1 Out of 7 Billion

The world is getting smaller everyday but a lifetime is not enough to explore it. My adventure starts in Singapore.

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Concluding Note on the 2008 Beijing Olympics

August 25, 2008 — Alain Bernard, Beijing 2008, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, hurdles, Jason Lezak, Li Ning, Liu Xiang, London 2012, Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps, Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Reuters came out with the Top 10 moments of the Beijing Olympics. I saw the article over at Yahoo News (Singapore). I’m glad they included the three (3) which I will remember about the recently-concluded Olympics.

- Michael Phelps roars in triumph and relief after American team mate Jason Lezak overtook France’s Alain Bernard on the final leg of the 4×100 freestyle relay to keep alive Phelps’s dream of beating Mark Spitz’s record from 1972 of seven golds in a Games – a dream he was to realize.

- Liu Xiang dejectedly walks away from the track as he realizes he has to withdraw from the defence of his 110 meters hurdles title because of a leg injury. Liu was the most popular sportsman in China and his grimacing departure clouded the Games for millions of home fans.

I really would have wanted to see him get the gold medal after all the publicity and product endorsements! Get well soon!

- The Opening Ceremony. It emerged that some of the performance seen on television had been enhanced by computers, a child singer was replaced by a supposedly prettier face to mime to her voice and representatives of China’s ethnic minorities were no such thing. But it was a jaw-dropping beginning to the Games, culminating in former gymnast Li Ning being swung up the roof of the stadium and ‘running’ around the top level before lighting the cauldron.

I’m glad I recorded the Opening. I’m sure it will be in my DVD recorder hard drive for quite awhile, maybe until the commemorate DVD comes out (not sure if there will be one).