What an Olympics!

Beijing 2008... what drama and what history beckons this edition of the Olympiad!

Mark Spitz saw his 7 gold medal haul in a single games broken by this man...

Michael Phelps

I do not think any man or woman may come close to what he has achieved in the pool... Although I had my doubts that he can beat Spitz's record... well, he can thank his buddy



Jason Lezak for helping him to realize his dreams when Lezak blazed the lane with a blistering anchor in the 4x100m freestyle to touch ahead of France's Alain Bernard... Lezak swam the 100m of his life to help his teammate realize his dreams of becoming the greatest ever... well so far. Then again, probably the 100m butterfly was the key to his greatness. His 7th gold to equal Spitz and winning it within a hair breath ahead of Cavic, was also the other potential pitfall in his quest but he got through it with flying colours. Besides that I think he would have endeared himself into the history of swimming by virtue of the number of gold medals won in the Olympics regardless of whether he equalled or beat Mark Spitz's record, but... beating the likes of Spitz and Paavo Nurmi, Phelps has created a new chapter.. a big chapter, 12 gold medals.

Besides the Phelps chapter, we have also witnessed for the first time a man running 100m below 9.7sec. I really wonder what time would Bolt set if he had not showboated in the last 10m or so of the race? A great runner fluid in his buildup and under 22 years of age... one would only wonder if he can get better? 9.69sec.. and leaving his contenders an embarassing distance is definitely a sight to behold. A worthy champion but I was hoping that he would be more modest in his celebrations than his arrogance. Well, maybe he has the right to be arrogant.. after all he earned the nickname of the fastest man on earth.

Going for GLORY

Malaysia will take on Italy shortly before noon today in the Men's team Archery event for a place in the semi-finals. Finishing 3rd in the opening day's qualifying rounds ensured that they received a bye and a spot in the Quarter-Finals. The team comprising Marbawi Mohd, Cheng Chun Siang and Wan Khalmizam will make history should they beat Italy for a place in the semi-finals which guarantees them of at least a bronze.

UPDATES: Malaysia lost 213-218... what a yawn...

Our swimmers have all disappointed us but we could still see our archers coming good this time round. We still have our badminton players as well as our cyclist to bank on for medals and I sure hope they win a couple of medals in the 29th Olympiad of the modern era!

The event that will probably intrigue many would be the 4x100m (Freestyle) where Phelps would be gunning for his second gold medal (And he WON HIS SECOND GOLD). Being Team A, they would fancy their chance of another world record after their Team B splashed to a world record yesterday evening in the heats (And they got THEIR WORLD RECORD). Phelps is a great swimmer but I think he will fall short of the 8 golds needed to beat Mark Spitz record of 7 gold medals.... just a gut feel looking at the field of competitors... his 200m Freestyle seemed to be in jeapordy after only manage to finish 3rd in his Semifinals early this morning.

Lets talk Olympics

Enough of sodomy... enough of the corruption.. enough of the corrupted.. Lets put politics aside as we await 8:08PM on 8th Aug 2008. We live in interesting times my friends. Before Beijing 2008, we will have to go back 20 years to Seoul 1988 for the last time the Olympics came to this part of the world. Back in 1988, the world witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly. We witnessed legends bid farewell to the games, champions disgraced and new flamboyant champions.

Greg Louganis, the world's greatest diver went on to defend his title despite hitting his head on the board while executing one of his dives in the preliminary round. Carl Lewis, the icon of sprint in the 80s equalled Jesse Owens 4 gold haul... well, he lost the 100m to Canadian Ben Johnson, but the latter was disqualified after tested positive for banned substances. Then came the most colorful (fingernails) and elegant Florence Griffith Joyner Kersee (Flo-Jo as she is affectionately known) won the 100m and 200m. At the pool, 20 years ago, Matt Biondi tried to eclipse the haul by Mark Spitz of 7 golds but failed with only 4 golds. 20 years on at Beijing, Michael Phelps will want to have a go at unseating the legend. East German, Kirstin Otto reigned supreme with 5 golds in the pool.

2008 will yield its own history starting tonight. From Michael Phelps to Usain Bolt, from Lin Dan to Roger Federer, from Ronaldinho to Yao Ming... much of history will be made in 2008. But to true sportsmanship, its not the winning that counts, its the participation.

Somehow I find the most memorable quotes to come was this, 1968 Marathon runner from Tanzania, John Stephen Akwari when he said, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it." He finished last. Long after all the runners had completed the race and fans who were about to leave the stadium. He crossed the finish line with a heavily bandaged leg due to a fall during the race which caused his leg to be badly cut and with a dislocated bone.

That probably summarizes what the Olympics spirit is all about.

Ronaldo Remains a Devil

At least for another season. HERE.

I am not sure how I will receive or react when he pulled the famous red of Manchester this coming season on the back of his insistence of going to Real Madrid. But one thing is for sure, he will be missing from the lineup for the first 2 months of the season after undergoing an ankle surgery earlier on.

Maybe other Red Devils fans may be more forgiving but I guess, we should at least respect and support the team regardless of history as long as he is still wearing the club's jersey he should have our undivided support. Maybe its easier said than done.....

On a side note, the Olympics is about to begin and I think Malaysia has the best chance yet to win their first gold medal at the Olympics this year. Lee Chong Wei. He has the skills and the mental strength to go the distance. But with a top notch field, every game from Round 1 onwards is a final. Chong Wei represents Malaysia's best hope yet and he is sure to get my support. His path to a final destiny with Lin Dan starts with an encounter against Ronald Susilo of Singapore... long rocky route... Will write more on Olympics and the key battles that I would be watching.. :).