Perfect Weather for Marathon
After two hot and humid days, the temperature dropped five or six degrees Sunday to provide perfect conditions for the women’s marathon around the streets of Beijing.
In the build-up to the Games, air pollution concerns were viewed as a possible threat to the event. The IOC said it would consider rescheduling endurance events, including road cycling events, if there was any risk posed to athletes.
But the clear blue skies of recent days alleviated concerns; Beijing’s weather experts classified the air quality Saturday as excellent.
It was cool and overcast as the women’s marathon got underway from Tiananmen Square at 7.30am.
Thousands of people lined the marathon route around Beijing, with runners passing landmarks such as the Temple of Heaven before finishing at the Bird’s Nest stadium.
Major traffic restrictions were in place Sunday along the route. Around 190 bus routes were reportedly affected, including seven Olympic routes. But traffic restrictions were lifted soon after noon following the completion of the marathon.
Romania's Constantina Tomescu Dita won gold, but Britain’s pre-race favorite Paula Radcliffe could only come 23rd. The 34-year-old, who dropped out of the Athens 2004 marathon suffering from dehydration, failed to make an impact after her struggles in recent weeks to fully recover from a stress fracture in her leg.
Kenyan Catherine Ndereba won silver and China's Zhou Chunxiu the bronze.
Crowds Cheer Lightning Bolt
The men’s 100-meter dash lived up to its billing and capped a great day of track and field Saturday when Jamaican Usain Bolt shattered his own world record to clinch the gold.
His 9.69 seconds, shaving 0.03 off his previous best, was greeted with a deafening roar by the capacity crowd. And the cheers and frenzied flag-waving did not subside until well after he had completed his jubilant lap of honor, sporting a big smile and draped in a Jamaican flag.
The 21-year-old spent some 20 minutes lapping up the adulation of the 91,000 crowd who witnessed the sprinter become the first man to go under 9.7 seconds. His compatriot Asafa Powell was expected to push him hard but could only come fifth.
In the post-race news conference, Trinidad & Tobago’s Richard Thompson and U.S. sprint star Walter Dix – the silver and bronze medalists – noted their delight with their podium finishes and paid glowing tributes to Bolt’s competitiveness and athleticism. Bolt returns to the track Monday for the 200-meter heats.
Rogge Checks out the Heroes
IOC president Jacques Rogge met some of the world’s top athletes and stars of the “Heroes” campaign Saturday.
He thanked Olympic legends including Haile Gebrselelassie, Vanessa Ferrari and Carolina Kluft face to face on a visit to the Olympic Village.
“We are indebted to you all for giving your time so generously and for your willingness to participate in this project, despite your busy training and competition schedules,” said Rogge.
“As a result of your efforts, we have created the IOC’s most popular and talked-about spot to date.”
The “Heroes” film uses the determination and performance of Olympic athletes to communicate the key Olympic values. Other stars of the campaign include Roger Federer, Yao Ming and Yelena Isinbayeva.
Frank Fredericks, who will become the Athletes’ Commission chair after the Beijing Games, said the film will mean a lot to the youth of the world because there are so many sporting icons involved.
“It will be a great motivational tool and help get across the Olympic values,” he said.
“Heroes” is currently showing to thousands of Olympic fans during the Beijing Games on the giant Panasonic screens in competition venues. It forms part of the IOC’s “The Best of Us” campaign.
Canada Finds the Podium
It took a week, but the floodgates finally opened for Canada.
Carol Huynh of Hazelton, B.C. won the women’s 48 kilogram freestyle wrestling gold medal on Saturday over Tatyana Bakatyk of Kazakhstan. It’s Canada’s first golf of the Games.
“I went in with a lot of confidence,” said 27-year-old Huynh. “I had no doubts and wanted to lay everything on the line in the last match of my day. I just wanted to make it memorable.”
Huynh said it was a special win for her parents, who are Chinese and migrated to Canada from Vietnam.
Also Saturday, Canada won silver in men’s pair rowing at Shunyi and bronze in women’s freestyle 55 kg wrestling.
The Canadian Olympic Committee set a goal of finishing in the top 16 in Beijing, but did not predict a medal count.
Positive Doping Test for Greek Hurdles Champ
Greek Olympic champion in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, Fani Halkia, has tested positive for a banned substance and has been sent home to Athens.
She returned a positive ‘A’ sample for what is believed to be methyltrienolone, a banned steroid also known as M3.
“She was summoned by the team’s Chef de Mission and asked to leave the village,” a source tells Around The Rings.
Halkia tells Greek media she is “shocked” at the result as she has been tested frequently and was expecting tests in Beijing.
“I can't believe it ... When I was told I tested positive I thought it was a joke,” Halkia said.
Halkia, 29, suggests foul play is involved.
“I cannot accept that there may be sick minds out there who would sabotage me. I will give all nutritional supplements, my vitamins, for testing,” she says.
Halkia was tested during preparations in Japan, where members of the Greek track and field team had been training.
The IOC says it can take action against Halkia even before her B sample is tested, but it is not clear whether the IOC Disciplinary Commission has convened yet over the matter.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee issued a brief statement on Sunday morning, stating that an unnamed team member had tested positive for a banned substance around August 10 at a training camp in Japan.
A total of 15 Greek athletes have now tested positive for methyltrienolone, including 11 weightlifters.
Superstore Crowds Arrive
The days of dashing in and out of the Super Store on the Olympic Green are over. Visitors report long, winding lines similar to those at Disney World and waits of about an hour to get inside.
Deputy manager Hu Jingmei said at least 50,000 people a day are shopping at the 3,000-square meter store. They're spending about 4 million RMB a day (about $650,000), and about 300,000 RMB ($46,000) of that amount is strictly for pins.
"Pins are No. 1," she said. "Most people want pins, T-shirts and hats. They like the Chinese character, and our prices are cheaper than in Athens."
Shanghai Adopts Beijing Look
The ongoing rivalry between Shanghai and Beijing showed at the football venue in the city described as the New York of China. Reporters entering the media center at Shanghai Stadium were plied with local gifts, including an umbrella which would prove useful in the rainy city. The look of the Games was well displayed on routes to and from the stadium and major hotels and tourist sites. Hongqiao Airport, the main domestic airfield for Beijing to Shanghai flights, was similarly decked out in the look of the Games and advertisements for Beijing 2008 sponsors.
Written by Mark Bisson in Beijing.
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