight, Kenya — the nation which has been a long-distance terror at the Olympics for 40 years, going back to the legendary Kip Keino in Mexico City — had never produced a marathon winner.
Consider that little blip on the Kenyan radar erased after Sammy Wansiru's sizzling 2:06:32 run on an oppressively hot Beijing day. The 21-year-old ran the fastest marathon in Olympic history, blowing away the previous best by nearly three minutes (the old standard, set by Portugal's Carlos Lopes, had stood up since 1984).
For the second straight Games, Canada had no entrant in the event. Kenya, meanwhile, had literally hundreds of prospects to choose from for its Olympic roster. Mark Lee, CBC's voice at the track, pointed out that in that African nation, "more than 500 (athletes) have run a 2:20 marathon. In Canada, we have two."
"It is a mind-boggling depth and strength," added CBC analyst Dave Moorcroft.
*****
Wouldn't be nice if all athletes shared their stories as honestly as Adam van Koeverden?
The Canadian paddler, who was stunned by an eighth-place finish in the K-1 1,000-metre final on Friday, battled back for a silver medal earlier today in the 500 — the distance at which he struck gold four years ago in Athens.
After the race, Van Koeverden bluntly admitted his confidence needed a serious rebuild after the crushing result in the 1,000. It was a sentiment he repeated once more during a studio interview with CBC's Scott Russell on Olympic Prime, saying that he was "still worrying and terrified" about an hour before the 500-metre final.
"That self-doubt was definitely there and very prominent for the last 24 hours," said Van Koeverden, one of the most insightful athletes you'll ever meet. "That's the story of my Olympics, coming back from something as devastating as that."
It's All About The Spin
When kayaker Adam van Koeverden emerged from the K-1 500 metre final with a silver medal early this morning at the Shunyi canoe/kayak venue, it signalled the final podium trip for a Canadian at the Beijing Olympics.
(although Gary Reed gave it his best shot in the 800 metres on the track at the Bird's Nest stadium, with the reigning world silver medallist finishing an agonizing fourth).
So the final medal count for Canada reads like this: Three gold, nine silver, six bronze. A grand total of 18, which rates six better than Athens 2004 and matches the second-best total ever for Canada at a non-boycotted Summer Olympics. We brought home the same number of medals from Barcelona in 1992; the number grew to 22 four years later in Atlanta.
Sports Illustrated predicted 15 Canadian medals at these Games. The majority of pundits probably weren't willing to go beyond that, given what transpired in Athens four years ago.
Were these Games a success for Canada? Based on the improvement over Athens, you'd have to give our gang in China a passing grade. Especially given the fact that the majority of amateur sport funding is being directed to winter athletes at the moment, with our country mere hours away from being officially on deck for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The stated goal before Beijing 2008, according the Canadian Olympic Committee, was a top-16 finish in the medal standings. If one goes by the total medal count — and, as we've said here earlier, it should be that way — then the COC can boast about a tie for 13th with Belarus. The official Beijing Games site, though, ranks countries by golds won, which drops us down to a tie for 19th, and outside of the COC's target.
A successful Summer Olympics or not? We'll be interested to see how the powers-that-be in Canada spin this one.
(although Gary Reed gave it his best shot in the 800 metres on the track at the Bird's Nest stadium, with the reigning world silver medallist finishing an agonizing fourth).
So the final medal count for Canada reads like this: Three gold, nine silver, six bronze. A grand total of 18, which rates six better than Athens 2004 and matches the second-best total ever for Canada at a non-boycotted Summer Olympics. We brought home the same number of medals from Barcelona in 1992; the number grew to 22 four years later in Atlanta.
Sports Illustrated predicted 15 Canadian medals at these Games. The majority of pundits probably weren't willing to go beyond that, given what transpired in Athens four years ago.
Were these Games a success for Canada? Based on the improvement over Athens, you'd have to give our gang in China a passing grade. Especially given the fact that the majority of amateur sport funding is being directed to winter athletes at the moment, with our country mere hours away from being officially on deck for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The stated goal before Beijing 2008, according the Canadian Olympic Committee, was a top-16 finish in the medal standings. If one goes by the total medal count — and, as we've said here earlier, it should be that way — then the COC can boast about a tie for 13th with Belarus. The official Beijing Games site, though, ranks countries by golds won, which drops us down to a tie for 19th, and outside of the COC's target.
A successful Summer Olympics or not? We'll be interested to see how the powers-that-be in Canada spin this one.
Friday, August 22, 2008
CBC's Run Almost Done
You've no doubt heard it said plenty over the past dozen years or so.
"CBC Sports. Canada's Olympic Network."
In less than 48 hours, the folks who run the Mother Corp. will have to retire that moniker for at least another six years. When the flame goes out in Beijing on Sunday, it's curtains for CBC's run as the Olympic broadcaster of record in Canada.
The world's athletes next gather in two years time in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games and we'll see coverage presented by a CTV Globemedia/Rogers Communications consortium that will put the Olympics primarily on TSN, Sportsnet and CTV. They'll have a second go at it again in 2012 for the London Summer Olympics.
CBC has avoided — so far, at least — getting all sentimental about the fact that they're losing the grip on Canadian Olympic broadcast rights that they've held since 1996 in Atlanta. Beijing 2008 marks the end of a five-Games partnership with TSN that has supplied Canadians with comprehensive Olympic coverage (further enhanced this year with hundreds of hours of online broadcasts).
Sunday at 6 p.m., CBC begins its Beijing swan song and it intends to include a retrospective of its Olympic coverage over the past 12 years. To hear the higher-ups there tell it, though, the public broadcaster intends to push hard to get back into the Olympic game in 2014 (there's a strong belief that its just-approved digital channel, CBC Sports Plus, will be a key weapon in a future bid to combat the CTV/Rogers group).
But that's for another day. If you're a fan of the way CBC presents Olympics (and there is a lot to like about their live-emphasis programming), enjoy what's left of Beijing. It'll going to be a little while before we see the likes of it again.
"CBC Sports. Canada's Olympic Network."
In less than 48 hours, the folks who run the Mother Corp. will have to retire that moniker for at least another six years. When the flame goes out in Beijing on Sunday, it's curtains for CBC's run as the Olympic broadcaster of record in Canada.
The world's athletes next gather in two years time in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games and we'll see coverage presented by a CTV Globemedia/Rogers Communications consortium that will put the Olympics primarily on TSN, Sportsnet and CTV. They'll have a second go at it again in 2012 for the London Summer Olympics.
CBC has avoided — so far, at least — getting all sentimental about the fact that they're losing the grip on Canadian Olympic broadcast rights that they've held since 1996 in Atlanta. Beijing 2008 marks the end of a five-Games partnership with TSN that has supplied Canadians with comprehensive Olympic coverage (further enhanced this year with hundreds of hours of online broadcasts).
Sunday at 6 p.m., CBC begins its Beijing swan song and it intends to include a retrospective of its Olympic coverage over the past 12 years. To hear the higher-ups there tell it, though, the public broadcaster intends to push hard to get back into the Olympic game in 2014 (there's a strong belief that its just-approved digital channel, CBC Sports Plus, will be a key weapon in a future bid to combat the CTV/Rogers group).
But that's for another day. If you're a fan of the way CBC presents Olympics (and there is a lot to like about their live-emphasis programming), enjoy what's left of Beijing. It'll going to be a little while before we see the likes of it again.
You Just Never Know
So you woke up this morning and heard Canada won a medal in canoe/kayak events.
Hell of a guy, that Adam van Koeverden, you no doubt thought. Soon enough, though, you realized you'd thought wrong. Very, very wrong.
While van Koeverden — considered the surest of shots among the Canadian contingent at the Beijing Games — faded badly to a shocking eighth-place finish in the men's K-1 1,000-metre final, it was the much more unheralded Thomas Hall driving to a bronze medal in the C-1 1,000 at the Shunyi Olympic venue.
There, in a nutshell, is what you typically find at an Olympic Games, especially when it comes to Canadian results. For every van Koeverden or Brent Hayden who doesn't quite match high pre-games expectations, you'll also find a Carol Huynh or Ryan Cochrane or Priscilla Lopes-Schliep who produces an unexpected trip to the podium.
"Some people can handle (the Olympic pressure) and some can't," Hall would later tell CBC's Scott Russell on Olympic Prime. "Some people can bring their 'A' game when it counts. The Olympics only happens once every four years. It's a big deal and there's lots of stress."
Add it all up, and Canada generally winds up about where you'd expect at the end of the day. We sit on 17 medals with one full competition day left in Beijing, one shy of matching Barcelona 1992 as the second most successful Summer Olympics for a Canadian team at a non-boycotted Games (only Atlanta 1996, with 22, ranks higher).
Van Koeverden might yet contribute to that total. He's back on the water at Shunyi at 3:30 a.m. ET, gunning to defend his Olympic crown in the K-1 500 metres. He was as stunned as everyone watching about what happened in the 1,000, a race in which he won the silver medal four years ago in Athens.
"I just didn't have it," van Koeverden told CBC's Karin Larsen after the race. "It's a hell of a time not to have it. It's the worst 1,000 metres I have put together in years."
He's hardly alone. The sprint relays were littered with disaster, with both the U.S. men's and women's teams disqualified in the heats because of botched exchanges. The same fate awaited a heavily favoured Jamaican team in the women's final.
All of which goes to show that at the Olympics, you just never know. It's a whole different Games.
*****
It didn't take long for the so-called "Canadian flagbearer jinx" to be trumpeted by the media in the wake of van Koeverden's finish this morning. In the last five Summer Games, only kayaker Caroline Brunet (silver at Sydney 2000) was able to climb on to the Olympic podium.
Van Koeverden, of course, isn't done yet in Beijing. And it's worth noting that in 1984 and 1988, Alex Baumann (Los Angeles) and Carolyn Waldo (Seoul) both struck gold.
We're sure the latter two didn't believe there was any sort of hex attached to the red maple leaf. Confident guy that he is, van Koeverden likely doesn't subscribe to such thinking, either.
Hell of a guy, that Adam van Koeverden, you no doubt thought. Soon enough, though, you realized you'd thought wrong. Very, very wrong.
While van Koeverden — considered the surest of shots among the Canadian contingent at the Beijing Games — faded badly to a shocking eighth-place finish in the men's K-1 1,000-metre final, it was the much more unheralded Thomas Hall driving to a bronze medal in the C-1 1,000 at the Shunyi Olympic venue.
There, in a nutshell, is what you typically find at an Olympic Games, especially when it comes to Canadian results. For every van Koeverden or Brent Hayden who doesn't quite match high pre-games expectations, you'll also find a Carol Huynh or Ryan Cochrane or Priscilla Lopes-Schliep who produces an unexpected trip to the podium.
"Some people can handle (the Olympic pressure) and some can't," Hall would later tell CBC's Scott Russell on Olympic Prime. "Some people can bring their 'A' game when it counts. The Olympics only happens once every four years. It's a big deal and there's lots of stress."
Add it all up, and Canada generally winds up about where you'd expect at the end of the day. We sit on 17 medals with one full competition day left in Beijing, one shy of matching Barcelona 1992 as the second most successful Summer Olympics for a Canadian team at a non-boycotted Games (only Atlanta 1996, with 22, ranks higher).
Van Koeverden might yet contribute to that total. He's back on the water at Shunyi at 3:30 a.m. ET, gunning to defend his Olympic crown in the K-1 500 metres. He was as stunned as everyone watching about what happened in the 1,000, a race in which he won the silver medal four years ago in Athens.
"I just didn't have it," van Koeverden told CBC's Karin Larsen after the race. "It's a hell of a time not to have it. It's the worst 1,000 metres I have put together in years."
He's hardly alone. The sprint relays were littered with disaster, with both the U.S. men's and women's teams disqualified in the heats because of botched exchanges. The same fate awaited a heavily favoured Jamaican team in the women's final.
All of which goes to show that at the Olympics, you just never know. It's a whole different Games.
*****
It didn't take long for the so-called "Canadian flagbearer jinx" to be trumpeted by the media in the wake of van Koeverden's finish this morning. In the last five Summer Games, only kayaker Caroline Brunet (silver at Sydney 2000) was able to climb on to the Olympic podium.
Van Koeverden, of course, isn't done yet in Beijing. And it's worth noting that in 1984 and 1988, Alex Baumann (Los Angeles) and Carolyn Waldo (Seoul) both struck gold.
We're sure the latter two didn't believe there was any sort of hex attached to the red maple leaf. Confident guy that he is, van Koeverden likely doesn't subscribe to such thinking, either.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
NBC Makes Another Splash
What can Michael Phelps do for you?
Ask the sport of swimming, which suddenly has an unprecedented television contract from NBC — thanks in great part, no doubt, by the massive ratings surge generated by Phelps' march to a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
The Peacock Network announced earlier today it has inked a deal for coverage of the 2009 world aquatic championships in Rome (which are sure to include Phelps), as well as the next three U.S. swimming nationals. NBC's coverage in Rome includes two weekends, along with mid-week airtime on the new Universal Sports digital channel.
"The whole world watched as Michael Phelps took his sport to a new level and introduced a generation of fans to swimming through his extraordinary achievements," Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics, said in a statement. "His accomplishments transcend sports and, are in fact, a cultural phenomenon. We're greatly looking forward to following the next chapter in his career."
*****
And then there was one ...
NBC Universal's total Olympic audience hit the 206 million mark through 13 days, surpassing the overall number for Lillehammer 1994 — the most-watched Winter Olympics in U.S. television history (thanks to that Tonya and Nancy nonsense) with 204 million viewers over 16 days.
By the time the sun rises, Beijing 2008 should surpass the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, which attracted total viewership of 209 million for 17 days, as the most-watched even in American television history.
NBCOlympics.com, meanwhile, has now attracted more than one billion page views.
*****
CBC Newsworld's Claire Martin, whose reports on the temperamental weather in Beijing have become a regular feature on CBC Olympic broadcasts, earned special marks in this corner with this line. Asked about race walking by Olympic Prime anchor Scott Russell, Martin said "that looks like a sport invented by Monty Python."
Spoken like a true devotee of the Ministry of Silly Walks, I'd say.
*****
Will this didn't take long. NBC Olympics has announced the release of a new DVD, Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion ... The Inside Story. It's now available for purchase at NBCOlympics.com.
Ask the sport of swimming, which suddenly has an unprecedented television contract from NBC — thanks in great part, no doubt, by the massive ratings surge generated by Phelps' march to a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
The Peacock Network announced earlier today it has inked a deal for coverage of the 2009 world aquatic championships in Rome (which are sure to include Phelps), as well as the next three U.S. swimming nationals. NBC's coverage in Rome includes two weekends, along with mid-week airtime on the new Universal Sports digital channel.
"The whole world watched as Michael Phelps took his sport to a new level and introduced a generation of fans to swimming through his extraordinary achievements," Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports and Olympics, said in a statement. "His accomplishments transcend sports and, are in fact, a cultural phenomenon. We're greatly looking forward to following the next chapter in his career."
*****
And then there was one ...
NBC Universal's total Olympic audience hit the 206 million mark through 13 days, surpassing the overall number for Lillehammer 1994 — the most-watched Winter Olympics in U.S. television history (thanks to that Tonya and Nancy nonsense) with 204 million viewers over 16 days.
By the time the sun rises, Beijing 2008 should surpass the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, which attracted total viewership of 209 million for 17 days, as the most-watched even in American television history.
NBCOlympics.com, meanwhile, has now attracted more than one billion page views.
*****
CBC Newsworld's Claire Martin, whose reports on the temperamental weather in Beijing have become a regular feature on CBC Olympic broadcasts, earned special marks in this corner with this line. Asked about race walking by Olympic Prime anchor Scott Russell, Martin said "that looks like a sport invented by Monty Python."
Spoken like a true devotee of the Ministry of Silly Walks, I'd say.
*****
Will this didn't take long. NBC Olympics has announced the release of a new DVD, Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympic Champion ... The Inside Story. It's now available for purchase at NBCOlympics.com.
Lamaze Class Of The Olympic Rings
Some stories almost seem too far-fetched to even fathom. Too far removed from reality to possibly consider.
If you're familiar with the story of Eric Lamaze, you had to think what transpired this morning in Hong Kong was one of those moments you'd never see. But there was the Canadian equestrian, wiping tears from his eyes on the top of the medal podium after winning the individual show jumping title at the Beijing Olympics.
Only Michel Vaillancourt, in 1976 in Montreal (the equestrian events were held in nearby Bromont that year), had brought Canada an individual medal (a silver) in the event in previous Olympic history. Until Lamaze, though, the colour had never been gold.
There was a time, not so long ago, when this seemed to be the most unlikely of possibilities. Lamaze was booted from both the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Games for doping infractions. As he told CBC's Tom Harrington in a revealing pre-game feature, he contemplated suicide at one point as his life spiralled downward.
The Canadian Olympic Committee wouldn't let Lamaze compete at the Athens 2004 Games, even though a lifetime ban had been overturned. His Olympic dreams seemed as far away as ever but he arrived reborn at these Games as the fourth-rated rider in the field and with Hickstead, a jewel of a horse (some compare him to the legendary Big Ben, the famous mount of Lamaze's Canadian teammate, Ian Millar of Perth, Ont.).
It came down to a jumpoff between Lamaze and Sweden's Rolf-Goran Bengtsson. When Lamaze and Hickstead completed a clean round, the gold was theirs. And, it could be suggested, one of the great comeback stories in Olympic history. Vindication doesn't even begin to describe the hell that Lamaze endured and survived.
"When you give people chances and allow them to come back from their mistakes, great things happen," Lamaze told CBC's Erin Paul before accepting his gold medal. "I'm a great example that you shouldn't give up on people."
We can only imagine what was running through Lamaze's mind as the strains of O Canada played in his honour.
"There were so many days when you wouldn't dream this was possible," he said.
Olympic Morning host Diana Swain wondered if Lamaze "had his life flash before his eyes. There is a lot of history in that face." She also predicted — and probably not wrongly — that the story will be worthy of a movie someday.
It is an inspiring tale of redemption, indeed. Too many of us have asked for (and needed) second chances in our lives. Eric Lamaze reminded us today just how much a man can achieve when all he asks for is an opportunity to show he has changed for the better.
Sometimes, you see, faith really is the most special virtue of them all.
"He vowed to earn Canada's trust again," CBC anchor Scott Russell later said during a replay on Olympic Prime.
Consider it a promise kept, in just about every way possible.
If you're familiar with the story of Eric Lamaze, you had to think what transpired this morning in Hong Kong was one of those moments you'd never see. But there was the Canadian equestrian, wiping tears from his eyes on the top of the medal podium after winning the individual show jumping title at the Beijing Olympics.
Only Michel Vaillancourt, in 1976 in Montreal (the equestrian events were held in nearby Bromont that year), had brought Canada an individual medal (a silver) in the event in previous Olympic history. Until Lamaze, though, the colour had never been gold.
There was a time, not so long ago, when this seemed to be the most unlikely of possibilities. Lamaze was booted from both the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Games for doping infractions. As he told CBC's Tom Harrington in a revealing pre-game feature, he contemplated suicide at one point as his life spiralled downward.
The Canadian Olympic Committee wouldn't let Lamaze compete at the Athens 2004 Games, even though a lifetime ban had been overturned. His Olympic dreams seemed as far away as ever but he arrived reborn at these Games as the fourth-rated rider in the field and with Hickstead, a jewel of a horse (some compare him to the legendary Big Ben, the famous mount of Lamaze's Canadian teammate, Ian Millar of Perth, Ont.).
It came down to a jumpoff between Lamaze and Sweden's Rolf-Goran Bengtsson. When Lamaze and Hickstead completed a clean round, the gold was theirs. And, it could be suggested, one of the great comeback stories in Olympic history. Vindication doesn't even begin to describe the hell that Lamaze endured and survived.
"When you give people chances and allow them to come back from their mistakes, great things happen," Lamaze told CBC's Erin Paul before accepting his gold medal. "I'm a great example that you shouldn't give up on people."
We can only imagine what was running through Lamaze's mind as the strains of O Canada played in his honour.
"There were so many days when you wouldn't dream this was possible," he said.
Olympic Morning host Diana Swain wondered if Lamaze "had his life flash before his eyes. There is a lot of history in that face." She also predicted — and probably not wrongly — that the story will be worthy of a movie someday.
It is an inspiring tale of redemption, indeed. Too many of us have asked for (and needed) second chances in our lives. Eric Lamaze reminded us today just how much a man can achieve when all he asks for is an opportunity to show he has changed for the better.
Sometimes, you see, faith really is the most special virtue of them all.
"He vowed to earn Canada's trust again," CBC anchor Scott Russell later said during a replay on Olympic Prime.
Consider it a promise kept, in just about every way possible.
Diving Behind The Scenes
Anne Montminy had the ultimate insider's view of the women's 10-metre platform diving final this morning at the Beijing Olympics.
Who knew better, after all, about what Canadian Emilie Heymans was going through than her former synchronized diving partner. Fortunately for the CBC, it Montminy was on its team for the dramatic event that resulted in Heymans earning Canada its 14th medal of Beijing 2008.
Working as an analyst alongside Steve Armitage, Montminy expertly told us which dives would tell the tale about Heymans' emotional state during a nerve-wracking final that went right down to the final plunge into the Water Cube pool (Chinese teen Chen Ruolin edged Heymans for the gold on a near-perfect final dive).
All the while, Montminy managed to conceal (for the most part) the excitement she felt for Heymans, who hadn't won an individual diving medal at the Games until today (she was fourth on the tower in Athens four years ago).
"It was particularly touching for me," Montminy later revealed in a studio interview with CBC Olympic Morning host Diana Swain. "(Heymans) has had trouble with her nerves in the past but she was really on tonight ... It was one of the most, if not the most, incredible competitions I've ever seen."
China has now won all seven diving golds at these Games. It's a dominance that Montminy doesn't see Canada, in particular, breaking any time soon. The Chinese, she said, spend "so many more hours" training than divers in other countries.
"We're not going to be able to put in the time (to match them)," said Montminy. "We have to prepare for life after sport, with things like school. It's a different society there."
*****
TSN has popularized the '1 Up, 1 Down' system for its hockey telecasts (that's a play-by-play guy in the broadcast booth and an analyst between the benches, for the uninitiated).
Here's a new one from the CBC. Bruce Rainnie, who was pulled from the Beijing rowing/canoe-kayak events at the last minute because of illness, called today's individual showjumping final off a monitor in Toronto while equestrian analyst Beth Underhill worked from ringside in Hong Kong.
What to call that setup? How about 'one here, one there,' perhaps?
Who knew better, after all, about what Canadian Emilie Heymans was going through than her former synchronized diving partner. Fortunately for the CBC, it Montminy was on its team for the dramatic event that resulted in Heymans earning Canada its 14th medal of Beijing 2008.
Working as an analyst alongside Steve Armitage, Montminy expertly told us which dives would tell the tale about Heymans' emotional state during a nerve-wracking final that went right down to the final plunge into the Water Cube pool (Chinese teen Chen Ruolin edged Heymans for the gold on a near-perfect final dive).
All the while, Montminy managed to conceal (for the most part) the excitement she felt for Heymans, who hadn't won an individual diving medal at the Games until today (she was fourth on the tower in Athens four years ago).
"It was particularly touching for me," Montminy later revealed in a studio interview with CBC Olympic Morning host Diana Swain. "(Heymans) has had trouble with her nerves in the past but she was really on tonight ... It was one of the most, if not the most, incredible competitions I've ever seen."
China has now won all seven diving golds at these Games. It's a dominance that Montminy doesn't see Canada, in particular, breaking any time soon. The Chinese, she said, spend "so many more hours" training than divers in other countries.
"We're not going to be able to put in the time (to match them)," said Montminy. "We have to prepare for life after sport, with things like school. It's a different society there."
*****
TSN has popularized the '1 Up, 1 Down' system for its hockey telecasts (that's a play-by-play guy in the broadcast booth and an analyst between the benches, for the uninitiated).
Here's a new one from the CBC. Bruce Rainnie, who was pulled from the Beijing rowing/canoe-kayak events at the last minute because of illness, called today's individual showjumping final off a monitor in Toronto while equestrian analyst Beth Underhill worked from ringside in Hong Kong.
What to call that setup? How about 'one here, one there,' perhaps?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
It's No Dash For Cash
It was considered the ultimate carrot when the Canadian Olympic Committee first laid it on the table. The kind of thing that might level the playing field for our athletes, if even a bit.
Isn't it funny, though, that as Canada's medal total climbs at the Beijing Games — were still stuck on 13 after five straight hardware-filled days — that almost no mention is being made of the cash these athletes will collect for their efforts in China.
For the first time, the COC is paying cold hard cash to its medal winners at the Olympic Games: $20,000 for gold, $10,000 for silver and $5,000 for bronze. While it's money they'll no doubt cherish when it comes to paying the bills after the flame goes out in Beijing, if there's an athlete raving about the prospect of it all after climbing onto the Olympic podium, he or she must be whispering.
When freestyle wrestler Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., was presented with the thought by the media after giving Canada's medal rush a golden start, here's how she responded: "I kind of heard about it a little but I didn't read up on it."
I remember a collective cheer coming from Canada's amateur sport community when this long-overdue program was first announced. But at the end of the day, it's clear these fine young men and women don't come to the Olympics motivated by the possibility of a mad dash for cash, so to speak.
For them, it's all about excellence and striving to be their best and, above all, pride in the the country they represent and the red maple they wear. In other words, the purity of sport.
Something to think about every time you hear the stampede headed toward a certain eight-gold medal swimmer, offering him the next get-rich-quick scheme.
*****
Interesting take by Toronto Sun columnist Alison Korn, a two-time Olympic rowing medallist and onetime story subject for your humble blogger, on hurdler Perdita Felicien's reaction to Priscilla Lopes-Schliep's bronze-medal win in the women's 100-metre hurdles Tuesday (Felicien, who predicted before the race that the Canadian had the potential to finish as high as third in the Olympic final, is working as a track analyst for CBC in Beijing after an injury ended her Games hopes).
Before you read this, bear in mind that Korn is a former athlete who knows better than most of us what goes on between those folks' ears. Like I said, a very interesting read.
(you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the column to see what I mean, to the 'More Cruel Than Cool' part).
*****
With his mother having just succumbed to pancreatic cancer, CBC Olympic Prime anchor Ron MacLean is headed home to Oakville, Ont., after tonight's show. Olympic Morning co-host Scott Russell will move into MacLean's chair for the rest of the Games.
Our prayers are definitely with MacLean at what is no doubt a difficult time. Safe travels home from the Orient.
Isn't it funny, though, that as Canada's medal total climbs at the Beijing Games — were still stuck on 13 after five straight hardware-filled days — that almost no mention is being made of the cash these athletes will collect for their efforts in China.
For the first time, the COC is paying cold hard cash to its medal winners at the Olympic Games: $20,000 for gold, $10,000 for silver and $5,000 for bronze. While it's money they'll no doubt cherish when it comes to paying the bills after the flame goes out in Beijing, if there's an athlete raving about the prospect of it all after climbing onto the Olympic podium, he or she must be whispering.
When freestyle wrestler Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C., was presented with the thought by the media after giving Canada's medal rush a golden start, here's how she responded: "I kind of heard about it a little but I didn't read up on it."
I remember a collective cheer coming from Canada's amateur sport community when this long-overdue program was first announced. But at the end of the day, it's clear these fine young men and women don't come to the Olympics motivated by the possibility of a mad dash for cash, so to speak.
For them, it's all about excellence and striving to be their best and, above all, pride in the the country they represent and the red maple they wear. In other words, the purity of sport.
Something to think about every time you hear the stampede headed toward a certain eight-gold medal swimmer, offering him the next get-rich-quick scheme.
*****
Interesting take by Toronto Sun columnist Alison Korn, a two-time Olympic rowing medallist and onetime story subject for your humble blogger, on hurdler Perdita Felicien's reaction to Priscilla Lopes-Schliep's bronze-medal win in the women's 100-metre hurdles Tuesday (Felicien, who predicted before the race that the Canadian had the potential to finish as high as third in the Olympic final, is working as a track analyst for CBC in Beijing after an injury ended her Games hopes).
Before you read this, bear in mind that Korn is a former athlete who knows better than most of us what goes on between those folks' ears. Like I said, a very interesting read.
(you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the column to see what I mean, to the 'More Cruel Than Cool' part).
*****
With his mother having just succumbed to pancreatic cancer, CBC Olympic Prime anchor Ron MacLean is headed home to Oakville, Ont., after tonight's show. Olympic Morning co-host Scott Russell will move into MacLean's chair for the rest of the Games.
Our prayers are definitely with MacLean at what is no doubt a difficult time. Safe travels home from the Orient.
Lightning Bolt Strikes Twice
So what did you do on your 22nd birthday?
If you're Usain Bolt, you run the fastest 200 metres of all time on the biggest stage in the world. And then have 91,000 of your newest admirers serenade you with renditions of 'Happy Birthday to you ...'
Some story to tell your kids someday about your Beijing Olympics experience, isn't it?
None of us will soon forget the scene that unfolded at the Bird's Nest stadium this morning, as Bolt, well, bolted through the final of the men's 200 metres in an astounding 19.30 seconds — chopping two one-hundredths of a second off the record set by American sprint star Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
(so much for that Games record book. Bolt, you'll earlier recall, earlier removed Canadian Donovan Bailey's name from the Olympics annals with a 9.69-second clocking for the 100 metres).
It's also the first time a male sprinter has completed the 100-200 double since Carl Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Nobody until now, though, has done it with two world records.
The latest jaw-dropping performance had CBC's crew scrambling for new superlatives.
"He does the impossible and makes the impossible look easy," said track analyst Dave Moorcroft.
CBC's Mark Lee, who's distinguishing himself rather well in his first go at Olympic track and filed, called the Jamaican sensation "totally unstoppable" (and did you even notice who crossed the line second and third?).
Track pundits, some of whom scoffed at Bolt for celebrating too soon at the end of the men's 100 (and perhaps giving away the chance to lower that standard even further), had wondered just what Bolt could do if he ran full out to the finish. They've got their answer now. With an exclamation point or three.
And the sport, and these Olympics, have a new hero to embrace, a joyful young lad who's had the time of his life in Beijing. So, too, have the adoring fans at the Bird's Nest and around the world.
"This is the new face of track and field and this sport can use a young man like Usain Bolt," said Lee. "He's put a friendly face on track and field. He has brought a fraternity to track and field."
Added CBC analyst Michael Smith: "He's still a boy. He's having fun."
Bolt wasn't about to let his critics spoil any of that.
"Come on, man," Bolt said when presented with some of the criticism by CBC's Elliotte Friedman. "If you see you're going to win, you're going to celebrate. If you see you're going to be Olympic champion, you're happy."
Wait until he gets home to Jamaica. We're guessing there's a whole lot of happy going on there.
*****
Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps?
The debate's already raging over at CBC's Olympics website about who's the biggest star of the Beijing Games. We know who wins south of the border ... and in Jamaica, for that matter.
If you're Usain Bolt, you run the fastest 200 metres of all time on the biggest stage in the world. And then have 91,000 of your newest admirers serenade you with renditions of 'Happy Birthday to you ...'
Some story to tell your kids someday about your Beijing Olympics experience, isn't it?
None of us will soon forget the scene that unfolded at the Bird's Nest stadium this morning, as Bolt, well, bolted through the final of the men's 200 metres in an astounding 19.30 seconds — chopping two one-hundredths of a second off the record set by American sprint star Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
(so much for that Games record book. Bolt, you'll earlier recall, earlier removed Canadian Donovan Bailey's name from the Olympics annals with a 9.69-second clocking for the 100 metres).
It's also the first time a male sprinter has completed the 100-200 double since Carl Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Nobody until now, though, has done it with two world records.
The latest jaw-dropping performance had CBC's crew scrambling for new superlatives.
"He does the impossible and makes the impossible look easy," said track analyst Dave Moorcroft.
CBC's Mark Lee, who's distinguishing himself rather well in his first go at Olympic track and filed, called the Jamaican sensation "totally unstoppable" (and did you even notice who crossed the line second and third?).
Track pundits, some of whom scoffed at Bolt for celebrating too soon at the end of the men's 100 (and perhaps giving away the chance to lower that standard even further), had wondered just what Bolt could do if he ran full out to the finish. They've got their answer now. With an exclamation point or three.
And the sport, and these Olympics, have a new hero to embrace, a joyful young lad who's had the time of his life in Beijing. So, too, have the adoring fans at the Bird's Nest and around the world.
"This is the new face of track and field and this sport can use a young man like Usain Bolt," said Lee. "He's put a friendly face on track and field. He has brought a fraternity to track and field."
Added CBC analyst Michael Smith: "He's still a boy. He's having fun."
Bolt wasn't about to let his critics spoil any of that.
"Come on, man," Bolt said when presented with some of the criticism by CBC's Elliotte Friedman. "If you see you're going to win, you're going to celebrate. If you see you're going to be Olympic champion, you're happy."
Wait until he gets home to Jamaica. We're guessing there's a whole lot of happy going on there.
*****
Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps?
The debate's already raging over at CBC's Olympics website about who's the biggest star of the Beijing Games. We know who wins south of the border ... and in Jamaica, for that matter.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Heavy Medal Days Boost CBC
We would hope the grumbling has finally subsided. For good, for that matter.
Especially with Canadian athletes racking up an impressive 13 medals in five days at the Beijing Olympics, putting their total for Athens 2004 in the rear-view mirror.
While bitching about our medal goose egg became almost a national sport during the first week of the 2008 Summer Games, the passion for the five-ring circus was still mighty clear. And now that the red maple leaf is starting to soar above more and more podiums ... well, that's been the biggest signal of all for Canadians to tune in to the goings-on in China.
Just ask the CBC, which has seen its ratings soar along with Canada's medal total. An average of 1.590 million viewers — the public broadcaster's largest of the Games — tuned into Olympic Prime on Monday night. The highest peak in Beijing (2.574 million) came at 11:49 p.m., as Simon Whitfield charged for gold in the men's triathlon. The native of Kingston, Ont., wound up second in one of the most dramatic finishes of these entire Olympics.
That event helped push Pacific Prime's average overnight to 746,000, also the best number for that show during Beijing 2008.
With Canadians clearly on a roll — and more serious medal hopes to come, including flagbearer Adam van Koeverden at the canoe/kayak venue — this is a success story that should continue.
*****
There's a whole country south of the border that will take issue with this. But I'll say it anyways.
Is there a more boring, overhyped story in Beijing than the so-called Redeem Team? Yeah, it's true the NBA star laden U.S. men's basketball team has barely broken a sweat in Beijing and probably won't en route to gold. But really, I've got all winter to hear about this lot and even then, it's far too much.
Give me more stories about the men and women whose only time in the spotlight happens right now — and not again for four more years. That's the real Olympics to me. Always has been, always will be.
Especially with Canadian athletes racking up an impressive 13 medals in five days at the Beijing Olympics, putting their total for Athens 2004 in the rear-view mirror.
While bitching about our medal goose egg became almost a national sport during the first week of the 2008 Summer Games, the passion for the five-ring circus was still mighty clear. And now that the red maple leaf is starting to soar above more and more podiums ... well, that's been the biggest signal of all for Canadians to tune in to the goings-on in China.
Just ask the CBC, which has seen its ratings soar along with Canada's medal total. An average of 1.590 million viewers — the public broadcaster's largest of the Games — tuned into Olympic Prime on Monday night. The highest peak in Beijing (2.574 million) came at 11:49 p.m., as Simon Whitfield charged for gold in the men's triathlon. The native of Kingston, Ont., wound up second in one of the most dramatic finishes of these entire Olympics.
That event helped push Pacific Prime's average overnight to 746,000, also the best number for that show during Beijing 2008.
With Canadians clearly on a roll — and more serious medal hopes to come, including flagbearer Adam van Koeverden at the canoe/kayak venue — this is a success story that should continue.
*****
There's a whole country south of the border that will take issue with this. But I'll say it anyways.
Is there a more boring, overhyped story in Beijing than the so-called Redeem Team? Yeah, it's true the NBA star laden U.S. men's basketball team has barely broken a sweat in Beijing and probably won't en route to gold. But really, I've got all winter to hear about this lot and even then, it's far too much.
Give me more stories about the men and women whose only time in the spotlight happens right now — and not again for four more years. That's the real Olympics to me. Always has been, always will be.
Hurdling Into Her Own Spotlight
We first met three years ago at a much more quaint venue in Ottawa and instantly, I thought, this is an athlete Canadians everywhere should want to see succeed.
Priscilla Lopes (she hadn't picked up the Schliep yet) didn't win that day at the Canadian track and field championships, held on the Terry Fox Athletic Facility track that sits on the banks of Mooney's Bay. But there was just something about her that said 'winner.' And something else that made a neutral observer want to see it happen someday on the biggest of stages.
Lopes-Schliep, as she's now known, was just that charming with an attitude and personality that were nothing less than infectious, it must be said now.
I thought about all of that again this morning while watching the powerful runner from Whitby, Ont., dance around the track at the Bird's Nest with glee after learning a photo finish had declared her the winner of the bronze medal in the women's 100-metre hurdles. It was Canada's first Olympic medal in track and field since the men's 4x100-metre relay team blew away the vaunted Americans on their home soil in Atlanta in 1996.
The last Canadian to earn a Games medal in the women's hurdles? Try Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that one), way back in 1936 in Berlin (yes, the infamous 'Nazi Olympics.' The race was only 80 metres long back then, by the way).
That streak was supposed to end four years ago in Athens but world champion Perdita Felicien, sadly and incredibly, didn't make it past the first hurdle. Just when she was beginning to return to form, an injury knocked Felicien out of the Beijing Games, apparently ending Canada's hopes for the hurdles again.
But not enough people, it seemed, knew about the competitive fire that burns inside of Lopes-Schliep. Give a listen to this quote from her Olympians profile on CBC. "If you say you're trying for second or third, pack your bags and go home," she said. "I'm going out there to win."
She's never believed for a minute, either, that she's been running in Felicien's shadow.
"I'm not living somebody else's dream," she said. "I'm living my dream."
Still, the ironies — and the connections to Felicien's fall in Athens — were too rich to ignore. One of the top medal contenders, world champion Andrea Kallur of Sweden (daughter of former New York Islanders hockey star Susanna, if you're wondering), suffered the same fate as Felicien in the heats (see, it doesn't just happen to our athletes).
In the final, the gold favourite, LoLo Jones of the U.S., seemed en route to victory when she clipped the second-last hurdle, killing her momentum. Lopes-Schliep, meanwhile, kept chugging away like the runaway freight train she is on the track.
And there she was at the end, out from "under the radar" and bouncing with pure joy to a step on the Olympic podium. Living her own dream, nobody else's. Tell me it didn't make you smile right along with her, Canada.
Priscilla Lopes (she hadn't picked up the Schliep yet) didn't win that day at the Canadian track and field championships, held on the Terry Fox Athletic Facility track that sits on the banks of Mooney's Bay. But there was just something about her that said 'winner.' And something else that made a neutral observer want to see it happen someday on the biggest of stages.
Lopes-Schliep, as she's now known, was just that charming with an attitude and personality that were nothing less than infectious, it must be said now.
I thought about all of that again this morning while watching the powerful runner from Whitby, Ont., dance around the track at the Bird's Nest with glee after learning a photo finish had declared her the winner of the bronze medal in the women's 100-metre hurdles. It was Canada's first Olympic medal in track and field since the men's 4x100-metre relay team blew away the vaunted Americans on their home soil in Atlanta in 1996.
The last Canadian to earn a Games medal in the women's hurdles? Try Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that one), way back in 1936 in Berlin (yes, the infamous 'Nazi Olympics.' The race was only 80 metres long back then, by the way).
That streak was supposed to end four years ago in Athens but world champion Perdita Felicien, sadly and incredibly, didn't make it past the first hurdle. Just when she was beginning to return to form, an injury knocked Felicien out of the Beijing Games, apparently ending Canada's hopes for the hurdles again.
But not enough people, it seemed, knew about the competitive fire that burns inside of Lopes-Schliep. Give a listen to this quote from her Olympians profile on CBC. "If you say you're trying for second or third, pack your bags and go home," she said. "I'm going out there to win."
She's never believed for a minute, either, that she's been running in Felicien's shadow.
"I'm not living somebody else's dream," she said. "I'm living my dream."
Still, the ironies — and the connections to Felicien's fall in Athens — were too rich to ignore. One of the top medal contenders, world champion Andrea Kallur of Sweden (daughter of former New York Islanders hockey star Susanna, if you're wondering), suffered the same fate as Felicien in the heats (see, it doesn't just happen to our athletes).
In the final, the gold favourite, LoLo Jones of the U.S., seemed en route to victory when she clipped the second-last hurdle, killing her momentum. Lopes-Schliep, meanwhile, kept chugging away like the runaway freight train she is on the track.
And there she was at the end, out from "under the radar" and bouncing with pure joy to a step on the Olympic podium. Living her own dream, nobody else's. Tell me it didn't make you smile right along with her, Canada.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Making The Turn For Home
A few random Olympic thoughts (some TV related, some not) as we start down the road toward the finish line at the Beijing Games:
*****
Liu Xiang's departure from the Beijing Olympics was nothing short of bizarre. If you were watching late on Sunday night, you heard thunderous roars from the home fans at the Bird's Nest for Xiang, the 2004 Athens champ in the men's 110-metre hurdles, who became China biggest sporting hero at these Games because of it.
The roars continued, even though the television cameras showed Liang was clearly hurting and would be fortunate to finish his heat. As it turned out, he didn't. After feeling intense pain during a false start, Liang walked off the track, his Olympics over. Once the Chinese supporters saw their man's lane was empty, they filed out of the stadium quietly, with the heat being run in an eerie silence. It was a stunning departure for the man China clearly wanted to see win gold more than any of its athletes in Beijing.
"Liu Xiang is devastated and so is a nation," CBC track analyst Dave Moorcroft opined.
Sorry, but I'll stick with the word bizarre, if nobody minds. This truly was.
*****
We knew going in, given the 12-hour time difference, that these would be the games of the Internet (though anyone with a widecreen TV might call them the HD Olympics. They wouldn't exactly be wrong).
Here's some numerical proof to back up that online argument. Through Sunday, CBC reported its Olympics website had totalled 25 million page views — just two million less than the entire Athens Games in 2004. A year ago, all of CBCSports.ca generated 1.2 million page views in the same Aug. 8-18 time frame.
Users have downloaded 2.1 million live video streams and more than 700,000 on-demand.
Much of this, you'll note, came during a week which — until Saturday — included exactly zero Canadian medals. Who knows what might happens if our gang stays on its current roll?
*****
If the Bell Globemedia/Rogers consortium is looking for a gymnastics analyst for the London 2012 Summer Games, it could do far worse than Kyle Shewfelt. The 2004 Olympic gold medallist, brought in as a 'guest' analyst for men's events in Beijing, has quickly become one of CBC's standouts at these Games. His analysis is often very insightful and, unlike a lot of athletes who cross over into the broadcast realm, he hasn't shied away from being critical. It's refreshing, to say the least.
*****
If there are better in-your-face, feels like you're there camera shots than those we've witnessed at the triathlon venue, I have yet to see them. Absolutely breath-taking, without a doubt, especially in HD.
*****
Liu Xiang's departure from the Beijing Olympics was nothing short of bizarre. If you were watching late on Sunday night, you heard thunderous roars from the home fans at the Bird's Nest for Xiang, the 2004 Athens champ in the men's 110-metre hurdles, who became China biggest sporting hero at these Games because of it.
The roars continued, even though the television cameras showed Liang was clearly hurting and would be fortunate to finish his heat. As it turned out, he didn't. After feeling intense pain during a false start, Liang walked off the track, his Olympics over. Once the Chinese supporters saw their man's lane was empty, they filed out of the stadium quietly, with the heat being run in an eerie silence. It was a stunning departure for the man China clearly wanted to see win gold more than any of its athletes in Beijing.
"Liu Xiang is devastated and so is a nation," CBC track analyst Dave Moorcroft opined.
Sorry, but I'll stick with the word bizarre, if nobody minds. This truly was.
*****
We knew going in, given the 12-hour time difference, that these would be the games of the Internet (though anyone with a widecreen TV might call them the HD Olympics. They wouldn't exactly be wrong).
Here's some numerical proof to back up that online argument. Through Sunday, CBC reported its Olympics website had totalled 25 million page views — just two million less than the entire Athens Games in 2004. A year ago, all of CBCSports.ca generated 1.2 million page views in the same Aug. 8-18 time frame.
Users have downloaded 2.1 million live video streams and more than 700,000 on-demand.
Much of this, you'll note, came during a week which — until Saturday — included exactly zero Canadian medals. Who knows what might happens if our gang stays on its current roll?
*****
If the Bell Globemedia/Rogers consortium is looking for a gymnastics analyst for the London 2012 Summer Games, it could do far worse than Kyle Shewfelt. The 2004 Olympic gold medallist, brought in as a 'guest' analyst for men's events in Beijing, has quickly become one of CBC's standouts at these Games. His analysis is often very insightful and, unlike a lot of athletes who cross over into the broadcast realm, he hasn't shied away from being critical. It's refreshing, to say the least.
*****
If there are better in-your-face, feels like you're there camera shots than those we've witnessed at the triathlon venue, I have yet to see them. Absolutely breath-taking, without a doubt, especially in HD.
Silver Salute For Captain Canada
The ninth time really was the charm for Ian Millar.
But amidst the celebrations with Jill Henselwood, Eric Lamaze and Mac Cone — who combined to bring Canada a silver medal in team showjumping, the country's first medal of any colour in that event in 40 years — it was a bittersweet time for the 61-year-old Olympic veteran lovingly known as Captain Canada in the equestrian world.
Millar, if you didn't know, competed with a heavy heart at these Beijing Games. Cancer took away his wife, Lynn, earlier this year, but Millar felt her every step of the way at the Shatin Hong Kong Olympic equestrian venue.
"This one's for Lynn," a teary Millar told reporters after the Canadians had dropped a dramatic jump-off to the U.S. for the gold. "I had an angel riding with me, that's all I can say."
With a record nine Olympics under his belt, going all the way back to Munich 1972 (it would be an even 10 save for the boycotted Moscow Games of 1980), Millar had accomplished just about everything in the sport that has been his life. All that was missing was an Olympic medal and there were two earlier close calls, in Seoul in 1998 and Los Angeles four years earlier, when Canadian showjumping teams finished fourth both times.
There was no denying the riders wearing the red maple leaf this time.
"What a team," Millar told CBC's Erin Paul in the moments after the silver had been clinched. "I've been on many fine teams but this was real fine, this one."
Call it one of the greatest testaments to perseverance ever.
"I remember back in the early '70s when I had a disastrous Grand Prix, my wife, Lynn, said to me, 'Don't worry, you're going to be a late bloomer,' " said Millar. "That's what she said to me and I've always held that thought. And so the Olympics don't go well and I'd say, 'Lynn said I'm a late bloomer. I'll go to the next one.'
"And sure enough, guess what happened? I bloomed."
Millar might not be done yet. He has spoken of the dream of riding with his two children, Jonathan and Amy, at the London 2012 Games. It isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
But before then, here's one more honour Millar deserves. No matter what happens the rest of these Games in Beijing, the Canadian Olympic Committee should hand the flag to our grandest Olympian of them all for Sunday's closing ceremony.
Nobody would be prouder to do it for Canada, a country he has always represented with the utmost of pride.
And for the "angel" who has been his biggest fan and inspiration every step of the way.
But amidst the celebrations with Jill Henselwood, Eric Lamaze and Mac Cone — who combined to bring Canada a silver medal in team showjumping, the country's first medal of any colour in that event in 40 years — it was a bittersweet time for the 61-year-old Olympic veteran lovingly known as Captain Canada in the equestrian world.
Millar, if you didn't know, competed with a heavy heart at these Beijing Games. Cancer took away his wife, Lynn, earlier this year, but Millar felt her every step of the way at the Shatin Hong Kong Olympic equestrian venue.
"This one's for Lynn," a teary Millar told reporters after the Canadians had dropped a dramatic jump-off to the U.S. for the gold. "I had an angel riding with me, that's all I can say."
With a record nine Olympics under his belt, going all the way back to Munich 1972 (it would be an even 10 save for the boycotted Moscow Games of 1980), Millar had accomplished just about everything in the sport that has been his life. All that was missing was an Olympic medal and there were two earlier close calls, in Seoul in 1998 and Los Angeles four years earlier, when Canadian showjumping teams finished fourth both times.
There was no denying the riders wearing the red maple leaf this time.
"What a team," Millar told CBC's Erin Paul in the moments after the silver had been clinched. "I've been on many fine teams but this was real fine, this one."
Call it one of the greatest testaments to perseverance ever.
"I remember back in the early '70s when I had a disastrous Grand Prix, my wife, Lynn, said to me, 'Don't worry, you're going to be a late bloomer,' " said Millar. "That's what she said to me and I've always held that thought. And so the Olympics don't go well and I'd say, 'Lynn said I'm a late bloomer. I'll go to the next one.'
"And sure enough, guess what happened? I bloomed."
Millar might not be done yet. He has spoken of the dream of riding with his two children, Jonathan and Amy, at the London 2012 Games. It isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
But before then, here's one more honour Millar deserves. No matter what happens the rest of these Games in Beijing, the Canadian Olympic Committee should hand the flag to our grandest Olympian of them all for Sunday's closing ceremony.
Nobody would be prouder to do it for Canada, a country he has always represented with the utmost of pride.
And for the "angel" who has been his biggest fan and inspiration every step of the way.
Another Great Leap Forward
And how's that for a way to a put a bounce into your morning?
Yes, that's Toronto's Karen Cockburn smiling at a third straight Summer Olympics after soaring to a silver medal in the women's trampoline final in Beijing today. That follows up on a bronze eight years ago in Sydney and silver in 2004 in Athens, making Cockburn on the fourth Canadian athlete to win a medal at three straight Games (track athlete Phil Edwards, rowing coxwain Lesley Thompson-Willie and kayaker Caroline Brunet are the others, in case you're wondering).
Trampoline is one of those TV-friendly Olympic sports. The tricks look spectacular, especially from the overhead view, and with just eight competitors turning in one short routine, it only requires about half an hour of your time to see who wins gold, silver and bronze (that sort of timing allowed CBC to get off to Hong Kong for the drama of the team showjumping final, but more on that later in another post).
Cockburn is one of those rare athletes who manages to turn medal potential into a trip to the podium each time she shows up at an Olympics (and this may well have been her swan song). This one, though, took some doing after she tore cartilage in her right knee just before last year's world championships — the qualifier for these Games.
Somehow, Cockburn got through it, had surgery afterward then got herself into the right shape to soar in Beijing.
"I learned how tough I am. The week before worlds, I couldn't even walk," Cockburn told Scott Russell on CBC's Olympic Morning. "I'm just so happy. That's why this medal means so much to me, after what I had to go through to get to this point."
Only thing missing from her day: Cockburn hadn't managed to get through to her husband, Mathieu Turgeon (also an Olympic trampoline medallist in Sydney) to share the good news. We're guessing he was watching back home in T.O., though.
*****
No doubt, Michael Phelps has inspired many money-making schemes already.
Here's one we hope doesn't see the light of day. Turned on ESPN Radio on my drive to work and heard them suggesting (I kid you not) "Swimming With Celebrities," featuring the eight-time gold medallist and assorted buff bodies.
There are no words to accurately describe the flat-out silliness of that. Scary (sad?) part is, they might not be far off.
Yes, that's Toronto's Karen Cockburn smiling at a third straight Summer Olympics after soaring to a silver medal in the women's trampoline final in Beijing today. That follows up on a bronze eight years ago in Sydney and silver in 2004 in Athens, making Cockburn on the fourth Canadian athlete to win a medal at three straight Games (track athlete Phil Edwards, rowing coxwain Lesley Thompson-Willie and kayaker Caroline Brunet are the others, in case you're wondering).
Trampoline is one of those TV-friendly Olympic sports. The tricks look spectacular, especially from the overhead view, and with just eight competitors turning in one short routine, it only requires about half an hour of your time to see who wins gold, silver and bronze (that sort of timing allowed CBC to get off to Hong Kong for the drama of the team showjumping final, but more on that later in another post).
Cockburn is one of those rare athletes who manages to turn medal potential into a trip to the podium each time she shows up at an Olympics (and this may well have been her swan song). This one, though, took some doing after she tore cartilage in her right knee just before last year's world championships — the qualifier for these Games.
Somehow, Cockburn got through it, had surgery afterward then got herself into the right shape to soar in Beijing.
"I learned how tough I am. The week before worlds, I couldn't even walk," Cockburn told Scott Russell on CBC's Olympic Morning. "I'm just so happy. That's why this medal means so much to me, after what I had to go through to get to this point."
Only thing missing from her day: Cockburn hadn't managed to get through to her husband, Mathieu Turgeon (also an Olympic trampoline medallist in Sydney) to share the good news. We're guessing he was watching back home in T.O., though.
*****
No doubt, Michael Phelps has inspired many money-making schemes already.
Here's one we hope doesn't see the light of day. Turned on ESPN Radio on my drive to work and heard them suggesting (I kid you not) "Swimming With Celebrities," featuring the eight-time gold medallist and assorted buff bodies.
There are no words to accurately describe the flat-out silliness of that. Scary (sad?) part is, they might not be far off.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
We're Not So Bad After All
Anyone else notice where Canada now stands in the Beijing Games medal standings?
If you base it on number of golds won — which seems to be the way they're doing things on the official Olympic website — then Canada rates a tie for 15th with nine other countries. Using the total medals earned puts Canada 17th, but its seven medals rank only one back of Cuba, Kazakhstan and Romania, who share 14th position.
In other words, we're on the cusp of being exactly where the Canadian Olympic Committee predicted we'd wind up (top 16) before these Games in Beijing started. A standing, we should add, that a lot of folks thought ludicrous when our gang was still sitting on a goose egg Friday night.
Funny what one huge weekend can do to change that perception. Double digits in the medal count doesn't seem that far off anymore, does it?
*****
One more staggering number about a guy who's authored many in the past week.
An average of 31.1 million viewers tuned into NBC's Saturday prime-time coverage of the Beijing Games, making it the most-watched Saturday evening program on the network since 1990.
By the way, Michael Phelps, the guy most responsible for making that happen, was four years old at the time.
Phelps' record-breaking performance (eight gold medals in the Water Cube, more than any other Olympian at a single games) has put NBC Universal (seven networks) on pace to record the highest total audience for an Olympic Games in U.S. television history. With 191 viewers through Saturday, NBC's numbers are already higher than the 17-day totals for Salt Lake City 2002 (187 million) and Sydney 2000 (185 million).
Saturday night's audience peaked at nearly 40 million between 11-11:30 p.m., when the U.S. won the men's 4x100-metre medley relay, earning Phelps his eighth gold.
Oh, that program on NBC 18 years ago that rated higher than the Phelps show last night? Empty Nest, starring Richard Mulligan, which drew 31.4 million viewers on Feb. 24, 1990.
If you base it on number of golds won — which seems to be the way they're doing things on the official Olympic website — then Canada rates a tie for 15th with nine other countries. Using the total medals earned puts Canada 17th, but its seven medals rank only one back of Cuba, Kazakhstan and Romania, who share 14th position.
In other words, we're on the cusp of being exactly where the Canadian Olympic Committee predicted we'd wind up (top 16) before these Games in Beijing started. A standing, we should add, that a lot of folks thought ludicrous when our gang was still sitting on a goose egg Friday night.
Funny what one huge weekend can do to change that perception. Double digits in the medal count doesn't seem that far off anymore, does it?
*****
One more staggering number about a guy who's authored many in the past week.
An average of 31.1 million viewers tuned into NBC's Saturday prime-time coverage of the Beijing Games, making it the most-watched Saturday evening program on the network since 1990.
By the way, Michael Phelps, the guy most responsible for making that happen, was four years old at the time.
Phelps' record-breaking performance (eight gold medals in the Water Cube, more than any other Olympian at a single games) has put NBC Universal (seven networks) on pace to record the highest total audience for an Olympic Games in U.S. television history. With 191 viewers through Saturday, NBC's numbers are already higher than the 17-day totals for Salt Lake City 2002 (187 million) and Sydney 2000 (185 million).
Saturday night's audience peaked at nearly 40 million between 11-11:30 p.m., when the U.S. won the men's 4x100-metre medley relay, earning Phelps his eighth gold.
Oh, that program on NBC 18 years ago that rated higher than the Phelps show last night? Empty Nest, starring Richard Mulligan, which drew 31.4 million viewers on Feb. 24, 1990.
Canadian Eights On Golden Pond
Forget the overblown nicknames or the endless hype.
Nope, Canada's men's rowing eights didn't want any of that. So single-minded was their desire to erase the disastrous fifth-place finish of Athens 2004.
That they did, crushing the field at the Shunyi Olympic rowing park to earn Canada's second gold medal of the Beijing Games early, early this morning. They did it as one of the country's most highly touted gold hopes coming into these Olympics.
But save those 'redeem team' monikers for someone else. These nine guys (eight rowers and coxswain Brian Price) have the only title they wanted: Olympic champions.
"It's not about redemption," an elated Adam Kreek told CBC after their decisive triumph. "It's about seizing the moment and we seized the moment."
This was a story that was supposed to be written four years ago in Athens. The Canadian eights went into those Games as world champions, too, but faded badly in the final and didn't even hit the podium. They've had to live with the disappointment for four years now.
"Gold medals are awarded in the summer but they're earned in the winter," said Kyle Hamilton. "This was four years of hard winters."
Added Jake Wetzel, a part of that '04 crew: "In Athens, it was a very hard-fought race. It was one where we fell behind and we battled back. Here, we dominated, and it's just such a testament to what a great crew this was."
As an aside, so, too was the camera work in Shunyi (we've always been fans of those stunning overhead shots). And CBC did well by putting the commentary in the hands of the very capable Scott Oake and Barney Williams, an insightful analyst as an Olympic rookie.
They had plenty of good to talk about on this day. Melanie Kok and Tracy Cameron earned a heart-stopping bronze in the women's double sculls, a feat also matched by the men's lightweight fours (Iain Brambell, Jon Beare, Mike Lewis and Liam Parsons).
Combined with the silver earned by Scott Frandsen and Dave Calder on Saturday in the men's pairs, it was a four-medal haul by Canada at Shunyi (almost five, but the women's eights wound up an agonizing fourth). As Olympic Morning anchor Scott Russell put it, that harkens back to the glory days of Barcelona 1992.
Oh, before we forget, the rest of that golden eights crew: Ben Rutledge, Kevin Light, Malcolm Howard, Andrew Byrnes and Dominic Seiterle.
Nope, Canada's men's rowing eights didn't want any of that. So single-minded was their desire to erase the disastrous fifth-place finish of Athens 2004.
That they did, crushing the field at the Shunyi Olympic rowing park to earn Canada's second gold medal of the Beijing Games early, early this morning. They did it as one of the country's most highly touted gold hopes coming into these Olympics.
But save those 'redeem team' monikers for someone else. These nine guys (eight rowers and coxswain Brian Price) have the only title they wanted: Olympic champions.
"It's not about redemption," an elated Adam Kreek told CBC after their decisive triumph. "It's about seizing the moment and we seized the moment."
This was a story that was supposed to be written four years ago in Athens. The Canadian eights went into those Games as world champions, too, but faded badly in the final and didn't even hit the podium. They've had to live with the disappointment for four years now.
"Gold medals are awarded in the summer but they're earned in the winter," said Kyle Hamilton. "This was four years of hard winters."
Added Jake Wetzel, a part of that '04 crew: "In Athens, it was a very hard-fought race. It was one where we fell behind and we battled back. Here, we dominated, and it's just such a testament to what a great crew this was."
As an aside, so, too was the camera work in Shunyi (we've always been fans of those stunning overhead shots). And CBC did well by putting the commentary in the hands of the very capable Scott Oake and Barney Williams, an insightful analyst as an Olympic rookie.
They had plenty of good to talk about on this day. Melanie Kok and Tracy Cameron earned a heart-stopping bronze in the women's double sculls, a feat also matched by the men's lightweight fours (Iain Brambell, Jon Beare, Mike Lewis and Liam Parsons).
Combined with the silver earned by Scott Frandsen and Dave Calder on Saturday in the men's pairs, it was a four-medal haul by Canada at Shunyi (almost five, but the women's eights wound up an agonizing fourth). As Olympic Morning anchor Scott Russell put it, that harkens back to the glory days of Barcelona 1992.
Oh, before we forget, the rest of that golden eights crew: Ben Rutledge, Kevin Light, Malcolm Howard, Andrew Byrnes and Dominic Seiterle.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Eight Is Enough For Phelps
A few days back, as Michael Phelps marched inexorably toward Olympic history, CBC's Steve Armitage opined the following about the American swimming giant.
"We are running out of superlatives," said Armitage, whose booming voice Canadians have come to know so well over the past four Summer Olympics.
Everyone found a few more, though, on the final night of the Beijing Games swim competition, as the U.S. 4x100-metre medley relay team — with Phelps putting the Stars and Stripes ahead to stay with a crucial butterfly leg — maintained its spotless record in this event in Olympic finals.
Oh, yeah, did we mention it was gold medal No. 8 for Phelps, breaking the record set by another American swimmer, Mark Spitz, back in 1972 in Munich?
"Seventeen swims, eight golds," Armitage said in summing up the remarkable achievement he had witnessed all week at the Water Cube. "The great Michael Phelps. Now the greatest."
CBC Olympic Prime anchor Ron MacLean went further, calling Phelps "the eighth wonder of the swimming world."
To NBC, he's been the engine driving a massive ratings success story. With Phelps on almost every night during the first eight days of the Beijing Games, NBC Universal networks' total viewership had hit 185 million — on pace to be the most-watched Olympics ever in the U.S., even surpassing the 1996 Atlanta Games, which attracted the largest television audiences of any event in history.
NBCOlympics.com has already generated 628 million page viewers, more than the total for the entire Athens 2004 and the 2006 Torino Winter Games combined (561 million).
*****
With the swimming competition in Beijing now in the books, a much-deserved hat tip to Australia's Channel 7, which produced the host broadcast feed at the Water Cube.
The underwater camera shots, in particular, were fabulous, often showing us the minute difference between winning and losing. We also enjoyed the overhead views and the slo-motion replay close-ups of the race victors.
Of course, watching it all in high-definition format was just the icing on the cake.
*****
Photo of the day: Debbie Phelps, mother of you know who, receiving heartfelt congratulations from Aussie swim legend Ian (Thorpedo) Thorpe after her son claimed his record-shattering eighth Olympic gold.
"We are running out of superlatives," said Armitage, whose booming voice Canadians have come to know so well over the past four Summer Olympics.
Everyone found a few more, though, on the final night of the Beijing Games swim competition, as the U.S. 4x100-metre medley relay team — with Phelps putting the Stars and Stripes ahead to stay with a crucial butterfly leg — maintained its spotless record in this event in Olympic finals.
Oh, yeah, did we mention it was gold medal No. 8 for Phelps, breaking the record set by another American swimmer, Mark Spitz, back in 1972 in Munich?
"Seventeen swims, eight golds," Armitage said in summing up the remarkable achievement he had witnessed all week at the Water Cube. "The great Michael Phelps. Now the greatest."
CBC Olympic Prime anchor Ron MacLean went further, calling Phelps "the eighth wonder of the swimming world."
To NBC, he's been the engine driving a massive ratings success story. With Phelps on almost every night during the first eight days of the Beijing Games, NBC Universal networks' total viewership had hit 185 million — on pace to be the most-watched Olympics ever in the U.S., even surpassing the 1996 Atlanta Games, which attracted the largest television audiences of any event in history.
NBCOlympics.com has already generated 628 million page viewers, more than the total for the entire Athens 2004 and the 2006 Torino Winter Games combined (561 million).
*****
With the swimming competition in Beijing now in the books, a much-deserved hat tip to Australia's Channel 7, which produced the host broadcast feed at the Water Cube.
The underwater camera shots, in particular, were fabulous, often showing us the minute difference between winning and losing. We also enjoyed the overhead views and the slo-motion replay close-ups of the race victors.
Of course, watching it all in high-definition format was just the icing on the cake.
*****
Photo of the day: Debbie Phelps, mother of you know who, receiving heartfelt congratulations from Aussie swim legend Ian (Thorpedo) Thorpe after her son claimed his record-shattering eighth Olympic gold.
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