Catching the Olympic Fever

First of all, I celebrate because I finally got my Suncell wi-fi broadband unit back! That's reason to happy as I haven't blogged in a month. Blame that on a wi-fi that didn't connect to the world-wide web and a laptop that is so Jurassic it would put the sloth to shame.

Now that I mentioned the world-wide web, let me just say that I was impressed with Sir Thomas Berner Lee's appearance at the opening night of the 2012 Olympics in London. For some reason, I find that the opening ceremonies were understated but very impressive. Unlike the past Olympics which were a hodge-podge of pyrotechnics and hi-tech gadgetry, the London Olympics had a story line that traced Great Britain's history The entire gala was peppered with vignettes on Britain's accomplishments, their contributions to the world, their music, culture and a lot of tongue in cheek humor.

Photo from www.guardianuk.com

Even Mr. Bean, a.k.a. Rowan Atkinson had to take a back seat to Her Majesty, the Queen's cameo appearance with James Bond, a.k.a. Daniel Craig. That move on the part of the Queen was so uncharacteristic, everyone watching was so pleasantly surprised she agreed to take part in the ploy. Her Majesty shown jumping off the helicopter was of course, accomplished by a free diver. Later on she appears before a jovial crowd in the same outfit to open the games.

The Queen with Princess Anne and David Cameron. Photo from Guardian UK

I try so hard to follow the events in Solar sports, but god!!! Those commercials just bore me to bits. So far, China leads the medal tallies... like, big surprise!!!! USA comes in second. I was not at all surprised that swimming records set by Michael Phelps in Beijing started to crumble. These swimmers, both men and women, are shaped like sharks. Streamlined bodies and wide hands and feet (think Missy Franklin of USA with her size 13 feet) - all the better to move in the water with. So far, Ryan Lochte (Phelps' arch rival) is the new poster boy for swimming. He's won his second gold medal. However, there's some bit of controversy in the US swim world when even as Lochte is winning the medals, it's the women swimmers that are setting new world records. I adore Lochte's physique though... I've seen a bit of his training beyond his swimming routine... talk about pushing his limits!

Ryan Lochte after a heat enroute to the finals

Meanwhile, the big surprise is Kazakhstan. So far they have won 2 golds. North Korea is a revelation as well... they are third in the medals tally. Our athletes aren't doing well, actually. My heart goes out to them, really! I saw Haidylin Diaz in action... she did well in the snatch portion but gave in at the clean and jerk when she just couldn't sustain the weight above her head... I share her pain as she was leading at second place in her weight class before she buckled in the clean and jerk. China won the gold.  Our swimmer Lacuna was second to the last in his elimination heat. I didn't expect him to land anywhere near the other competitors... most of whom were longer and taller by at least half a foot.

Our ray of hope is young boxer Mark Barriga. He won over his Italian opponent in  his division making him eligible for the round of sixteen in the quarter finals. This young pugilist from Davao might surprise everyone just yet... Let's pray for his success.

Meanwhile, I can only gawk in awe at the marvelous specimens that are competing for gold medals. The divers get younger and younger... China took the gold in the synchronized diving events for men. Mexico edged out the US for silver. The host country could only place fourth. While in men's gymnastics the team events were won by China. Japan questioned the judges' decision on Kohei Yamamura's pommel horse routine. Japan got silver edging out Great Britain. Poor Ukraine team who was supposed to settle for bronze after a great showing settled for fourth and no medal.

Chen Yibing in perfect form

Our hopes may be a little dim but that won't stop me from watching all the other events until closing date in August 18. I made it to the Atlanta Olympics in  '96... a distant memory now... but the experience is sooo worth a lifetime!