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WELL, the curtain comes down today on the magnificent show that has been the Olympics.
As was written on these pages sometime in June, Botswana finally announced itself on the world stage.
“But our local contingent that is destined for Paris is far smaller relative to Botswana, where six athletes, as well as the men’s 4X400m relay team, have already qualified.
“Not only are they going there to make the numbers, but they are genuine medal hopefuls,” wrote Bra Shakes on June 23.
“In May this year, their relay team fired warning shots at the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.
“Botswana made history as the first African country to win a men’s sprint event at the World Relays. They won gold with a world-leading time of 2:59.11 minutes, helped by the supersonic Letsile Tebogo, who will also be contender for the 100m and 200m races.”
With Tebogo winning gold in the 200m race against loud-mouthed Noah Lyles, this has since come to pass.
There is something that country of a little more than 2,6 million people is doing right.
But what a performance by Team Zimbabwe!
Against all the odds, they put up a strong showing, particularly our sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba.
Being counted among the world’s eight fastest men in the 200-metre dash is no small feat.
The Olympics are not child’s play.
They represent an arena where the planet’s elite athletes fight for supremacy.
Even for marathoner Moses Mpofu, finishing 19th in that gruelling and punishing marathon yesterday was nothing short of extraordinary.
It is fair to say our athletes at the Games did what we expected them to do — to compete and give it their all.
We can only hope that they did more than that by inspiring those who aspire to be elite athletes.
What was, however, disappointing were performances by Jamaicans and Kenyans, who were eclipsed by competitors from countries such as the United States, who put paid to the age-old stereotype that considered long-distance races as a preserve of blacks and Africans.
The biggest lesson from all this is the importance of focus, determination and training for success in any discipline.
Some of the winning athletes in long-distance races at the Games reportedly travelled to some African countries to learn the witchcraft mastered by elite athletes in those states.
Conversely, the myth that the US basketball team, which is headlined by billionaire LeBron James, is invincible was nearly shattered by a Serbia team that went toe-to-toe with the Americans, only to lose 95-91.
But the American swimmers were not so lucky. They lost their stranglehold on the men’s 4×100 metres medley.
It became their first time to lose gold ever since they boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Before Paris, they prided themselves in an unbeaten streak stretching back to the men’s medley debut at the 1960 Games.
Performance, therefore, knows no nationality or tribe.
The secret lies in investing in sport and exposing athletes to the best possible environment for them to succeed.
Bra Shakes only hopes that Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Recreation Nicholas Moyo, who was in Paris, will stay true to the commitment that he has made.
He talked about three things — identifying sports codes that can be built on for podium performances; creating platforms where athletes can shine through investing resources that will make talent identification become very easy; and investing in better facilities.
Our representatives at the Olympics essentially showed us that with better resources and investment, it is indeed possible to strike gold.
Until next time.
Peace!
Yours Sincerely,
Bra Shakes.
Online Reporter