The Start of Something
Special...
Nick Davies in Sydney
21 September 2000 - The waiting is almost over. What a massive relief: for those athletes cooped up in the village, wondering whether this once-every fourth-year opportunity will become a dream or a nightmare, to an army of journalists - deprived of their beloved track and field and forced to pen "colour" stories on judo and women's water polo. At 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, when the starter's pistol fires for the first time - the Queen of the Olympics, Track and Field Athletics, steps back on her throne.
Although Day 1 of the Athletics Competition sees the appearance of some of our sport's greatest stars - Maurice Greene, Michael Johnson, Cathy Freeman, Marion Jones and Gabriela Szabo - in qualifying heats, the highlights will come in the finals of the men's 20km Walk and Shot Put. It is a vivid contrast in styles - and proof that our stage is open to all physical types, from a colossal German shot putter like Oliver Sven Buder (2.00m tall for 145kg) to a svelte Mexican race walker like Bernardo Segura (1.75m for 60kg!).
Although the withdrawal of Marion Jones' husband CJ Hunter from the US Olympic team was disappointing, the Shot Put is still set to be a classic, especially since CJ's replacement comes in the powerful form of John Godina, already qualified for the discus.
Godina won world titles in 1995 and 1997, and briefly led the last Olympic final before having the gold snatched away from him by Randy Barnes in the last round. Undefeated in 1998, when he also won a rare shot-discus double at the US Championships, Godina is a superb competitor when relaxed, but he has seemed vulnerable when the big-meet pressure really bites. As a rotational thrower, his co-ordination and timing must be spot-on, which was certainly not the case both in Maebashi and Seville last year. Here in Sydney, the Biology graduate will benefit from the fact that his nation will expect more from his two compatriots, Adam Nelson and Andrew Bloom, who have been in excellent shape all season. Godina may have thrown 21.25 - but Bloom has managed 21.61 and Nelson a world leading 22.12 - both personal bests. Curiously, Bloom is another man with a discus pedigree. He won silver medals at the event at the World Student Games in 1997, and was a finalist at last year's World Championships as well. He has even been quoted as saying: " If someone put a gun to my head, I'd have to say the discus is my favourite event, and I believe I will be eventually more successful at that. But now, I'm starting to see the magic of 70 feet (21.32) in the shot and I don't want to give that up!" Bloom has also shown he can cope when the stakes are high. At the US Trials in Sacramento he was in 6th place before his last throw but uncorked a lifetime best of 21.61 to move to third - and bump Godina off the team (for a month or so).
The other American, Adam Nelson, by contrast, admits he has absolutely no talent for the discus, recently saying: "My discus is scary, and I mean that in a bad way … you better have a good cage." No such worries in the shot though, where Nelson had six major wins in Europe this season (narrowly missing out on a share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot) as well as an epic victory at the US Trials in 22.12. Nelson is playing down his own chances in Sydney, his first Olympic Games, and believes that experienced campaigners like Oliver -Sven Buder and Yuriy Bilonog of the Ukraine hold the trump cards.
34 year-old Buder has been a finalist at every global Championship in the 1990s, losing out on World Championship gold last year in Seville only in the last round when CJ Hunter produced a monster effort. The man who once wanted to be a miner like his dad, knows these are likely to be his last Olympic Games. He may need to break his personal best of 21.47 to claim the title.
Bilonog, at 26, is the best European on current form, and proved he could beat the best Americans with a 21.02 victory at the Golden League meeting in Monaco. The Ukrainian is renowned for his consistency around the 21 metre mark, largely because he uses the classic glide rather than the rotational technique favoured by the Americans. If he holds his nerve tomorrow, Bilonog - massively built and 2.00m tall - could top the podium. The last word should belong to Shakti Singh - who by winning the Asian title on 5 July with 20.60 - showed that India can produce world class shot putters as well.
One of the athletic highlights of the Atlanta Games was the 20km walk, when Jefferson Perez won a great race to become Ecuador's first ever Olympic champion (in any sport) as well as the youngest ever walk champion at the tender age of 22. Since then, Perez confirmed his status by winning a World Cup title (1997) and finishing second last year in Seville, behind Ilya Markov. The Russian has not impressed so far this season but was a silver medallist in Atlanta and usually rises to the big occasion. But don't discount the Mexicans. Race walking is a passion in this Central American nation and Bernard Segura (Olympic bronze medallist in 1996) and Daniel Garcia (bronze medallist in Seville last year), could become national celebrities tomorrow.
The rain may have fallen on Sydney this morning, and the wind certainly makes the flags flap in the Stadium, but if you want a touch of warmth, just approach any Aussie at these Games. The locals, from downtown Sydney to the Olympic Park itself, are making certain that a happy, upbeat mood uplifts these Olympics. The Smiley Games? Too right mate!
