Bethany Well

I went into the Olympics thinking that I wasn’t going to watch very much of it. I don’t even remember Sydney or Athens. In ’96, I was on a bus tour so we didn’t catch any of the Atlanta games. In ’92, there was the buzz about the dream team. But I probably have to go back to ’88 in the Seoul games to when I watched a lot of the Olympics. And I didn’t think that this year would be any different. However, I ended up finding myself watching the Olympics more than I have since ’88 (when I was 13).

Some of the great stories of the Games, from where I sat:

• Michael Phelps, US – His 8 gold medals were the story obviously. However, when I watch that 4×100 freestyle relay, I still get chills.
• Sanya Richards, US – She was leading the Women’s 400m final but faded down the stretch and ended up with a Bronze in a race she was favored to win. She won redemption in the 4x400m relay, where she tracked down the Russians and ended up with Gold.
• Usain Bolt, JAM – What a name. How could he not win the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in world record time no less.
• Men’s Volleyball, US – Ranked 9th in the world last year, they overcame the tragedy that befell their coach (whose father-in-law was killed during the Olympics) to beat the heavily favored Brazilians. First time in 20 years that they won the gold.
• Natalie du Toit, South Africa – She swam in the 6.2 mile open water swim for South Africa and finished 16th. Not a great story there, until you realize that she only has one leg. She almost made the Olympic team in 2000, but lost her leg in an automobile accident in 2001. She was back in the pool 5 months later. Truly a story of great perseverance.
• Oksana Chusovitina, GER – She won the silver medal in the Vault finals for Germany. Remarkable, until you learn that she’s 33, which makes it astounding (remember that some of the Chinese gymnasts are thought to be 13). She has competed in 5 Olympics (’92-’08) and she used to compete for Uzbekistan. However, in 2002 she moved to Germany to seek better treatment for her son, who was diagnosed with leukemia. It was only through gymnastics that she was able to receive and pay for treatment for her son. Competing for Germany was thought of as a sort-of payback for her son’s health. And she won Silver doing it

What were some of your favorite moments?

Written by: RjL on August 28, 2008.