(DAY 16 - LAST DAY of RIO 2016)
Today, the mountain bike event, men's basketball, the men’s
marathon (running), etc. are happening. Sixteen-year-old
Penny Oleksiak has been chosen to be
the flag bearer in tonight’s Closing Ceremony!
Canadian women have performed so well here and have won the bulk of the
Canadian medals! However, a few Canadian
men have also performed exceptionally. There
is no doubt that the Olympic Games bring out the best in all Olympic athletes
and are a unifying force in the world.
Sporting events are where we can all feel good about what is happening
among our athletes. Most athletes that
we cheer for will be Canadian, but sometimes a few athletes from other
countries catch our attention too and make us understand that they are also
very worthy of applause at the Olympic Games.
I myself have been part of the Olympic Games in the
past – when I lived in Calgary in 1988, I was there watching my cousin, Jamie
Kallio, competing in men’s biathlon at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games in
Canmore, Alberta. The feeling that you
get just by being there at the Games is very special. I was also at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games
(at the diving, rhythmic gymnastics, and women’s gymnastics events) and I also
had that special feeling – just by being there.
International sporting events are good for all the nations of the world
because they bring people of all nationalities together in the spirit of peace and
celebration.
Medals
Won by Canadian Athletes:
22
in TOTAL --> 4 GOLD, 3 SILVER, 15 BRONZE
Medals
Won by Canadian Athletes – by Sport:
Track
and Field --> 6 (1 GOLD, 1 SILVER, 4 BRONZE)
Cycling --> 2 BRONZE
Diving --> 2 BRONZE
Equestrian --> 1 BRONZE
Soccer (Football) --> 1 BRONZE
Trampoline --> 1 GOLD
Rowing --> 1 SILVER
Rugby --> 1 BRONZE
Swimming --> 6 (1 GOLD, 1 SILVER, 4 BRONZE)
Wrestling --> 1 GOLD
Whenever I think of the key difference(s) between
field events like high jump and gymnastics events like floor exercise, it comes
down to just one thing; endurance. Yet, any high jumper, especially those of a
high caliber, will tell you that it takes an awful lot of endurance to get
through an entire event of high jump.
And, any gymnast, especially those of an equally high caliber, will tell
you that power, as well as endurance, is what it takes to get through an entire
floor exercise without killing yourself.
The truth is – it takes both endurance and power
to be either a good high jumper or a good gymnast. The endurance allows you to keep going even
when you think you can’t any longer. The
power is to make an explosion happen – to jump the bar at six feet or more, or
to execute a series of tumbling moves on the floor flawlessly. Implied is the strength and flexibility to do
either of these events at all and to do them well.
Contrast these two events with long distance
running. They are all totally different
athletic disciplines. Can an athlete
with lots of power, strength and flexibility run the 800 m, the 1,500 m, or the
5,000 m distances? How about the 10,000
m distance or the marathon (26.4 miles)?
I think it’s important to point out that the endurance a track athlete
needs to run extremely long distances competitively is much greater than that
needed by a high jumper or a gymnast.
Why?
While it’s true that high jumpers and gymnasts need
some endurance to perform their particular events, their requirements are much
less than that needed by a track athlete who must run 10,000 m (25 laps of a
400 m track). However, the lesser
distances are equally a challenge – particularly when performed during a
competition: the 800 m, 1,500 m, and the
5,000 m, depending on the distance a track athlete trains at. For someone who doesn’t run, or train to run,
long distances, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to perform them. So, who is really the best athlete?
The point is this – each athlete competes only with
similar athletes. High jumpers compete
only with other high jumpers; gymnasts compete only with other gymnasts; and,
of course, track and field athletes compete only with athletes who are in their
particular event. Sometimes, in track
and field, there is some overlap.
Sprinters can run some slightly longer distances and long distance
runners can run some shorter distances than they usually train at. But, in general, high-calibre (and other)
athletes do not compete with athletes that perform in different disciplines and
events within that discipline. Only then
can their individual performances be deemed “fair” and be judged accordingly.
The Olympic Games are the epitome of fairness. In the end, the best athlete within a sport
and event gets the gold medal, the second best gets the silver, and the third
best gets the bronze on the day of the competition. It doesn’t matter at all what a particular
athlete did before the Games. He or she
must perform at his or her optimum on the given day to have any hope of
achieving greatness. That means, at the
very least, getting a Personal Best (PB) in their particular sport and event. If an athlete does achieve a PB in their
particular sport and event, then he or she has performed at their optimum and
achieved greatness. And that, in the
end, is the what the Games are really all about.
copyright 2016 - Anne Shier
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