athlete

Why are 'lefties' simply the best?

Emmanuel F24 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:38:17 +0200

Yet again, a number of “lefties” – or left-handed people - have taken the top spots in fencing. Benjamin Kleibrink won gold in the foil event; Mariel Zabunis won gold in saber; Ana Maria Branza won silver in épée, the team of Robert Andrzejuk and Motyka won silver in épée, Alfred Rota won bronze as part of an épée team. And don’t forget the eight lefties who took the top eight spots in men’s foil at the Moscow Olympics. What makes the lefties win?

"Liu Xiang: voted best actor of the year"

Ségolène F24 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:27:04 +0200

He was supposed to be a national hero, the biggest star of the Olympics. Liu Xiang, gold-winning hurdler in Athens, dreamed of a second Olympic triumph in his own country. But the dream was shattered as the Chinese sprinter failed to take part in the race against his great rival, Cuba's Dayron Robles.

In the Bird's Nest, dismay was palpable. China is crying, as was Liu Xiang when he limped off the track. During the press conference, his coach Sun Haiping was also in tears. Suddenly, China was no longer untouchable.

Ranging from virulent criticism to disappointment and compassion, reactions from the Chinese people were many and varied. On Liu Xiang's website, the page dedicated to fans was, temporarily, inaccessible.

Olympics, the fifth title of the Grand Slam

Ségolène F24 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:13:21 +0200

The greatest names in tennis played in this year’s Olympic Games: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davidenko, Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, among others. The prestigious line-up perhaps proved that the Olympic title has found its place in the ATP and WTA calendar.

The relationship between tennis and the Olympic Games has been somewhat less than a love affair. The Olympics haven’t really been seen as an important date on the tennis calendar, for several reasons. The games come just two weeks before the US Open, a tournament that is part of the sport’s Grand Slam. There is sometimes tension between the International Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee, so much so that tennis was absent from the games for 64 years.

When tennis came back to the Olympics, in 1988 in Seoul, the best players snubbed the event, perhaps unsurprisingly, since they didn’t stand to win any prize money, only medals. What’s more, some players criticised the elimination format of the competition and would have preferred to play for their countries in a tournament of national teams.

But 2008 was a pretty good year for Olympic tennis, with great players, a great show and some great matches.

Champion bashing: Is it fair?

Emmanuel F24 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:40:46 +0200

Sport is a cruel world for athletes who have shone in previous competitions but cannot get back on track.

French swimmer Laure Manaudou is, unwillingly, the most striking example of an athlete who failed to get results in these Games.

An Olympic champion in Athens when she was just 18 years old, Laure was under incredible pressure four years later in Beijing.

It was a difficult year for the French champion: scandals caused by intimate pictures, recurrent changes of coaches and pressure from sponsors. Any of these could be a reason for a young athlete to quit, but she preferred to stay in China, painfully finishing all the individual events.

Yet a wave of criticism crashed onto her: “She is getting worse,” “She is finished.” The press, who just a couple of weeks ago saw Manaudou at the top of the podium, seemed satisfied to see her sink, maybe prematurely. But is it fair to judge our sport icons so hard when, after all, they are just men and women?

Swimming with sharks

Emmanuel F24 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:35:51 +0200

For these swimmers, just being present isn't enough; winning is the ultimate and only goal. Laure Manaudou, Natalie Coughlin, Katie Hoff, Alain Bernard, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps are all real contenders for the gold.

As for the men's relay, France, led by 100m world recorder holder Alain Bernard, has never been so close to the two giant swimming delegations, US and Australian teams.

But who has the character to go all the way?