The mothers and the 'little guys' on a mission
Five things we loved about day three in Beijing.
Issued on:
- They’re crazy guys, these athletes.
The review was amused when the American Joe Kovacs reflected on being one of ‘the little guys’ on the circuit. The shot put world champion spoke on day two about how the camera operators go along the line of contestants and then adjust to show his face.
“They go way up for David Storl, then they have to go down, take three steps in and zoom in for me," he joked. O’Dayne Richards, who had just won the bronze medal (and another little guy), nodded in agreement. But these are big lads. Kovacs is 1 metre 83 and weighs 133 kg. Richards is of similar stature.
On day three, Isaac Makwala was full of beans. After running 44.11 seconds to qualify for the 400 metres final on day four, the 28-year-old from Botswana came to a halt and did five press-ups. Later while talking to the media he said he would do another five if he were to win gold. “Was it to show that you’re strong?” asked a reporter. “Yes, I’m strong. Very strong,” came the reply. He’s also very quick.
- Another day, another mother.
No, this is not a slogan against the overpopulation of the world that is eating into the planet’s increasingly fragile and fleeting resources. Rather a paean to mums on a mission. On day two, Jessica Ennis-Hill took heptathlon gold 13 months after having her son Reggie.
On day three Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot won the gold in the 10,000 metres nearly two years after giving birth to her son Allan Kiprono. The 31-year-old Kenyan outsprinted the Ethiopian Gelete Burka on the final lap to reclaim the 10,000 metres title in 31 minutes 41 point three one seconds. Cheruiyot won both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in Daegu in South Korea in 2011 but couldn’t defend her titles in Moscow two years ago because she was just about to have her child. Heartwarming.
- Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.
Yes, the review loves a conspiracy. And the organisers have clearly decided to play with our mind. Out came the Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff sounds over the Bird’s Nest stadium music system when Usain Bolt won the 100 metres on day two. But when Shelley-Ann Fraser-Price, his fellow Jamaican, carved up the field on day three to retain her 100 metres title, there was nothing. Only the sound of silence. And no, I don’t mean they played Simon and Garfunkel.
- It’s not over until the line.
Life lessons flow at major championships. Sometimes you have to witness the cruelty to kind of understand. Molly Huddle led the women’s 10,000 metres going into the final lap but then Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot and Gelete Burka started their surges and the American couldn’t respond. She was visibly spent. First Burka went ahead before Cheruiyot showed that she was the mummy. A clearly befuddled Huddle slowed down so much over the final few metres - perhaps mulling over what might have been and thinking that bronze was hers - that compatriot Emily Infeld nipped past her on the line to take even that consolation away from her.
Huddle was a picture of broken exhaustion as she passed reporters. “I feel like it’s a hard way to win but I was beaten recently by Shalane Flanagan in the US because I let up before the line,” said Infeld. “She told me after the race that I lost because I let up. She told me to never do it again and all I was thinking about at the end of this 10,000 metres was running through the line. I didn’t think I was third. I just ran through the line. I feel bad for Molly because she’s amazing and has worked so hard and I hate to feel like I took the bronze medal from her. But I’m happy at the same time.”
- In the interests of sexual equality, we’ll talk about the daddy.
"Who’s the daddy?" is a phrase often heard to describe someone in command. The numero uno, the big cheese or in David Mamet speak … the man behind the man behind the man.
The review is forced to declare an interest here. We love films starring Bruce Willis. Never thought much of him during his Moonlighting TV days, but once his hairline started to recede and he plugged into the Die Hard franchise … daddy time.
Self-referential bliss has never been the same. There was a Brucie film on the plane from Paris over to China – Reds – but that’s incidental. There’s a Willis work from 1998 called Armageddon in which a nasty big meteor is coming our way to exterminate all life, including politicians. There’s a malfunction with the auto-destruct button in the missile that can save us and someone has to operate it manually.
The Brucie character Harry Stamper, the maverick leader of the hard-boiled team which has been dispatched to deliver us from this evil, decides it’s his duty to personally stick it to the uberboulder. As he heroically zooms away to save the world, one of the guys says in a deep voice: “Harry, you the man.”
Ezekiel Kemboi won his fourth consecutive world championship 3,000 metres steeplechase on day three. It’s unprecedented. And is something of a surprise as 32-year-old Kemboi only finished fourth in the steeplechase at the Kenyan trials and had to use his wildcard invitation as defending world champion to compete here in Beijing. His Kenya teammates finished second, third and fourth. They’re the steeplechase daddies and Ezekiel, you the man.
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