I know, I know. I'm sorry. You're right, I've neglected you. Although I know you're not interested in excuses, I have been pretty busy. Yes, I understand, "all the more reason to post a few things to tell the world about it", that's true enough.
Okay, enough of that. In the nigh-on month since I last threw together a few haphazard thoughts on this very blog, I've mainly been revelling in the wonder that is Beijing 2008. Not the event itself, of course - I don't buy into the idea that a country's human rights abuses, denial of democracy and free speech and the wholesale social cleansing of its own people can be overcome by a really, really good sports tournament. I am, of course, talking about Team GB and their unparalleled success.
As I write this, what might be called a relatively mediocre day for Britain’s sportsmen and women has come to a close in the Chinese capital (1 gold, 2 silver, if memory serves, such is the height of the team's achievement in the velodrome and on the water over the last week or so). Some of the outstanding competitors our country has produced have bettered their already excellent records this time around, such as Chris Hoy’s fourth Olympic gold and Ben Ainslie’s 3rd. Even the athletics has provided some highlights, not least Christine Ohuruogu, who seems to have shaken off any dark clouds resulting in her missing 3 drugs tests prior to being banned for a year, and in the swimming pool Rebecca Adlington became Britain's most successful female swimmer ever.
What's more, this Olympics has seen two of the greatest individual sporting performances the world has ever seen. Michael Phelps's unprecedented achievement of winning 8 gold medals at a single meet (with records being broken left, right and centre in the process) is something truly exceptional. And the 91,000 spectators in the Bird's Nest Stadium were privileged enough to an awe-inspiring display from Jamaica's Usain Bolt, as he won gold and broke the world record in the final of both the 100 and 200 metres. Both men has legitimate claims as being the greatest Olympian of these games (to my mind Phelps has the edge) and both have cemented their place in the annals of sporting history. I would even go so far as to argue achievements of this kind, and the manner in which they were accomplished, transcend sport itself and stands within the grand narrative of our contemporary times.
Glad I got that off my chest. More soon folks.
Okay, enough of that. In the nigh-on month since I last threw together a few haphazard thoughts on this very blog, I've mainly been revelling in the wonder that is Beijing 2008. Not the event itself, of course - I don't buy into the idea that a country's human rights abuses, denial of democracy and free speech and the wholesale social cleansing of its own people can be overcome by a really, really good sports tournament. I am, of course, talking about Team GB and their unparalleled success.
As I write this, what might be called a relatively mediocre day for Britain’s sportsmen and women has come to a close in the Chinese capital (1 gold, 2 silver, if memory serves, such is the height of the team's achievement in the velodrome and on the water over the last week or so). Some of the outstanding competitors our country has produced have bettered their already excellent records this time around, such as Chris Hoy’s fourth Olympic gold and Ben Ainslie’s 3rd. Even the athletics has provided some highlights, not least Christine Ohuruogu, who seems to have shaken off any dark clouds resulting in her missing 3 drugs tests prior to being banned for a year, and in the swimming pool Rebecca Adlington became Britain's most successful female swimmer ever.
What's more, this Olympics has seen two of the greatest individual sporting performances the world has ever seen. Michael Phelps's unprecedented achievement of winning 8 gold medals at a single meet (with records being broken left, right and centre in the process) is something truly exceptional. And the 91,000 spectators in the Bird's Nest Stadium were privileged enough to an awe-inspiring display from Jamaica's Usain Bolt, as he won gold and broke the world record in the final of both the 100 and 200 metres. Both men has legitimate claims as being the greatest Olympian of these games (to my mind Phelps has the edge) and both have cemented their place in the annals of sporting history. I would even go so far as to argue achievements of this kind, and the manner in which they were accomplished, transcend sport itself and stands within the grand narrative of our contemporary times.Glad I got that off my chest. More soon folks.
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