Thursday 9 August 2012

"All Three Maan, All Three! Again!"

It was back to the stupendous Olympic Stadium early this morning, Day 13 of the Games. The semi-finals of the 4 x 400 metres relay was the highlight of this long session extending from 9 am to 4 pm. Waking up at 7.15 am is a new experience for me but I do manage to get to the athletics on time even if only in near zombie condition.

The Olympic flame burns bright in the stadium.

A shining sun signals the arrival of summer in London town. The day is hot and so is the action in the Olympic Stadium. But our Kumari in the high jump qualifications turns cold to bring up the rear with aplomb, standing joint 28th with a measly 1.80 metres jump. 

"Gemme the baton pronto; gemme". The 4 x 400 metres relay in full flow.

I get to admire the remote controlled mini cars which ferry the discuss, hammer and put from where the athletes throw them to the home base. These cute mini vehicles built on the design of the British car, the Mini Cooper, has caught the imagination of the public here. Then there's the technology and precision involved in the manner in which the hurdles are whisked away. 

The dinky remote controlled cars are taking a rest. These objects zip around ferrying the discuss, put and hammer all over the place.

Creating unemployment? A hi-tech transport solution for the hurdles. How about manpower?

Top: A fine example of the Fosbury Flop. The head is earth bound. Bottom: a pole vaulter is suspended in thin air?


I rush back home after the athletics to catch some shut eye (remember the early start to my day!). Rati and I are soon headed back to the Olympic Park to watch the hockey semi final between Great Britian (Team GB as they are lovingly referred to) and Holland, a mouth watering prospect. Crowd support does wonders and the home hockey players have ridden on near fanatical support in the Riverbank Arena to make it this far.
Horror movie? Four orange Dutch defenders in face masks defend a rare Great Britain penalty corner strike. 

The two of us are firm supporters from the beginning of the men in orange, Holland. Thank heavens for this. In the most lop sided semi final result in Olympic hockey since 1936 GB are not able to summon even Dutch courage to battle the Dutch. The British are wiped out. The final score is 9-2 to Holland and this is not a typo! Rati and I are thrilled at the Dutch dazzle and enjoy our evening to the hilt.
The British blow their trumpets. The score is 1-1.

The British stop blowing their trumpets. The score is Holland 9, Great Britain 2!
Notice the drummer on the left (see photograph above) has abandoned his drum and seats himself down resigned to his fate.

Whilst walking back from the hockey we merge with the spectators emerging from out of the main Olympic Stadium. The Jamaicans are over the moon. I ask a group of them about the results of the 200 metres final which was run during our hockey match. "All three maan, all three! Again!" comes the triumphant response. Bolt and his two fellow countrymen have made a clean sweep of the 200 metres medals. When will we have a finalist, let only a medalist, in a sprint Olympic final I wonder and proceed to have a phylosophical discussion with Rati on the genetic disadvantages of us Indians when it comes to running fast, jumping high or throwing far. If only we could run as fast as the new bullet train which takes us from the Olympic Park, East London, in a zippy 6 minutes to King's Cross, Central London.

Day 13 proves decidedly lucky for the Jamaicans but not so for India. We did not not jump high enough in the morning and later in the day run fast enough as Tintu Luka finishes 6th in her 800 metres semi final. No finals for Tintu and it'll be no gold for India this Olympics unless our wrestling men manage to wrestle one on the last day of the Games. Rati and I will be there at the ExCel on Sunday afternoon to cheer our wrestlers. Let us pray and hope.

Meanwhile I satiate my India medal appetite by watching the day's highlights past midnight on BBC and gloat over Magnificent Mery receiving her bronze. The British media refer to Mery Kom as a women's boxing legend. Will the Indian media and public ever take the cue?