2012 London Games: Nobody Can Catch Usain Bolt

The first thing I should note, as I couldn’t keep track of the Jamaicans smoking the U.S., is that Usain Bolt is really the greatest track showman. He’s a showboat, a demigod and a natural-born athlete, the sprinting sensation of the world, which affirms he’s The World’s Fastest Man. Nobody can keep up with Bolt, let alone the Americans, an amazing talent running the greatest footraces of these London Games.

Lightning Bolt is the hero of the Olympics, a new theme of track and field. It’s the greatest show in the world by a man who is merely described as the fastest man alive, born with a gift to run for his life and break world records as we become crazy about the Usain Bolt Show. His countryman, Yohan Blake, the 100 and 200-meter silver medalist, handed over the baton and, man, Bolt pulled away in the final leg to blaze across the finish line with a time of 36.84 seconds. I was impressed by him and dropped my jaw Saturday night, as always, when Bolt anchored Jamaica’s world-record performance in the 4×100 relay, breaking its own record in its gold-medal medal victory.

Walt Disney released a film called “Cool Runnings” years ago. The movie was based on a true story about a Jamaican bobsled team that raced at the Winter Olympics. The folks at Disney — as Bolt has been entertaining and electrifying to characterize the nature of track and field events in these games — should choose to make a sequel to “Cool Runnings” and call it Lightning Bolt. The motion picture, after all, would be a seller and top the movie’s box office as one of the greatest sports films of all-time.

It was, after all, the prelude to an Olympic dream, and Bolt cemented his place as one of the greatest runners of all time. There’s no denying it — we are watching Bolt blossom into a legend of these London Games before our very eyes, after sustaining excellence of defending three championships. He is hailed as the Michael Jordan of track stars, captivating 80,000 in Olympic Stadium, with his incredible feet, agility and will to win during his prime as millions across the world respects him rightfully so. The night for Great Britain was filled with euphoria, as well, when Mo Farah beat Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel in the men’s 5,000-meter final to go with his 10,000 gold, perhaps more impressive than watching Bolt and Bailey in the final leg that concluded with a dramatic finish. Bolt is the most coveted of all Olympians and pulled away from American Ryan Bailey, an impressive run in the final leg of the race, while a rambunctious crowd erupted in cheers and wildly screamed.

My eyes, however, were glued to Bolt the entire time, and no one else. He is, without argument, an Olympic legend, no matter what IOC president Jacques Rogge thinks about his legacy, saying Bolt is not yet there. The rest of the world thinks he wasn’t only the star of the sport, but feels he took another step toward moving into the company of all-time great Carl Lewis, who Bolt ripped earlier this week. If not now, eventually we’ll have no choice but to call him a legend, surpassing Lewis as the most decorated sprinter in Olympic history. Most of all, however, he’s wore the Jamaican flag around his shoulders and gold medals around his neck three times. It’s no fluke that Bolt dominated the 100 and 200-meter with his God-given speed when, rather amazingly, he’s the most relentless athlete the world has ever seen and embraced.

There’s no one as fast as Bolt, a near-perfectionist and the greatest sprinter, running all the way to claim his third gold medal of these London Games and sixth in two summer games. There’s no one who runs harder than Bolt, not right now at least. There’s nothing more breathtaking and wonderful in sports than Bolt. You were delighted, thrilled, essentially falling out of your seat, wondering how the heck he runs so quick. The most athletic runner in London is Bolt. This is a guy who once, with a straight face, said he’s the best of all-time and he’s right about it.

That’s no lie.

But what about the United States? From the moment American Tyson Gay was handed the baton, he had trouble keeping up with Blake, who outran him to give Bolt a huge lead. The handoff from Gay to Justin Gatlin was anything but perfect. But if we’ve learned anything, besides understanding that Bolt is by far the greatest, it’s that Bailey can somehow stay with the fastest man in history. This is not to say, mind you, that he can edge Bolt in a race, because it’s not seemingly possible and won’t ever happen. As time progressed during the race, Bolt had to run all the way and beat Bailey to the finish. There’s no doubt Bailey, 23, is an emerging U.S. track star, not intimidated to compete and endure a challenging footrace against Bolt.

Short of the finish — as Jamaica dominated again — a common trait of the Jamaican culture, the Americans finished second in a time of 37.04 and captured silver. As for Bailey, he’s the emerging U.S track star for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where he looks to compete and avenge a gold-medal loss against Bolt, who had to run at full speed. This time, Bolt had to actually give it his best effort, like having to accelerate and run all the way until he reached the finish line, just enough to hold off the Americans. Bolt couldn’t slow down and celebrate prematurely, but when he delivered a signature performance, he performed gold-medal winner Farah’s famous salute.

The Jamaicans were running for one purpose, and indeed they brought home the gold, as defending three titles was Bolt’s stated goal. The Jamaicans are celebrating, and among all sprinters, Bolt is partying the most. But as long as Bolt is around, he will be the man to beat. With him around, Jamaica has sustained historic achievements.

Oh No, Canada: Luge Tragedy Casts Gloom on Winter Games

Because the Olympics are most famous, at a time the greatest athletes unite and compete globally in the beautiful scenery of British Columbia, experiencing a freak accident that suddenly turned into a devastating tragedy wasn’t anticipated.

There have been too many crashes in one week during practice runs, but organizers ignored the possibility of a fatality, unprepared for a crestfallen disaster to shift people's moods and consciousness.

Before the lighting of the cauldron in the opening ceremonies on Friday night, the entire world mourned the sudden death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year old luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

There’s nothing better than attempting to capture a quest that athletes wish for at a young age. But, unfortunately, suffering from a fast-track accident cut his life short. Around the world, tears dropped and candles were ignited, sadden by the shocking news.

Welcome to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, where it's still hard to imagine a death on opening day. The assumptions of what took place in the last 24 hours brings on alarming perceptions in the aftermath of an outlandish calamity, a wicked crash that presumably could have been prevented?

Ready to face the world’s greatest Olympians, a young athlete immediately died after traveling at a ridiculous speed in Curve 15, losing control on a 270-degree turn and crashing in the final curve, all while traveling at nearly 90 mph and flying over the wall, slamming into an unprotected steel pole.

By the time the rescue staff intended to Kumaritashvili, trying to revive him trackside by pumping his chest and performing mouth-to-mouth, he was pronounced dead.

Were there enough signs that the track wasn’t safe for the sport suddenly known as a deathbed? Could this have been addressed, before it became a disheartening episode?

Yes. For much of the week leading up to Friday night’s spectacle, plenty of evidence uncovered that the track was too dangerous and vulnerable to a fatal crash.

Well, it’s a bit too late, when a life has been taken away. But it’s a valuable lesson and the International luge officials are moving on promptly, regretful of the agonizing current events.


Earlier this week, ignoring the ugly crash on the same track was a mistake, and irresponsible on the organizers and officials. There was a Romanian athlete unconscious for a short moment after a bitter crash.

Being unsure of the track has caused problematic crashes that remains unclear, but whatever is triggering a large amount of collisions is a damn shame.

When a sport is comprised of tracks and steel poles, speed standard regulations must be taken into accountability to hinder crashes as much as possible.

So what are the plans to rectify the issue?

Officials have made progress by building a 12-foot-high wooden wall to cover the steel beams. Sad thing is, a death had to happen for them to realize how the track wasn’t properly secured for the sport.

Before practice resumed, workers shaped the edges of the ice at the last curve. For months, though, organizers have raised concern about the course, what is verified as the Course of Horror.

Shame on the organizers and officials for not detecting the problem sooner. Instead, all those overseeing the events lagged and failed in deliberating on whether it was harmless and protected from any danger.

Seventy-three crashes resulted during practice runs. Oh, well, no one cared.

They were apathetic when a racer conveyed that the possibility of crashing was immense. Oh, well, no one offered concern in reducing the riskiness.

No one had the intentions of figuring out or fixing the track, when Australian luger Hannah Campbell-Pegg was seen terrified and cried for help. Isn’t that enough to tell lugers to BEWARE OF DANGER, KEEP OUT OF REACH OF LUGERS?

That’s a sensible sign the organizers may have considered before an Olympic star died on a defective course. It doesn’t take long to realize the sport is threatening lives.

Of late, plenty of luge athletes are leery to test out the track, petrified and stunned in the aftermath.

Sadly, Canada is uttering OH NO CANADA. The refinement of the Winter Games is suddenly gloomy, and just as very little snow continues to fall, the rainy skies are indications of agony.

Whether Canada is proud of hosting the 2010 Winter Games, revealing their cultural aspects with touching spectacles, athletes and spectators are not going to dismiss the excruciating memories of a luger suffering more than a brutal injury, but a senseless death that was avoidable if organizers and officials never mishandled the troubles.

On their home soil, Canadians try to dispel the awful tragedy, ready to compete and stockpile gold medals for the first time at home.

In fairness, we cannot help but to keep the death of Kumaritashvili in our minds, compassionate and alarmed of the overwhelming anticlimax.

During the opening ceremony inside the B.C. Place, Kumaritashvili was paid a tribute in a moment of silence and the P.A announcer announced that the ceremony was being dedicated to Kumaritashvili.

Out of respect, the Olympics owed it to a fallen athlete, who traveled to Canada chasing Olympic gold.

It’s a shame the committees and organizers paid no mind to a death track. In what is an awful prelude to the greatest sporting event in the world, athletes from across the world will compete with heavy hearts, after tears dripped from their hurtful faces sitting at the ceremony.

For a bit of advice, maybe they should have read Campbell-Pegg's lips loud and clear.

“I think they are pushing it a little too much. To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies?” She said. “I mean, this is our lives.”

She’s right. This is their lives.

Yet, it has cost someone their life.


There were enough safety warnings but Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, wasn’t concerned and issued a statement on the tragedy at a news conference numbed with the stunning development.

“This is a very sad day. The IOC is in deep mourning,” he said. “Kumaritashvili lost his life pursuing his passion. I have no words to say what we feel. It clearly casts a shadow over these games.”

Certainly, anytime someone leaves earth.

And still he’s in denial and embarrassed of the recent turmoil, yet to acknowledge the issue.

“I’m sorry, this is a time of sorrow,” he said.

Really, I felt it was a suitable time to address an ongoing issue.

“It’s not the time to ask for reasons,” he said. “That time will come.”

How about telling us now, Jacques? Guess the course passed inspection after thoroughly investigating the cause of the crashes. Expected earlier today was men’s training, as well as four runs of the men’s competition that gets under way later.

It’s also expected to take place at the women’s starting ramp, where the speed is slower and should be easier to navigate after Luge officials postponed training to tweak the Whistler Sliding Center track.

The International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympic officials said Friday night the investigation revealed that the crashes were triggered by human error and that there weren’t evidence of track defects.

That’s hard to believe, when a number of accidents have taken place on the same course.

My question ... is it really safe?