There are two groups of people who watch the Olympics, the first group is the jocks who are really into it, and the second is the, “Oh, well, I guess I’ll watch it if there’s nothing else on” group.
There are two groups of people who watch the Olympics, the first group is the jocks who are really into it, and the second is the, “Oh, well, I guess I’ll watch it if there’s nothing else on” group.
I was in the second group until, that is, I turned on the TV and saw the women’s gymnastics. Little 5 foot-tall girls, prancing and leaping through the air on a 4-inch bar. Impossible.
And how about the gymnast who somersaulted around the mat and ended up bouncing 10 feet in the air, landing like a perfect angel? That was Simone Biles.
Then came the high-divers jumping up and flipping around 25 times, then landing perfectly in the pool.
I did a cannonball once and thought I was cool.
The discus-thrower guys were pretty epic, when they flung that discus I felt I was in a Hercules movie or back in ancient Greece sitting on marble bleachers.
Then came the lady running the 400 meter race who won by leaping head first across the finish line. Ouch! She will be remembered, Shaunae Miller is her name.
How about that Brazilian Thiago Braz de Silva, he pole-vaulted about 20 feet high for the gold. The first gold medal ever won for his country in track.
Then there is the jaw-dropping legend, Michael Phelps. He has 22 medals, 18 gold, two silver and two bronze. That’s all.
Can you believe that happy, goofy Phelps? He keeps on swimming and racking up medals, more than any Olympian in history. I mean going all the way back to 700 B.C. in ancient Olympia when they only gave laurel wreaths to the winners.
But the good news was that if you won a laurel wreath back then you got free dinners and drinks in restaurants for the rest of your life. I hope they liked Souvlaki. Maybe that’s where we get hero sandwiches.
Phelps will probably get his share of free dinners and drinks. But even he must bow to former Olympians, so many great ones.
How we love to think back on Jesse Owens, the black athlete in a white world.
It was the 1936 Olympics in Berlin when Hitler and his white Aryan Race were going to show the world about the Master Race — yeah right. A humble black man walked in and ran circles around his Aryans. Jesse won four gold medals.
Take that, Adolf.
And of course there is Duke — now there was a legend. Duke Kahanamoku. They don’t get any more epic.
A great Hawaiian who won nine gold medals in swimming, but also starred in movies, saved lives in a sinking boat and as a lifeguard, and was a worldwide ambassador for Hawaii. Duke and Eddie Aikau, what bold spirits they were.
Speaking of Hawaiians at the Olympics. There were four Hawaii residents who showed off their skill and aloha at the Olympic Games. You could guess, they played volleyball. Let them take a bow: Erik Shoji, Kawika Shoji, and Micah Christiansen on the men’s U.S. volleyball team and Tamari Miyahiro on the women’s U.S. volleyball team, all super-talented young people from Oahu, born in Honolulu.
They are modern ambassadors of Hawaii, making us proud. And I’m sure Duke is mighty proud, too.
Dennis Gregory is a writer, artist, singer, teacher and Kailua-Kona resident who mixes truth, humor and aloha in his biweekly column. He can be reached at makewavess@yahoo.com