TEDxDAR 2011: John Stephen Akwari

John Stephen Akwari is the man who finished who finished a marathon in spite of his injuries during the 1968 Olympics. He said 'My country did not send me to Mexico to start the race. They sent me to finish it." Just about anyone can start a race and anyone can be a winner. But to finish the world's most difficult footrace on principle, with a torn up knee? That's a whole other level of grit. We just don't make them like this anymore*.

His life makes for a good story, but I realized that the first few statements sum it up completely: one of 16 children, he was sent to school because he hated herding cattle and simply wouldn't. Stubborn kid. Look where it got him: a lifetime of sports, comptition, and the kind of feat that reminds us that once upon a time being an Olympian required something that no amount of sport science can help you with. As for the rest of his life story I am afraid it's one of those moments that can't be typed up easily. The reminiscences of a veteran sportsman and some sports history too. I think that the video of the presentation on TEDxDAR will tell the story better.

*How come everything really good seems to have happened in the 1960s anyways?

Bangles!

That's what my niece had to say about the olympics opening ceremony. Out of the mouth of babes :) Well, she had to entertain herself somehow. The sound of all those adults' jaws dropping, ins shock-awe-exclamation must have gotten tired after the first hour.

But do I say! Considering that most of us had unrealistically high expectations of the bangle cames opening ceremony that we wanted the Chinese to exceed anyways, they did good. Giant firework footsteps from Tianamen Square anyone? Human paintbrushes? Not to mention the torchbearer's wirework sprint around the rim of the Bird's Nest- personal favorite.

My guilty pleasures were provided by the PLA*: I am incredibly receptive to demonstrations of military precision and might. The balletic movement of that soldier who tossed up the Chinese flag, the clockwork goosesteping, the shinier-than-shiny boots... During our Independence Day parades it is all our soldiers can do not to bayonet each other in the back as they march in faux-unison past the Presidential pavilion.

La Dee still thinks that the arrow torch lighting technique used in Sydney (or was it Athens) was the Way Coolest Olympic Torch Lighting Gimmick Ever and I partly concur- but only that part of me that is disappointed Running Man didn't summersault-tripple-backflip into the Lucky Eight cloud torch to light it. That's the finale I would have gone for if anyone had asked me. As far as memorable bangle game ceremonies go, this one has wiped clean all memories of preceding events apart from the wonderful Athens show. So, London 2012? No pressure. Heh.

*It has always seemed right to me that the PLA be called the Red Army for the visual poetry and color symbolism, dontcha think, but Wikipedia disabused me of that notion. Russia got there first.