Olympics News and Info

David Letterman Questions Usain Bolt on Premature Celebrations

Filed under: Americas

The world’s fastest man, Jamaican gold medalist Usain Bolt, visited David Letterman last night, and Letterman asked Bolt why he didn’t run hard through the finish line instead of slowing down at the end of the 100-meter dash:

“Before the finish line you’re dancing and whirling around and flapping your arms in celebration,” Letterman said. “Now that’s not technique. That’s something different from running technique, isn’t it?”

Bolt tried to make a joke that he wanted to fly, but Letterman wouldn’t let it go.

“But maybe if you had finished the race and then celebrated, maybe your world records would have been even lower,” Letterman said.

Bolt then made a tacit acknowledgment of what many have speculated about: He might have actually wanted to slow down so as not to set a world record so low that even he can’t break it.

“That’s true, but then it would take me a long while to get there again,” Bolt said. “So I was being smart when I slowed down.”

I like Bolt and love the fact that he made track and field more interesting during the Olympics, but I’m with Letterman: He should go all out through the finish line.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Carl Lewis Suggests Usain Bolt Uses Steroids: ‘If You Don’t Question That, You’re a Fool’

Filed under: Americas, USA

Carl Lewis won nine gold medals in four Olympic Games and is considered by many to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time.And while Lewis is impressed with Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing, he’s also skeptical that Bolt is doing it without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs.

Steroid Nation passes along this quote from the London Times, which apparently began with a Sports Illustrated interview Lewis conducted:

“When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don’t question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you’re a fool. Period.”

It’s a shame that athletes like Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and the entire East German athletic program of the 1970s and 1980s make us feel this way, but Lewis is right: There’s no proof that Bolt used steroids, but you’re a fool if you don’t at least acknowledge that it’s possible.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Terrell Owens: ‘I Could Beat Usain Bolt If I Got a 20-Yard Head Start’

Filed under: Americas

On tonight’s episode of Hard Knocks, the HBO show that chronicles the Dallas Cowboys, the cameras followed wide receiver Terrell Owens and a few others when they went out to dinner, and Owens was telling his fellow diners about his speed.

Owens first claimed that if he were in the Olympic 100-meter dash, he wouldn’t come in last, which everyone at the table (and in the viewing audience) realized was patently ridiculous. Owens is fast, but he couldn’t come close to out-running an Olympic sprinter.

But then he made a more interesting claim, saying that he could beat Usain Bolt — if he got a 20-yard head start.

So could he? Bolt can run 100 meters in 9.69 seconds. Can Owens run 80 meters (actually about 82 meters, since Owens expressed his head start in yards) in less than 9.69 seconds?

I think he can. Owens can run 40 yards in about 4.6 seconds, and based on my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I figure he ought to be able to run 82 meters in somewhere between 9.0 and 9.5 seconds. So yes, he’d beat Usain Bolt in the 100 meters. As long as he got a 20-yard head start.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Usain Bolt’s Coach: He Could Have Run 9.52 100-Meter Dash in Beijing

Filed under: Americas

Usain Bolt set a new world record of 9.69 seconds in the 100-meter dash in Beijing. But he started celebrating his victory after about 80 meters, and had slowed considerably before he crossed the finish line.

So how much time did Bolt cost himself? His coach, Glen Mills, estimates that it was at least .17 seconds, which means Bolt could have run an other-worldly time of 9.52.

“If he had continued, the slowest he would have run would have been 9.52,” Mills told reporters ahead of Friday’s Weltklasse athletics meeting in Zurich, where Bolt is due to run the 100.

“This is his first year of running the 100 meters,” Mills said. “In two more years he should be peaking at this distance and by then I am certain he will be down to there.”

The very idea of a 9.52-second 100-meter dash is hard for me to wrap my head around — I remember when people thought no one would ever match the steroid-fueled 9.79 that Ben Johnson ran in 1988 — but I think Mills is right. And at age 21, Bolt will have many more opportunities to shave time off that record. I just hope he doesn’t celebrate until the race is run.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Synchronized ‘Homies’ and Other Fun Memories From an Olympic Insomniac

Filed under: Beijing, China, USA, Attractive Olympians

For most people, the dust is already settling on all the extravagant Olympic action, but this sports graveyard desk editor is still riding high from sixteen sleepless days of swimming, more swimming, and the occasional taekwondo kick to the face. You want a unique perspective on the Beijing Games? This is the place to be. Just don’t expect there to be any fresh coffee.

Michael Phelps is signing an endorsement deal for IHOP somewhere in exchange for free 5,000-calorie breakfasts for life.

Usain Bolt is concocting new ways to hot dog and high-step so he’ll have some records left to break in 2012.

And I’m somehow still awake watching NBC replay the closing ceremony and Turkish oil wrestling highlights (now there’s the next event!)

Spending the majority of the past sixteen days engulfed in Olympic coverage wasn’t always a treat, but the memories I’ll take with me will last a lifetime … or at least four more years.

The visual treasures embedded in my mind aren’t what you’d expect them to be. Phelps’ record-breaking eight gold medals? Definitely wasn’t a cakewalk, but we saw it coming. Bolt’s ridonkulous sprints to history? Dude, his last name is Bolt.

Spanish synchronized swimmers dressed in ‘gangsta’ outfits, on the other hand? Now there’s something I’m never going to forget, or hopefully see again for the rest of my life.

So let’s toss the “memorable performances” and “winners and losers” aside for now. Here are my selections for the “Sweet 16″ — the lasting images that are off the beaten path …

China’s Liu Xiang retires, entire red-wigged nation cries … For the first time in a while, we witnessed how much one athlete can mean to an entire nation. While American media coverage was saturated with the Phelps Fest and the splice of America’s Sweethearts, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, I found it much more fascinating to scan through the countless images of China’s citizens bawling their eyes out because Xiang Liu couldn’t run the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the “Bird’s Nest.” This man represented the hope of an entire nation, but only in track and field. It’s not like he was their only shot at a gold medal in Beijing (heck, they won 51 of them).

It got me thinking — how many people in America would shed tears if Phelps pulled up lame in one of his heats, and coudn’t race towards any of his eight golds? Entirely different scenarios, yes, because the US is known for dominant swimmers while Liu was China’s chance to make an impact in largely unchartered territory. But I’m not sure we have one athlete that single-handedly carries the pride of our nation on his or her shoulders.

Don’t ever cross a Cuban taekwondo athlete, unless you want to lose teeth … Look, we all know taekwondo judging was on the crooked side, but that doesn’t justify going brainsick and belting a judge. Cuba’s Angel Matos definitely won the nomination for “Olympian Most Likely to Wind Up in a Nuthouse” when he delivered a kick reminiscent of ‘Bloodsport‘ to the face of match referee Chakir Chelbat. Still, how many people can say they’re the subject of 100 slide-by-slide YouTubes? One. That’s our good friend, Jose Offerman. Oh, and Castro will defend you, for whatever that’s worth.

Jamaicans know how to have a good time … For all the terrific performances by Bolt, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser, the sad fact is that many Americans watching at home are going to come away with one thing … they sure know how to rub it in. Bolt was even criticized by IOC prez Jacques Rogge for reveling too early in his 100-meter finish. But what about Fraser? She seemingly paraded down the track about five times as long as it took to win her 100-meter gold, even rolling around with the flag at one point. For me, the showboating won’t tarnish her performance, but I did find myself saying “all right, enough already” — and I would have still said it even if it was an American rejoicing.

George Bush knows how to have an AWESOME time … If there was anyone on this planet who could show the Jamaicans a thing or two about the right way to party, it’s definitely G.W. If you missed his hysterical jaunt to Beijing, don’t fret. You can relive the power of the Bush in this gallery here. Just beware the ‘chalk’ pranks and volleyball butt slaps.

Paraguay’s Leryn Franco didn’t win a medal, but won our hearts … In all the ‘Attractive Olympian’ posts we ran in FanHouse, there’s wasn’t one mention of this mysterious javelin beauty — a massive oversight, to say the least. Thanks to Fourth-Place Medal for cracking the mystery and discovering her identity. To amend for not featuring her earlier, here’s a gallery to make your heart sing for Paraguay. Viva la Franco!

Spain’s synchronized ‘homies’ … There are probably synchronized swimmers out there that think their sport is unfairly lambasted — that they’re just one long running joke started by Martin Short in a classic ‘SNL’ skit. But how do you expect to be respected when you get banned from wearing suits with lights on them, and then follow it up with a ‘gangsta’ encore. Tone down the makeup five shades, invest in a can of hair spray instead of hair gel, and most importantly, stop looking so freaky … then maybe people will respect the skills behind the show. Then again, maybe it won’t truly be ’synchronized swimming’ if that happened. Kind of like Dennis Rodman without dyed hair, tattoos and piercings.

Ara Abrahamian doesn’t need your stinking medal … More judging controversy, and more hilarity ensues. Abrahamian left the podium immediately after receiving the bronze medal, then placed it down as if he was saying, “Pick this piece of crap up.” Then it turns out that Abrahamian actually had a right to be angry, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport — his penalty wasn’t assessed until after the round. One thing is for sure: they’re definitely recycling that medal and giving it to the trap shooters.

Meet Rohullah Nikpai, the hero of Afghanistan … Eight medals will be worth countless endorsements for Phelps, but the Afghan taekwondo bronze winner is the proud recipient of … get this … a new house, a Toyota sedan, and $20,000 from the owner of the country’s main cellphone network. That’s what you get for being the first Afghan ever to win an Olympic medal. Let’s face it… legendary US swimmer Matt Biondi could walk the streets without anyone recognizing him now. But Nikpai will be swamped with love and adulation for a single bronze. And we’re here quibbling about China beating us in gold count?

Germany’s Thomasz Wylenzek faints in his canoe
… and in a completely unrelated incident …
Japan’s Kobayashi Hiromi faints in the pool … Wylenzek and his teammate Christian Gille really knew what it took to get me turned on to canoes. Fainting! In the process of winning the silver medal in the double 1,000-meter final, they crashed into a buoy and Wylenzek took a dip. He turned out to be OK, but days later, a synchronized swimmer followed suit. Hiromi hyperventilated as Japan’s synchronized routine ended, and the other team members climbed out of the pool more concerned about their scores. The press officer’s response? “She is a very nervous athlete,” he said. “She is good. Don’t worry.” Thanks guy. As if the sight of the wacky routine wasn’t off-putting enough.

You want human rights? How about the right to wear adult diapers while buried under boxes? … I’m a big fan of filmmaker Zhang Yimou’s work. ‘House of Flying Daggers’ was great stuff. Performers being forced to wear adult diapers for his crafted opening ceremony is a far cry from flying daggers. Especially when it involved nearly 900 performers under 40-pound boxes for at least six hours. But hey, the Chinese invention of movable type, that involved “suffering and sacrifice” too, right?

Something called ‘Dressage’ will be back, but Jennie Finch will not … So, let me get this straight. A ’sport’ that involves people wearing silly top hats and suits while training horses will stick in the Olympics. But flamethrower Jennie Finch and USA softball will never be back? I wonder how NBC did on ratings and Web site searches for dressage results compared to Finch. Let’s get rid of dressage and bring back softball. At least there’s no mess over judges for the women.

Chinese cheerleaders have a future in sporting events … For the most part, there was way, way too much volleyball. Yet not enough of the cheerleaders who deserved a gold medal of their own (bringing the mighty total to 52!). The rainy final was interesting to say the least, and it wasn’t because Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh exchanged high fives every two seconds.

Handball is an Olympic sport? Bring it on. … Right. So we got the endless hours of beach volleyball, swimming, and even diving from NBC’s masterminds. But where was handball on prime-time display? That and BMX were two of the underrated events that deserved more coverage. They involve blood, crashes, and as the legendary ‘Razor Ramon’ would say, “oozing machismo” …

Tajikistan’s Dzhakhon Kurbanov bites his opponent, citizens of Kazakhstan collectively scoff at him … I definitely think this was Mike Tyson’s vicarious revenge for not getting to represent US boxing in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Maybe he coached Kurbanov on the side? The harder part of watching the bizarre infraction and subsequent disqualification was seeing them try to announce that Kazakhstan’s Yerkebulan Shynaliyev won the bout.

Kim Jong Su, a sport shooter, gets booted for doping. And even horses banned too! … We learned that the Olympics are not safe from drugs, even in the most mind-boggling scenarios. Using propanolol to pick up medals in shooting? The only thing more pathetic than that is being a team jumping horse that was suspended for a banned pain reliever. And not just any pain reliever. We’re talking about Capsaicin, a derivative of chili peppers. And not just one horse — four horses.

And that’s my Sweet 16 of Beijing. I’m going to slip into a sleep coma now and dream of being struck by a javelin from Franco. Feel free to share some Olympic memories of your own with me at ThomasHerrera07 [at] aol.com.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

If Usain Bolt Wants to Play Football, He Can Enter the 2009 NFL Draft

Filed under: Americas

There is absolutely no reason to think that Usain Bolt wants to play in the NFL. He’s the best sprinter in the world and may become the best sprinter ever, he’ll make millions in endorsement income as a three-time gold medalist, and American football isn’t particularly popular in Jamaica.

But I’ve heard from several football fans who think Bolt, who’s 6-foot-5 and the fastest man in the world, would be a great NFL player. So could it happen?

If he wants it to happen, it could, but not until 2009. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk quotes NFL spokesman Greg Aiello saying:

“If an individual calls us and wants to know if he is eligible for the draft, we ask him a series of questions before we give him an answer. When did he graduate from high school? Did he attend college? Have Usain give us a call.”

The issue of high school and college is a matter of the league’s minimum age rule, and since Bolt is 22 years old, he would be eligible. So yes, if Bolt wants to play, he can tell the NFL, and they’ll make him eligible for the 2009 draft.

And if he actually did want to play football — to really commit himself to the sport — I believe he’d be a first-day draft pick. NFL general managers go ga-ga over guys with size and speed, and there’s never been anyone in human history with the size and speed of Bolt.

Of course, it’s not actually going to happen. But it’s fun to think about seeing Usain Bolt, in a helmet and shoulder pads, going long.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

IOC Prez Doesn’t Like Usain Bolt’s Celebrations, Either

Filed under: Americas, Beijing

Okay, the hot button quizable has gone from “is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian ever” to “what do you think about Usain Bolt’s celebrations”.

IOC president Jock Rock Jacques Rogge has an answer to the latter question:

“That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge said.

“I have no problem with him doing a show. I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters.”

Bolt was so far ahead in the 100 meters that he began celebrating meters before he crossed the finish line, showing up his rivals.

“I understand the joy,” Rogge said. “He might have interpreted that in another way, but the way it was perceived was, ‘Catch me if you can.’ You can’t do that. But he’ll learn. He’s still a young man.”

Actually, he can do that. That’s part of being the World’s Fastest Man. I know that we American’s like showboating (even if we publically say we don’t) and all stuff we like is bad, but that doesn’t it make it forbidden for anyone to do it.

Oh, and why are you worried about it? Shouldn’t you be looking into underage girls winning medals? Cheating is more disrespectful that a man playing within the rules enjoying his amazing win.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Usain Bolt Wins Olympic 200 Meter Gold, Sets New World Record of 19.30 Seconds

Filed under: Americas

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt completed his sprint double gold medal today in Beijing, winning the 200 meters in 19.30 seconds, a new world record.

Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles won the silver. American Wallace Spearmon finished third but was disqualified for stepping out of his lane, so fourth-place finisher Shawn Crawford of the United States received the bronze medal.

Bolt, who previously set a new world record of 9.69 seconds in the 100 meters, is the first athlete to win both the 100 and the 200 since Carl Lewis in 1984. Bolt is only 21 years old, and track experts are nearly unanimous in saying that a good coach could improve his technique. There’s every reason to believe that he will be a dominant sprinter for years to come. He has the talent to become the greatest ever.

American Michael Johnson set the previous 200-meter world record of 19.32 seconds at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a record that felt at the time like it was unbreakable. But no one knew at the time about a 9-year-old Jamaican named Usain Bolt.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bob Costas, Ato Boldon Rip Usain Bolt for ‘Disrespectful’ 100-Meter Celebration

Filed under: Americas

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt is one of the stories of the Olympic Games, a stunning sprinter whose world record performance in winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash won’t soon be forgotten.

Unfortunately, the way Bolt finished the 100-meter dash — by celebrating, yelling and slapping his chest before crossing the finish line — won’t soon be forgotten, either. There is talk that Bolt might have intentionally slowed down in an attempt to keep the world record within reach of him breaking it again, and today on NBC, both Olympics host Bob Costas and track and field commentator (and former Olympic sprinter) Ato Boldon criticized Bolt’s actions.

Costas called Bolt’s disrespectful to his competitors, to the Olympic Games and to the fans who deserved to see Bolt at his best. And Boldon went even further: “It was a display that should not have been there,” Boldon said. “You kids at home, this is not how you behave as an Olympic champion.”

Although I love watching Bolt run and think he seems like a fine young man, I have to agree with Costas and Boldon: Bolt didn’t finish the race the way he should have. I hope he wins the gold in the 200 meters, and I hope he runs at full speed until he crosses the finish line.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Was Usain Bolt’s Premature 100-Meter Dash Celebration Financially Motivated?

Filed under: Americas

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt easily won the 100-meter dash gold medal this weekend, blowing away the field for the first 80 meters or so before celebrating, coasting and showboating his way across the finish line, still setting a world record of 9.69 seconds but probably costing himself at least a tenth of a second with his finish.

Most fans watching at home probably just assumed Bolt became excited when he realized how far ahead he was, and that’s why he celebrated. But Darren Rovell of CNBC makes a great point: Bolt might have had a financial incentive to slow down before he crossed the finish line.

Rovell writes:

You see, the reason Usain Bolt didn’t push through and finish in 9.60 seconds instead of 9.69 is — as the rumor goes — because he’s smart. He didn’t want to kill his gravy train.

Runners often get six figure bonuses for doing things like breaking world records and if you study the previous four times the 100 meter has been broken over the last three years, it’s never been by more than .03 seconds. Asafa Powell (9.77) broke Maurice Greene’s record (9.79). Justin Gatlin (9.76) broke the record of Powell, who broke it back a little more than a year later (9.74). That stood until Bolt broke the record (9.72) in May.

So, the conspiracy theory goes, that Bolt knew before the race that he had to win the race and take the gold, but not push it too much, otherwise he’d kill his opportunity at future bonuses.

If Bolt gets a bonus every time he breaks a world record, and if he knows he’s capable of running the 100-meter dash in the 9.55-second range, he might just decide to keep lowering the record by a couple hundredths of a second with each successive race, and not burn himself out by setting a record that he himself can’t break. That doesn’t exactly mesh with our ideals of what the Olympics are supposed to be about, but it’s hard to blame the guy for wanting to milk every dollar he can out of being the world’s fastest man.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments