Drama and passion: The Paris Olympics have delivered these in spades
Whether it is football or archery or canoeing, elite athletes from over 200 countries are going all out to excel in their sports
AS AN avid sports fan, I absolutely love it whenever the Summer Olympics are taking place. It is like the equivalent of watching the world championships of 32 different sports take place in one mega-event, all within the space of about three weeks or so. There is so much to savour, and simply so little time to soak it all in.
The time difference this year is quite favourable for Asian audiences. Paris is six hours behind, so most of the “live” telecasts start around dinner time in Singapore – perfect to be a couch potato and channel-surf throughout the evening.
There are the usual favourites like swimming, badminton, athletics and football which I will usually catch, but what I also enjoy is the chance to experience different sports that I normally would not watch, such as breaking (or breakdancing, which is making its Olympic debut this year), canoeing, equestrian and archery.
Whether it is shooting or gymnastics, weightlifting or wrestling, it is a joy to see these remarkable athletes from more than 200 nations pushing their limits and doing their best. The medal ceremonies are where we see years of hard work being rewarded, as these elite sportspeople go up on the podium to place that precious piece of metal around their necks.
Football action
The football competition kicked off even before the Jul 26 opening ceremony due to the number of matches involved, and the need for adequate rest in between.
The men’s competition is an under-23 event, with each squad able to register three “over-age” players. The women’s tournament, on the other hand, is a full senior-level international competition, which is second in prestige only to the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
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Both the men’s and women’s events have already delivered their fair share of drama. I was on the edge of my seat the other night when unfancied Morocco took a shock 2-0 lead against red-hot favourites Argentina, only for the South Americans to fight back and level the score in – believe it or not – the 16th minute of injury time.
Nearly two hours later, long after the fans had gone home, that Argentina goal was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee due to the slightest of offsides, and the referee summoned the two teams back on the pitch to play another three minutes. Morocco held on for what is now a famous 2-1 victory.
Not to be outdone, the Australian women’s team – known as the Matildas – produced a miraculous comeback to defeat Zambia on Jul 29. Zambia were holding a comfortable 5-2 lead in the second half, only to capitulate in stunning fashion as Australia struck four times in the space of 25 minutes, with the winning goal coming from Michelle Heyman on the stroke of full time.
It wasn’t enough to qualify from their group, however, as Australia crashed out of the group stage after suffering defeats to Germany and the US.
A special mention must go to the Canadian women’s team, whose coach Bev Priestman was banned and sent home after her involvement after a drone-spying scandal. Canada, winners of the gold medal at Tokyo 2020, were docked six points as a result but the players have not let their heads drop.
They won all three group games, including an amazing last-gasp 2-1 victory over France, and reached the quarter-finals where they lost to Germany in a penalty shootout on Sunday (Aug 4).
Team Singapore’s heroics
The build-up for Team Singapore in the weeks leading to Paris was less than ideal, as there was some controversy due to swimmer Quah Ting Wen’s omission from the final list of athletes heading to the French capital.
That said, there have been plenty of positives for Team Singapore so far. Badminton star Loh Kean Yew flew the flag high with his performances on the court, with the world No 12 player reaching the quarter-finals where he lost to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in straight sets on Saturday.
Swimmer Gan Ching Hwee – who found herself embroiled in the selection saga with Quah – had an Olympics debut to remember.
The 21-year-old set a new national record in two events – the women’s 1,500 metre freestyle and the 800 m freestyle. While those efforts were not enough to reach the finals in either event, the experience gained from being part of a world-class field will put her in a strong position to do well at future major sporting events.
Gan was also part of the quartet – the others being Letitia Sim, Levenia Sim and Quah Jing Wen – that became the first women’s relay team to represent Singapore at the Olympics.
As for Singapore’s very own “sprint queen” Shanti Pereira, the 27-year-old still has one last chance to qualify for the semi-finals in her pet 200 m event in the repechage round on Monday. Her Olympics preparations were not smooth as she recovered from an injury that kept her out of action for eight weeks.
“My competitors have just been running really fast times this year. It’s very normal, it’s the Olympics year, so everyone’s training hard and going faster. My mindset was there, I really did all I could to prepare myself,” she said after her 200 m heat.
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