What Usain Bolt Meant To Us

By Shane Thomas

If life is a series of moments, then life can be defined as a series of endings. Think of an old job, or an old relationship. Often your overriding memory will be weighted towards how it ended.

However, in London's Olympic Stadium on Saturday (I refuse to call it the London Stadium on general principle) around 60,000 people witnessed a finale that was definitive, but not defining. This only happens when a career is so seismic that the final curtain doesn't supersede the show that came before it.

And when it comes to a show, nobody does it like the showstopper himself; Usain Bolt. In a conclusion that was as dramatic as it was unexpected, the London crowd were left thunderstruck as Bolt was beaten in a global championship final (his 2011 false start notwithstanding) for the first time since 2007.

Michael Atherton once said about sport; "It helps to find a storyline." In the aftermath of Justin Gatlin's victory, one could easily fall into the trap of thinking this sport's equivalent of Gregor Clegane crushing Oberyn Martell's skull. The pro-Bolt crowd erupted in a paroxysm of boos - and the odd chant of “cheat” - towards Gatlin. Leaving the stadium among a sea of Jamaican flags, plenty adorning those who weren't even Jamaican, we all existed in a real world Mr. Krabs meme, barely comprehending what had happened...

The rest of this piece can be read on Media Diversified.

The Paralympics Lesson In Allyship

By Shane Thomas

I'm sure you've heard of the African aphorism (used to the point of such cliche that one sometimes questions its origins), "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Well, in the Paralympics, get you an athlete who can do both.

One of the standout events of the athletics portion of the Games are the T11 (visually impaired) sprints, where the sprinter in question is attached (normally by the wrist) to a guide, who is there to offset the sprinters lack of sight.

While the natural speed of the athlete is crucial, of equal importance is the way they collaborate with their guide. It was meant as a flippant joke, but Channel 4's The Last Leg has a point when they quipped that you couldn't attach Usain Bolt to a toddler and expect it to win T11 races...

Read the rest of the piece at Media Diversified.

By Shane Thomas

I'm sure many of us have done at least one thing in our lives that took a substantial amount of time and effort: completing a degree; moving house; or passing your driving test. And when it's done, we can relax, look back on our achievement and think, "Glad that's over. Don't fancy going through that again."

But imagine that being your whole life. Daunting challenges being the norm, rather than the exception. And not only do you accept this as your state of being; you actively embrace it.

Can you relate? No, me neither. But elite athletes can, not least the ones currently competing in Rio. And in that exclusive sphere of athletes is an even more exclusive group; sportspeople for whom once wasn't enough. They've already reached the pinnacle of their sport, and have come back for more. Why climb Everest? Because it's there. Already climbed Everest? Climb it again...

Read the rest of the piece at Media Diversified.

The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Paralympics Isn't Great Sport With Caveats. It's Great Sport

By Shane Thomas

In the days after the Closing Ceremony of the Rio Olympics, the media narrative centred around the Brazilian party being over, with the nation now having to deal with the residue of the Olympic circus.

Usain Bolt: The Greatest Showman on Earth

By Shane Thomas

If the Olympics is the greatest show on Earth, then its greatest showman is Usain Bolt. Sprinting's irresistible force and its immovable object, and arguably the most famous athlete on a global scale since Muhammad Ali, Bolt delighted the watching world by winning an unprecedented third Olympic 100 metre title in a row.

The Rio Olympics 2016: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By Shane Thomas

There are a number of things in this world that I have little direct interest in: cookery programmes; the fashion industry; or TV shows from Shonda Rhimes. But that doesn't stop me appreciating their wider social impact. It's not difficult to comprehend the significance of Nadiya Hussain, Jourdan Dunn, or Shonda Rhimes's influence on Western popular culture.

It's with this in mind that Media Diversified begins its series of articles on the upcoming Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio. I confess on the rare occasions I penned a missive about sport on this site, it brought with it a degree of worry that the reader would go little further than the opening paragraph, before dismissing the piece out of hand.

I'm not ignorant of the way that in a space normally reserved for social, cultural, and political commentary, sport is largely viewed as an incongruous and unwelcome interloper, and while that's not an entirely fair response, there are reasons that make such a reaction understandable...

Read the whole piece on Media Diversified.

The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Top 10 PoC Moments of 2015

By Shane Thomas

The world of sport is a space where many great PoC stories can be found. Here's 10 of the best we saw in 2015:

Jonah Lomu: Rugby Union's Great Decoder

By Shane Thomas

Sunday, 18th June 1995. I am 11 years old.

Having recently become a fan of rugby union, I am sitting on the rug in the front room of my home in Streatham, excitedly awaiting the upcoming World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and England. Despite the All Blacks going into the game as favourites, I was enthused at the prospect of an England victory.

(A Belated) World Athletics Championships Review

By Shane Thomas

There were many significant stories to come from the World Athletics Championship in Beijing. So, let's have a look at some:

Creeping Dread

By Shane Thomas

Dread is one of the most ghastly of emotions, due to it being not only debilitating, but persistent. Unlike fury, arrogance, or maybe even jealously, dread lingers. It feels like it has no end in sight. It's like being hunted by a Weeping Angel.

The dread in this case is of the more trivial kind, but still significant enough to worry any athletics fan, as the World Athletics Championships have just begun. The main event of the competition - as is often the case - is the men's 100 metres, with the final taking place on Sunday.

I Love The Olympic Stadium. I Hate The Olympic Stadium.

By Shane Thomas

I love the Olympic Stadium.

Well Done, Andy. Never Change.

By Shane Thomas

So then, it happened. 77 years, and Britain finally produced a player to win the Wimbledon singles title... ahem.

Want Gods And Superheroes? Then Stick To Fiction.

By Shane Thomas

People love stories. Particularly tales of greatness. A major reason why this summer's Olympics held Britain in such thrall was the daily accounts of athletes finding the best of themselves. We had yarns such as the woman who grabbed her last chance of glory (Katherine Grainger), the chosen one adored by her public (Jessica Ennis), or the wounded king who ruthlessly crushed those who would usurp him (Usain Bolt). This wasn't just running and jumping. These men and women are the gods of our time.

This Sporting Ego

By Shane Thomas

As William Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage". And many of sport's most fascinating stories are from the athletes who view their profession as exactly that; a stage for them to display their talents.

Why The Olympics Matter

By Shane Thomas

After the wondrous Olympic Games in London, I expect I'm already preaching to the congregation with this piece. However, what happened in Britain over the past few weeks bears repeating. And yet, for so long, the thought of the greatest show on Earth reaching these shores was met with indifference.

The pessimism and apathy had begun to dissipate as the Opening Ceremony drew closer, and then a political gaffe from Mitt Romney only expedited this, failing to realise that like one's family members, you can listen to the complaints, but under no circumstances join in - it almost makes me want to see him become America's President just to see how his visit to Downing Street would pan out.

Bolt's Riposte To The Mortals

By Shane Thomas

As Usain Bolt crossed the line first in the 200 metres, cementing himself as the greatest sprinter of all time, the doubts and whispers about him disappeared into the London ether. But Bolt never forgot.

The Rivalries To Light Up London 2012

By Shane Thomas

While the Olympics is often the setting for breathtaking dominance; Jesse Owens in '36, Mark Spitz in '74, Carl Lewis in '84, Usain Bolt/Michael Phelps in 2008, there's nothing like a great sporting rivalry. Watching one great athlete in action is a treat, but watching them have to compete against an equal makes for compelling sport. Excellence is a special thing. Excellence + Drama = must-see television. For example, Bolt in full-flow is a sight to behold, but knowing that there's a realistic chance he won't win gold adds a delicious frisson to the 100 metres. 

Olympics Stars #9 - David Rudisha

By Shane Thomas

Can you name the most dominant track & field athlete of the past few years? Usain Bolt? Sally Pearson? Yelena Isinbayeva? Look again. If you want to hang a gold medal around someone's neck before the Olympics begin, your best bet is David Rudisha.

Episode 40 - Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympics

Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium was left dumbstruck by Usain Bolt's feats during the Olympics of 2008. Which makes it a pretty easy topic for our latest episode. I'm joined by Will Tristram (I won't list the podcasts he's on as there are far too many to mention) as we talk about how Bolt came out of China as arguably sport's biggest superstar of the current era.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Sour Taste Of World Championship Could Become Sweet Revenge

By Shane Thomas

While a great deal of sport is devoted to its winners, sport is actually more about failure than success. The same way that every fairy-tale needs a dragon to be slain, sport's tales need a loser to be vanquished and leave the victor exalted.

And like fairy-tales, there is a demarcation as to who plays the role of winner and loser. Two weeks ago, we approached the World Athletics Championships in Daegu with a clear expectation of the men and women who would leave South Korea triumphant. But it turned out to be a championships where many of the sport's understudies decided that this was their time to grab the spotlight and leave track & field's more established names in the shade. The meet became a less duplicitous version of the wonderful Joseph Mankiewicz film, All About Eve.

The list of established favourites that failed to top the medal rostrum became the story of the championships; Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Yelena Isinbayeva, Phillips Idowu, Allyson Felix, LaShawn Merritt all missed out on expected gold medals. The only marquee names who seemed to be unaffected were David Rudisha and Sally Pearson - whose performance in the 100 metres hurdles was arguably the star-turn of the championships.

The reasons for these relative surprises were varied. Idowu, Felix, Ennis & Merritt all performed well - normally well enough to win gold - but came up against a new generation of athletes who seized their moment. Isinbayeva looked ring rusty after taking time away from the sport, with Daegu coming too soon for the Russian. And Bolt... well, enough has already been written about his false start in the 100 metres.

But this needs not be a portent of the established powers being swept away by a new breed of runners, jumpers and throwers, as these World Championships will matter little in a year's time. The countdown to the 2012 Olympics has truly begun, and for the competing athletes, every moment of the next 12 months will go towards ensuring that they arrive in London at the very peak of physical conditioning. While winning a World Championship can make one a national hero, winning an Olympic title makes one a legend.

Coming up short in Daegu only brings London into sharper focus. And the pain of failure could end up as a crucial part of a redemptive summer next year. All these aforementioned athletes are champion performers, and it's not in their nature to settle for second best. We've seen the likes of Bolt and Ennis be dominant on the track. It'll be fascinating to see what happens when their mood changes from supreme to angry.

Daegu 2011 will have left a sour taste in the mouth for some. Which could make London 2012 the place to witness their sweetest revenge.




Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH