The glorious Olympics

Denise Oppenhagen
Published: August 23, 2008

Every four years, I sit in front of the television, glued with interest to hours of coverage. No, I’m not talking about presidential conventions and election results. I’m talking about the summer Olympics, held
this year in Beijing, China. 

I love the Olympics. When I was a kid, I wanted to compete in the Olympics. To me, the athletes were incredible. Our athletes were all amateurs — even the basketball team. It makes their wins much
more impressive than the wins of the “Dream Team” and the “Redeem Team.” There was no talk about doping back then (with the exception of the East Germans). The American athletes that made it to
the pinnacle of their sport did it without major financial backing, without endorsements, without publicity until the Games themselves. 

Our key competitor then was the USSR. Losing the gold medal in basketball for the first time in 1972 (and to the USSR) was indescribable. The American team refused to accept their silver medals, so
angry were they at the controversy that gave the gold medal to the Soviets. That heartbreak is only softened by the ecstasy of the win over the Soviets in ice hockey in 1980.

Back to these, the 2008 Games.  The Beijing Games will probably be known as the Michael Phelps Olympics. His successes were incredible. 

I cheered at the television and screamed at Phelps to swim. The win over the French in the first relay was spectacular. Phelps’ win in the 100m by .01 seconds — so close it had to be looked at several
times — was historical. 

As stunningly wonderful as Phelps’ .01 second win was, Dara Torres’ loss by the same margin..  Dara Torres, in her fifth Olympic Games, aged 42 — yes, 42 years old — and a mother of a two-year
old — lost the gold medal in her race by .01 seconds. What a terrific accomplishment for her (and for those of us around her age). She wasn’t really expected to do well at all. And there she was right in
the hunt. 

Two notes about Dara Torres.  There are suspicions that Torres is using drugs. 

What an insult — the only reason a woman in her 40’s can do well in competition is by cheating? 

There are no suspicions about the achievements of 23-year old Michael Phelps. I’m not sure if the double standard is due to Torres’ age or her gender. But both she and Phelps have voluntarily submitted
to blood tests over and above those required by the United States Olympic Committee. 

My other note about Torres regards her sportsmanship. In one of her heats, a competitor’s swimsuit ripped. Torres tried to help her fix it and then the other swimmer went to quickly change. Torres,
instead of focussing on the race, instead went to the judges to make sure they knew about the situation and that they would hold the race until the entire field was there. How many athletes would do
that? Girls looking for a role model could do much worse than Dara Torres.

Swimming is only one sport in the summer games. I love watching beach volleyball and, of course, basketball. Gymnastics are thrilling (and nerve-wracking). I’m lucky to be able to walk on a balance
beam. Turning? Jumping? Not a chance. Track and field can be exciting, as can diving. I don’t really get the point to synchronized diving, which is a relatively new Olympic sport. 

I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect from the games this time. But despite little snafus (lip-syncing little girls, yellow-shirted seat fillers), once again, in the end, the human spirit and
sportsmanship reigned and the wonder of human achievement awed. I love these Games.

Denise Oppenhagen is a longtime resident of Prince William County and can be reached at .