The World Championships are over, and I'm back at
home in Tinton Falls.
And what a championship meet it was, with many
lasting images etched in my mind.
American Trey Hardee becoming the world's
greatest athlete- the sustained roar for Jennifer Oeser in the heptathlon- the
women's high jump, with Vlasic and Adriana Friedrich putting on a great show-
injured Steve Hooker winning the men's vault with only two attempts- brutally
physical 800-meter races, with bodies flying all over the place- the
friendliness and great work of the 3,000 very helpful German volunteers- French
vault medalist Roman Mesnil appearing at the post-race press conference draped
in his country's flag (that was all he wore. He caused a stir in Paris by
running nude earlier this year)- a world record by Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland in
the hammer- German Robert Harting tearing off his vest after winning the discus
throw- a last hurrah for Steffi Nerius in the javelin- the Polish women going
1-2 in the pole vault- continued frustration over failures by the USA sprint
relay team- and the great Bekele, controlling all his races. He wins no matter
what the pace is.
But the games belonged to Usain Bolt, right now
the biggest name in all of sport.
Bolt not only wins, he sets records, and totally
dominates the competition. The margins of victory are incredible.
And his personality has added a new dimension to
the sport. Serious only when his national anthem is being played, or when he's
in the blocks, Bolt just doesn't take victory laps. He enjoys the limelight,
laughing, joking, and having a good time.
He managed to "race" the mascot- the
bear Berlino- down the backstretch during a lap of honor, with Berlino getting
in on the act, and striking the Bolt pose.
Bolt came out the following night with a T-shirt
proclaiming "Ich bin ein Berlino," further endearing himself to a
crowd that adored him.
Literally billions of people watched on
television- I saw no basketball hoops or baseball fields, or American football
fields in Germany, Austria, or the Czech Republic, and only a few hoops in
Hungary. Soccer is still the world's biggest sport, but Bolt was everywhere, and
that's a good thing for track and field.
What's the future for USA track and field?
USATF's Doug Logan has launched a "Project
30" (30 medals) for London in 2012. He may have to reassess that figure.
We still outscore the rest of the world, but we
must face the fact that track and field is becoming more globalized.
Medals for Barbados, Panama, and the African
countries mean there's less of a share for the rest of the world.
""Old Europe"- the countries along with the USA that dominated
early international competition- has suffered.
Where are the Crams, Ovetts, Coes, and Peter
Elliotts, and the other great milers from England? Where are the Finns, who had
a lackluster championship meet. Sweden without Christian Olsson and Carolina
Kluft was almost non-existent.
And the USA?
There's a lot of work to be done. We still are
big in the sprints and hurdles, and the jumps, There's an ever-so slight
improvement in the distances, but when the chips are on the table, the Africans
always win.
The throws? I passed several track and field
complexes in the five countries I visited. All had throwing cages on the
infield- something one never sees in the USA.
Until the javelin, discus and hammer are put in
the forefront, the USA will suffer.
We need training camps, and more than one. The
USA is a big country, and regional camps are needed. And we need to set a
priority on the sprint relays, which means practice.
We always hear about how hard the team is
working, but the reality is that the sprint relays are low priority for most of
those athletes.
Remember that the French in 1991, with no
100-meter men ranked among the world's top 20- set a world record in the 4x100.
We have to do better.
Where does this championship rank?
I've been to seven, and each has been special in
some way.
The Spanish fans at Seville, the generosity of
the friendly Canadians at Edmonton, the great organization at Athens, preluding
the Olympic Games, the elegance of Paris- they're all special.
But the one that still stands out is the first
World Championship in Helsinki- during the Cold War, where East met West at the
frontier, with the mighty East German athletic machine going up against the
West.
Any meet in Finland, the Church of Athletics, is
always special. Tickets never have to be given away. The pews are always packed,
and the fans respectfully cheer for all athletes.
And they'll stoically endure any conditions. No
one left the stadium in 2005 when a terrible storm came, producing lightning,
and a wind that gave the fans horizontal rain, soaking those under the roof
covering the stands.
The first World Championship gave us Jarmila
Kratochvilova, the double Decker, Marita Koch, Cram and Cova. The East German
national anthem was played so often that I was humming it leaving the stadium
after the first two days.
It was also the coming-out party for Sergei Bubka
and Carl Lewis, two of the greatest ever.
And it gave me two special thrills. The Finns,
who love the javelin and 10,000-meter runs
(their national events) went nuts after hometowner Tiina Lillak won the jav on
her last throw. People in the stands cried tears of joy- it's still the most
emotional moment I've ever witnessed in track and field.
And it produced the loudest roar I've ever heard
from any crowd. When Finn Martti Vainio went into the lead with less than 400 to
go in the 10,000, the people let out a yell that had my ears hurting.
Vainio didn't even medal in that race, but he
rewarded the faithful with a dive at the tape to get a medal in the 5,000 a few
days later.
So Helsinki I is still the best, but only by a
narrow margin over Berlin, which gave us a great championship.
A clean and green city, good weather, friendly
people, the greatest volunteers, and stirring competition made this special.
And there was the Brandenburg Gate, with
concerts, exhibitions, and public appearances- young men on bikes doing
incredible stunts at Potsdammmerplatz, Tiergarten, with great areas to run, the
Reichstag, terrific bratwurst and currywurst, good beer, and a rebuilt city,
with enough reminders remaining of a very scary past.
In short, Berlin put on quite a show.
A big thank you goes to all who wrote encouraging
words about the writing- to me personally, and the positive online posts on the
various running websites. To be placed in the same category as Kenny Moore,
Elliott Denman, and Marc Bloom is truly an honor. A very humble thank you.
An even bigger thank you goes to my family- first
to wife Rosemary, who for 38 years has looked after me. She has kept the Great
Gawker from walking into bike lanes, streetcars, and oncoming traffic. My
daughters, Mary Beth and Emily (and her husband Jonathan) - they're sweethearts.
They've taught the old guy how to pack light. And my sons- Dr. George III, Capt.
Tim (USMC), and Sgt. Andrew (USMC)- always make sure that the praise heaped on
Dad doesn't increase his hat size. They gently keep Dad in line.
A final very sad note.
I was home on Friday night, and had decided that
day to wear my polo with the Finnish flag- I rarely wear the shirt. I received a
call from one of my ex-runners- George Massa- telling me that his father, Leo
Erkki Massa, had passed away suddenly that day.
I coached George at Holmdel HS, and Leo and I
became great friends. Leo was the US national cross country ski champion in 1958
and 1959 at 18K and 30K, too part in many international competitions, and
competed in the 1960 Olympic Games at Squaw Valley in the 30K and 50K cross
country races.
Leo, of Finnish descent, still had many relatives
and friends in Finland, and it was he who set Elliott Denman and I up with a
cabin (complete with sauna) about 10 meters from the Gulf of Finland in 1983,
where we attended the first World Championships.
We had talked before the championships, and I was
going to call him when I received the bad news. He would often call the house,
and if I wasn't home, would talk track to anyone who answered, often for
extended periods of time.
A soft-spoken, humble man, he was a great example
for my family, especially for young kids growing up. He'll be missed.
GK
