I would be more inclined to think they are utterly magical. Before anyone asks, I am not talking about magical ages – this is not my rant blog, and if a post is to end up there about such matters, it would only be because it is completely overshadowing some of the most magical and memorable moments in Olympic History. This post shall only be used to remind people of this, and perhaps we can all take a moment and appreciate the courage, commitment and wonder of these practically ignored athletes triumphs.
One of the most obvious ones comes from Gymnastics. While everyone is talking about Gymnasts ages, they have completely ignored 33 year old mother of one, Oksana Chusovitina. Bucking the currently accepted ideal that younger gymnasts have the advantage, Oksana took an individual Silver medal in the Vault finals.
Oksana started competing for the former USSR and then Uzbekistan upon is dissolution. She moved to Germany in 2006 when her son was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia. She competes as a member of the German Gymnastics team in an effort to raise prize money to pay for his treatment. Indeed we hope this Olympic Silver will go a long way to assisting her personal cause and we wish for her son a long life. It would be the greatest testament to her strength and commitment to him.
Another wonderful story of the Olympics is Australia’s own Anna Meares. 8 months ago in NYC, Anna was involved in a horrific cycling accident in which her neck was broken and her career and dreams were laying in tatters on that track.
Despite what could be considered insurmountable odds, Anna, still unable to support her own head sat back on her bike and kept going. Only 8 months later she was to be rewarded with her very own individual Silver Medal. Not only did she have to overcome the injury and heal, but the memory of the accident which could have ended her career and life. We can overcome anything to do what it is we truly want to do – Anna Meares is a testament to that.
When Sally McLellan qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she had done what she had set out to do. When Sally McLellan qualified for the Womens 100m Finals, she believed she had done the best she could ever have expected to do. When Sally McLellan won the Silver Medal – she had surpassed her every expectation.
“
We were the underdogs” 
says Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. “Nobody expected anything out of all three of us”
The most rewarding image of the Olympic games is the two women who reminded us that Gold is not lost – but Silver and Bronze are won. Some athletes have let their reputation, their countries expectations – and dare I say it, their own egos shape defining moments in their lives in every ones minds. The look of disappointment and failure in their own eyes speaks volumes about the level of media attention heaped upon them. While I am well aware that there is some of us that accept nothing less than the absolute best, some comments I have read such as “If it isn’t gold, don’t bother coming home” are certainly not the norm – or at least, they shouldn’t be. No one has that attitude about a division 3 lottery win. Well it ain’t Division one, so don’t bother collecting it – right? Not likely. When you expect to come home with only the “thrill of competing”, a medal – any medal may as well be gold. When you don’t compete at all – you have already lost.
Perhaps the most memorable moment will be reserved for the extremely brave athlete who overcome personal grief and turned it into the strength he needed to be the best. I am speaking of course of Matthias Steiner.
Matthias started lifting weights in Austria but after some differences with his team, he moved to Germany, married and applied for citizenship. In July 2007, his wife of 3 years, Susann was tragically killed in a car accident. They had planned on attending Beijing together. Receiving his citizenship in early 2008, Steiner returned to competition and in August 2008 on the last lift of the night, lifted 258kgs in the clean and jerk to seal a golden victory by 1kg. He stood at the top of the dais with a photo of his late wife.
After these Olympics end tomorrow, no doubt many will still remember these games for the question of the Chinese Gymnasts – a controversy that has hogged the headlines despite a lack of any credible evidence. Some people have even gone as far as to audaciously claim that these were the worst Olympics, and that China should never host again. These people need a reality check, and perhaps a little trip into history of the Games (1972 Munich Massacre and 1996 Atlanta Bombing) and even perhaps into their own countries distasteful history with China. They have provided a safe and secure environment and a very magical Olympic games. They have a lot to be proud of. I just hope that some of us have made the same wonderful impression on them.
