May I speak first the relief felt by the Gods. The Gods have been denied the wonder and physical majesty of the female athlete in competition since ancient Greece. And you think you’ve been wronged. In this commentary I give congratulations and gratitude to all the female athletes in the world competing in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio. Special recognition goes out to my team of astonishing American female athletes as they dazzle our perceptions.
As I’ve struggled to process visually and mentally what my eyes tell me I must believe, I’m still struggling to record it in memory and stop the constant playback. Let me start with the swimming competition as I will highlight two athletes in and out of the pool. Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles.
The Gods may have been distracted seeing that the Earth is essentially a big pool of water when the American 4×200 relay team started their race. The cheering and the competition elevated their curiosity to come take a look. That was a mistake as this race would accelerate their hearts and make it problematic for their lungs to catch air. Katie Ledecky would not and did not disappoint them. She patiently waited as she watched her team fall behind.
Katie was almost there as power began to build up in her muscles. The Gods could sense the crescendo rising in her as she waited to powerfully spring from that platform. Now! Into the water and if my eyes were deceiving me it looked like the water was parting to give her the preeminence. Smashing to the surface did Katie emerge like a shark flinging 15 feet from the depth of the ocean.
Arms and legs obeying every command as Katie instructed her majestic body to flow as one form through the laps of the race as victory was the only acceptable culmination. The Gods must be watching I imagine she believed as they are receiving a gift centuries overdue as she touched the wall to end the race. I will chance it to say that there will be a hundred years of prosperity to our world as a gift from the Gods for such an unbelievable spectacle delivered to their dominion!
Simone Biles phenomenal floor routine to win the gold medal was a visual myth. How else can you explain a current event as historical lore? It’s as if Simone Biles propelled herself into the air from that beam with power mere mortals dream of possessing. The Gods were jockeying for the best position to watch her as she touched those platforms knowing they were fearful of letting her down much less the Gods.
The cameras recorded all of this and still Simone leaves everyone in the world to question what they witnessed. We have been deprived of the contributions of females to the Monolith of Sports and Olympic Immortality for far too many generations. I am glad I was born in a time to celebrate and champion the glory of the female athlete!