It seems to me athletics at this level is a selfish act - I dont mean that in a critical way, but its all about challenging yourself, pushing your own limits, putting other people aside to concentrate on your own 'performance'. Family have to make huge allowances to the atheletes as they effectively give over their lives to this pursuit of boundary pushing - one which ridculously in the gold facism scehem of thigns means only 1 person in the world will ever have true satisfaction from.
Ultimately to get a gold is to satisfy yourself that this endless ego-centred effort has all been worthwhile, its meaningful to no one else, apart from blowing up or deflating national myths. On the sofa this morning interviewer asked some gold medal winning rowers 'when did you realise how important what you've done is' - answered with 'it hasnt really sunk in yet' ....err, get used to that feeling, you rowed a boat fractionally faster that someone else... will spend the rest of your life looking for any deeper meaning in that. I do appreciate the value of a personal challenge, and all that entails, and im happy for them and maybe a little impressed and inspired, but its a masochism verging on madness, and ultimately its a competition they're having with themselves.
I'd like to see comentators and spectators who think silver (let alone bronze) medals are worthless prove that they could do better than that themselves. Coming second or third out of the very best 8 in that particular sport on the day is quite an achievement, as is even qualifying to be at the olympics.
This is it exactly, I have a memory (maybe rose-tinted) that the fact you were an Olympian was everything, and the rest was just what it was - any medals a bonus of course. This talk of "im sorry we've let you all down" silver/bronze crying is either delusional or some kind of bizarre projection that you've been doing all this training for us (in fact doing it for themselves), and 'we' have demanded gold or nothing else.
If they really do think they're doing it for King and Country then thats messed up. I know lots of Chinse children who are chosen young and trained to the nth degree get a similar propaganda treatment. Nothing pretty about it.
The media don't help, and just reinforce this insanity.
all of which doesnt really square with Pierre de Coubertin's (founder of modern Olympic Games) quote
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well
I'm still in disbelief the country is punching above its weight. Third place, blimey!
I dont think this is a new thing - IIRC in the all-time medal table GB are 3rd. Likely its the
private school system to thank for all these medals over the last century
