I stared at the television in absolute awe after the Men’s Olympics 100 meters sprint, embracing and relishing that very moment. I had not only witnessed history but had also seen a Bolt of Lighting flashed across Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium almost as invincible as light. Usain Bolt had taken a human being to a speed of 10.319 meters per second.
The man not only set a new world record timing, he smashed his own world record timing of 9.72 seconds set in May. The scoreboard flashed 9.69, 9.69 seconds! For those who do not share my astonishment or seem oblivious to sporting records, just imagine running ten meters in under a second, need I further elaborate the height of sporting brilliance?
When Bolt realized that he had the race in his pocket and was way ahead of the chasing seven, he indulged in a bit of showmanship before hitting the tape. Bolt slowed down and shifted his focus towards the spectators with arms slightly wide opened instead of focusing on a full-speed finish. His non-verbal action implied a “catch me if you can” pose and I felt it expressed the confidence and pride he possesses. A clearer picture would be on the Straits Times issue on August 17th where it pictured the Jamaican “mocking” the other runners with his flamboyant yet teasing pose prior to the finishing line.
"Catch me if you can"
The aftermath celebrations were even more theatrical, his infamous gesture, one arm pulled back and the other reaching forward portraying an archer shooting upwards was to me an indication that he had risen to the pinnacle of the fastest man in the universe. With that, I perceived Bolt as saying to himself “Lighting Bolt shoots down Swift Seven”, and no one ought to disagree. Actions such as Mr. 9.69 kneeling before the crowd, right hand on his chest and his left extended outwards as if to thank his fans and the Jamaican people signified the importance this race meant to him.
The image of the 2008 Olympics
On a personal note, I disagree with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) interpretation of Bolt’s gestures as having a lack of respect for his opponents. The IOC president Jacques Rogge was quoted as saying “That’s not the way we perceive a champion, I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands…….” That could be considered an Interactive model of communication with feedback on Bolt's non-verbal message, which could possibly be due to Jacques's view on ideal sportsmanship after the race. The Belgian, jacques, possibly has a less upbeat and more modest character compared to that of the outgoing "reggae come punk rocked influenced" (cultural influence) Bolt. However, I believe being the fastest ever throughout the chronicles of mankind deserves some sort of a majestic celebration. It is impossible to identify with that immediate uncontrollable feeling of exuberance and ecstasy of having the World at your feet unless one has experienced (influences feedback) glory at such level. I can safely say Mister Jacques never did except for a few Olympic yachting experiences and a stint with the Belgian Rugby team, not quite the same level as Bolt’s annus mirabillis.
On that historical night in the Forbidden City, Bolt was innocently showing the watchful eyes of the World the uncontainable joy of being crowned the “World’s fastest ever man alive”. As from this very moment, London awaits the lighting that is Jamaica’s Golden Boy. Any thoughts on this one?
Sources : 1)The Strait Times
Thursday, August 21, 2008 Pg B10
Author - Marc Lim
2) The Strait Times
Friday, August 22, 2008 Pg B23
16 comments:
jacques just being a sour grape, knowing that he won't be able to achieve such heights, he's just trying to downplay bolt's success by crticising his on track antics.
and what is with the steroetyping and scripting of what a champion should do? come on, i believe that a champion has the rights to do anything he/she wants, just because he/she is the best at what he/she is doing. imagine the no2 or no3 showboating, it would just be utterly distasteful and shameful. he/she would definitely be looked down upon by fellow contestants and spectators.
but on the other hand, look at "the greatest olympian"-michael phelps. he didn't do any showboating of sorts.
which makes me wonder "what's the influence or motivation behind the difference in celebrations?"
well.. i am not good with sports television. but yes, i think all the sportsman have equally the same rights to celebrate. after all, who makes the rules that only the champions can showboat?
hard work has evidently been put in; years of sweat, blood and tears had been shed. nights of cramped and sore muscles must have been a norm. all for the sake of that significant race. to be able to enter olympics is already a feat, an honor worthy to celebrate about.
oh well, thats a good point you brought about michael phelps not showboating. i guess its due to cultural influence, europeans like jacques and phelps tend to hide control their joy better but they arent't as should i say, conservative as Asians. Bolt on the other hand have been influence by the jamaican reggae rock like customary styles. the experience and fotunes they had when young also plays a part i feel, when you're less fortunate, you tend to sink into euphoria when achieving something out of the ordinary compared to that of the european standard of living.
I do agree that his posture and all ,gave the impression that he was a little too proud with his achievement.He may have well been all humble inside but honestly,he was crowned with a world record,can anybody truly contain themselves when that happens? =)
Even if Bolt was being an arrogant git,let him be.
Arrogance is earned.He certainly earned it .
referring to jacques remarks, i don't see any fault in bolt's actions after breaking a new world record. he has every right to indulge in a few minutes of glory and pride, afterall, he's the world champion.
anyway, why should he pick on such small details? bolt is not the only sprinter who has ever done these sort of celebratory actions? sprinters were always known to be a little more flamboyant than the rest of the field (See Marion Jone's extremely long fingernails)..
on another note, jacques should also have put forward some form of criticism of the sportsmen who chose to stay in private hotels instead of at the olympics village.
i guess in most such cases, it's how the press wants you to make of it, so dig a little deeper instead of solely relying on these reports.
its not only about "not shaking hands", its also about, "Bolt slowed down and shifted his focus towards the spectators with arms slightly wide opened instead of focusing on a full-speed finish". With that, Bolt isnt showing true sportsmanship. I felt that he was too arrogant and not respecting the other runners competing along with him. He did not spare a thought for the other runners who might have equally trained as hard, but he chose to be sarcastic and put the other runners to disgrace.
to nichika
I honestly think the other runners deserved what they got.The fact that Bolt actually broke the world record without even trying and not even finishing those few seconds of the run properly,can tell only 2 things.
1)Bolt has the potential to break his own record EASILY, again.
2)The other runners were not even close to Bolt's performance level.
In my opinion,they can "train hard and equally" as Bolt for all I care,but it means nothing when they have not performed as well as him.
The other runners should take this opportunity to know how much they really did suck.
i would think the olympic committee focuses on the comfort level and well-being of the athletes.Its alright if one feels better to have privacy in their own hotels rather than that of the Olympic village (in fact, i dont know why.) However, in the name of sport, if that helps them perform at their highlest level, then its right for jacques to not harp on such details because that is what the Olympics are all about;true sporting greatest.
Well Terrence, a focus on a man who has stunned the world with his sheer...hmm? Whats the right word? That's my emotion. Fast? Speedy? Nothing seems to fit the bill. Well, Bolt has sure caused a reason to debate. I watched the race in which he patted his chest in delight with his hands outstretched to the area where the Jamaicans congreted to show their support. I have to say in a way it shows his level of patriotism...but as jacques pointed out. It does seem to reflect badly upon himself with that gesture. The Olympics is surely about the country's pride, nut respect is something that is of utmost importance. By signalling his gratitude to a certain portion of a crowd it is just demeaning his status. I jhave to say to a certain extent i agree with IOC president Jacques Rogge. But only to a certain extent.
I would have to agree with nicholas and some of the rest. The part on the racetrack itself when he faced the audience was a bit disrespectful to the rest of the racers. If he could 'very easily beat' his own record currently, it means he wasnt trying his best, on a field where everyone was giving their best. But hey, I would have done it as well though.. =)
I do believe that respect is of utmost importance. You may be the number one in the world at something, even without putting in your utmost effort, but you are only best at that. There are so many things that others are better than you at.
I personally feel that he was a bit rude. It could be that he was just overcome with excitement that he forgot his manners. In any case, he certainly did not mean to offend anybody.
Regardless, that is no excuse and I think he owes the others an apology even if it was unintentional that he offended them. If you offended someone else accidently, would you not apologize for your lack of foresight?
I know others may not agree with me, but being an Olympic champion does NOT give you the right to act like an arrogant prick. You may be the no.1 champion in whatever event, but if you were to boast and brag about it, in my eyes you will just be the no.1 loser in basic courtesy.
like u, i was also pretty stunned by this amazing feat. never in my life have i seen the 100m race "end" at the 80m mark. Usain Bolt is INSANE BOLT! he is just remarkable and out of this world. he not only had time to showboat, his shoe lace was undone. and he broke the world record. what kind of a human does that?!
Yet all the non verbal behaviours have lead to certain people labeling him as arrogant and disrespectful. This is one clear example how non verbal is receiver oriented!
Rude or arrogant, it doesnt matter.. because he earned it. That moment was his. &only his.
Who is to claim it but him?
&the bestest way he did it? Through his outright expressions &gestures? Cldnt have been better!
It's hard to be humble when you are so talented. Seriously, how many people are humble in the first place? Perhaps it wasn't wise to display such arrogance or possible too sure of a confidence in yourself in front of millions, but surely it is justified. Ussain Bolt is a track legend, and one must also consider his cultural context. The Jamaicans are passionate and outwardly expressive people. They have no limits in emoting their joy and sense of achievement. So in the end, maybe what Bolt was doing was just simply celebrating, and not something more attention seeking. Give the man a break please, Mister Jacques.
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