I have a dirty little secret. The first sport that I was ever captivated by or wanted to attend, was NASCAR. "Well Taylor", you might say, "why is that so bad? Lots of people love NASCAR, you have no reason to be ashamed of that". You'd be absolutely right. NASCAR is a league loved by millions of people, with a hardcore fan base among the most rabid in all of sports. The problem is that many don't even consider NASCAR, or in a more general sense, auto racing, a sport. It's seen more as a competitive activity and because of the supposed lack of athleticism involved in driving, not worthy of being in the same category as basketball, football or soccer. Then why do so many people tune into for Dale Jr, Jeff, Smoke and Darrell Waltrip catchphrases every Sunday? Because NASCAR is the most definitive type of competition we have; a race. Everybody understands a race. Point A to point B. No scoring, judging, or refereeing. A race determines who's the fastest, no questions asked. It's the reason I started to love NASCAR when I was five. The winner was the one who got there first? Easy. Races bring us together because we don't have to understand, we just have to watch.
On Sunday afternoon, through the buffering of my video feed, I watched the greatest race I've ever seen. It only lasted 10 seconds (unless you're an Asafa Powell fan), but it was one of the most compelling events I've ever seen in sports. The eight competitors involved all brought very interesting stories, but more importantly, incredibly fast times into the race. Ryan Bailey, the 23 year old who was living in a car a few years ago, ran a personal best 9.88 in the prelims and may be the next big thing in American sprinting. Powell was trying to breakthrough for his first individual Olympic medal, having been the bridesmaid of elite sprinting for the last eight years. American Tyson Gay, the second fastest man in history, coming off a year away because of injury and one of the classiest guys in all of sports, just wanted to be the fastest man that ever lived. Justin Gatlin, the disgraced 2004 Olympic Champion, was trying to make everyone forget about the four year doping ban that turned him from a star to an outcast. Finally, Yohan Blake, the youngest 100m world champion of all time, attempted to unseat his legendary training partner and create his own legacy. So many great stories were involved that the race felt more like a title fight than a sprint. Even with all that, only one guy mattered, the man they all came to see, the guy that always seems to get to the line first, "the great man," Usain Bolt.
I had an interaction regarding Bolt on Sunday that helped me understand how he has touched people in a way no other sprinter has since Jessie Owens. My grandmother, a pretty spry and sharp 94, has reached the point where she needs constant, around the clock care. Her caretaker on Sunday was an incredibly nice Jamaican woman named Kimone. When Kimone heard I was watching the semifinals of the 100m on my phone, she wanted me to update her on the races. After Bolt cruised to a semifinal victory, making world class sprinting look easy as only he can, I went to inform Kimone of his victory. Upon hearing the news, she pumped her fist and exclaimed "Yes!" with a joy that couldn't have been more obvious even if she tried. She asked how he looked in the race. I said simply, "He's incredible" to which she replied, "He's the best". At this point, we both couldn't stop smiling. For me, it was watching a man who I was supposed to root against because of his nationality, but couldn't because of his talent. The wonder that he brings to running is nothing like I've ever seen. For her, it was the continued success of the greatest icon her country has ever produced. A man who has probably brought more honor and prestige to Jamaica than anybody in their history. I don't think that American's completely understand what these great athletes mean to the smaller nations. The popularity that Bolt has in Jamaica or that Kirani James enjoys in Grenada are completely different than what we feel toward our Olympic heroes like Phelps or Douglas. The performance that all nine men put on in the final were immense. I mean, it was the fastest race ever. However, Bolt was in a class by himself. He was a man among boys in the greatest 100 meter race in history. An athlete who has eclipsed being a phenom and become a legend.
I heard that after I left, the people still at the house had asked Kimone if she wanted to know the outcome of the final. She resisted for a bit, how I don't know, because she wanted to watch it on TV later. After hearing that Bolt had once again cemented himself has the fastest man who ever lived, she asked that no one to tell her how Bolt celebrated after the race. How he celebrated? No one in America has ever cared how Michael Phelps celebrated. That's Bolt's effect though. It's what the 9.63 seconds he's on the track can do to you. It doesn't matter whether your from Jamaica, America or Great Britain. He makes a race that's supposed to be easy to understand, a concept that is simple, into something extraordinary. Jamaica's treasure brings people together to cheer as one, because during the race on Sunday he did more than just make us watch. He made us wonder.
Weekend Quick Hits:
- After their game against Colombia, I talked about how the USWNT was going with a, "kill of be killed attitude" in their effort to defend their Olympic title. Well, that 4-3 extra time thriller against Canada on Monday was the epitome of that. It was the best soccer match I've ever seen because it had everything. Stakes, drama, goals, bad refereeing, physicality and feats of individual brilliance. Hats off to Christine Sinclair and Megan Rapinoe who put on a show over the course of about 25 minutes in the middle of the second half. The Fiver named it the best knockout match in major tournament football since 1982 and Grant Wahl of SI called it one of the best games he's ever seen. I don't have the same depth of knowledge about soccer as them, but I readily agree.
- Lost a little in Bolt's triumph was the amazing comeback story of Justin Gatlin. As you probably know by now, Gatlin served a four year doping suspension after winning the Olympic and World titles in successive years. Give it up to Gatlin who reclaimed glory in a sport where he made himself an outcast.
- Spare a moment for Tyson Gay, who didn't medal even after running a blistering 9.80. He is the second fastest man of all time, running 9.69 in 2009, but has had injuries bring him down the last few years. Gay, who is not as boisterous as guys like Bolt, Gatlin or Yohan Blake, tweeted this after the race. The guy is so classy its ridiculous. I hope that Gay, who turns 30 on August 9th, can get through his injuries and stick it out a few more years. The sport of track and field is a better place with him in it.
- This Kirani James story is one you need to know. The 19 year old from Grenada won the first medal in his country's history when he dominated the field in the 400m final on Monday night. He is the first non American to ever run sub 44 seconds in the event, which is notable considering no Americans were in the 400m final for the first time in forever. The fluff piece NBC did about his connection to Grenada was touching, and James' act of sportsmanship toward double leg amputee Oscar Pistorius after their semifinal race was noble. Bravo, Kirani. Looking forward to seeing more of you in the future.
- Aly Raisman is finally golden. After years of sitting in the shadows of more hyped teammates and opponents, Raisman is leaving these games with two golds and a bronze after winning the floor competition and placing third in beam finals. I'm so happy for Raisman who by all accounts, works as hard as anybody and thrives in her role as team leader/anchor. Not sure she'll be back for Rio, but like Gay with track, gymnastics is a better sport with class people like Raisman around.
- Everybody seems to be jumping on the McKayla Maroney train right now. I don't like to do this, but I've been there for awhile. Just saying.
- Shout out to Sanya Richards-Ross who finally got her individual gold medal at the Olympics in the 400 meters. Also, props Jenn Suhr who beat pole vault queen Yelena Isinbeyeva to win gold. Isinbeyeva was interesting to watch. Her reactions to everything were so unique. I can see why she's compelling
- The two USA men's beach volleyball teams were both knocked out over the weekend. Unfortunately, I missed both matches, but its very unfortunate that neither pair was able to grab a medal. Weirdly shocking to be honest.
That's where I'm going to leave it. Thanks for reading as always. Going to do a team sports report because most of this post featured individual athletes. Also planning a couple other things for the next couple days. Follow me on Twitter @TaylorSmyth10. Man, the Olympics are fun! Can't wait for the last few days, and I hope you feel the same.
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