Rio 2016 Olympic Update (Day 10)
The Olympics are a display of some of the most interesting sports in the world and they are mainly so interesting because they are not common.
It is a rare time that most of these sports are actually broadcast on TV or come to a major city and are considered a major event on the sports calendar.
For some, all of the world championships are a big deal as they watch their favourite athletes perform when they can.
The majority of sports fans who love the Olympics though have no idea what is happening in between the games.
Despite the fact that almost every sport has its own version of a league or it’s own world championship most Olympic fans would be hard-pressed to name the world champions over the four years between the Summer Games.
The fact is that these sports are not the major sports in the world as they get easily drowned out by the bigger North American sports.
As a result, the athletes who participate in these sports have to take full advantage of their moment in the spotlight.
The Olympics to many of these athletes is the Super Bowl or the World Series except that it is something that comes rarely and that they can only usually get to a few of in their lifetimes.
There isn’t an Olympics every single year like these big championship games.
Not only that but the lifespan of an Olympic athlete is usually very short with most athletes only getting two to three Olympic Games before they get caught by other younger athletes.
It makes the Olympics such an important part of their sporting lives. Some can crumble under that pressure as they fail to perform at their best when they need it the most.
Others come alive during this time as they love the pressure and it makes them focus and perform better than they have ever performed before.
For three athletes the Olympics are a success while the rest may find some comfort in performing better than ever before but in the end, many will be forgotten as their games come to an end fairly quickly.
It is a sad reality of the sports world as many will go back to a regular job or back to school and will tell stories of when they made the Olympics with pride in making it that far.
Others have a bit of a brighter future as winners will always get more recognition and with it, they will attract more advertisers.
In fact, Canadian, Penny Oleksiak, could earn up to $250,000 after her four-medal performance for Canada this year if she decided to go pro rather than staying as an amateur.
The decision will need to be made but there is a lot of time for the 16-year-old to continue her time in the sport.
For others the decision is slightly more pressing as their time in the Olympics is coming to an end but for a handful of athletes, the options are a little bigger.
Boxing has always been a major sport where plenty of athletes can find their way to a fairly big professional career.
It may not be as big as it once was but there have been plenty of great Olympians who have become household names.
The biggest among them was Cassius Clay or better known by the name he later adopted, Muhammad Ali.
He is a success story from the Olympics and for many boxers he is a blueprint for where they want to be after their time in the Olympics.
The increase in popularity of Mixed Martial Arts has led to another group of athletes having plenty of options in the future with Judokas and wrestlers all having the opportunity to move on to promotions like the UFC or Bellator.
There are more than a couple of Olympic athletes currently fighting and although not every Olympic star aspires to be a mixed martial artist they do have the options.
Both of these groups have this option but like every other athlete, they need to perform to get there.
Winning medals create interest and allows more opportunity for these athletes who are either at the end of their Olympic careers or awaiting their next chance in 2020.
The Olympics are a test for so many reasons and the pressure to perform for the future is just one of them with or without options after the games.
The Canadian Story:
Stepping Up Again
The Canadian Volleyball team had put themselves in a tough position as they needed to beat a good Italian team to move into the quarter-finals and they did just that in another upset to give them a birth in the playoffs
Last of a Legend
He has been a fixture for Canadian Olympic fans as Adam van Koeverden has been winning medals for a long time but after struggling against younger opponents his attitude seems to be that of a veteran walking away from his last Olympics
Coming Up Short
Track and Field has been a bit of an issue for the Canadians as they have had more than their fair share of gold medal contenders and yet they have not earned a gold this time with top-ranked Shawn Barber finishing 9th in the Pole Vault
Streak Broken
It was good while it lasted for the Canadians but it was sure to come to an end as Day 10 marked the first day without a medal for Canada after they started the Olympics with a Canadian record nine straight days adding to their medal total
|
Day 10 Medal Results: |
Day 11 Medal Events: |
| Athletics Men’s 800m 1. David Rudisha (KEN) 2. Taoufik Makhloufi (ALG) 3. Clayton Murphy (USA) Men’s Pole Vault 1. Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) 2. Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) 3. Sam Kendricks (USA) Women’s 400m 1. Shaunae Miller (BAH) 2. Allyson Felix (USA) 3. Shericka Jackson (JAM) Women’s 3000m Steeplechase 1. Ruth Jebet (BRN) 2. Hyvin Jepkemoi (KEN) 3. Emma Coburn (USA) Women’s Hammer Throw 1. Anita Włodarczyk (POL) 2. Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) 3. Sophie Hitchon (GBR)Boxing Men’s Heavy (91kg) 1. Evgeny Tishchenko (RUS) 2. Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) 3. R. Tulaganov (UZB)/E. Savón (CUB) Cycling (Track) Equestrian Gymnastics Swimming Weightlifting Wrestling |
Athletics Men’s 110m Hurdles Men’s High Jump Men’s Triple Jump Women’s 1500m Women’s Discus ThrowBoxing Men’s Light (60kg) Canoe/Kayak Sprint Cycling (Track) Diving Gymnastics Sailing Swimming Synchronized Swimming Table Tennis Weightlifting Wrestling |
The Sport Addiction 