(no subject)

( Ooh shiny Olympic spoilers )

Other than that I think that certain runners should have remembered what happened to Phidippides (spelling wrong, seriously wrong).

Brendan Foster gets huge brownie points for his commentary today. Steve Cram was saying how much Paula Radcliffe had prepared and Foster said that so had the other athletes. He also said he hoped that she wouldn't try to run the 10,000. He is a wise man.

The commentators, Barry Davies and occasionally the swimming ones apart, have been good all round. Gary Herbet doing the rowing has been extra specially fun. For instance, yesterday as the coxless four raced Canada to the finish - "It's three feet, two feet, one feet. Great Britain win by two centimetres."

Classic!

That's two unforgettable and slightly silly sporting memories he's given the country.

He also got me thinking about memorable images and how they can be quite resonant in one place and completely unnoticed in another. For instance, Herbert blubbing on the podium is one of the images of Barcelona here in the UK, whereas elsewhere I doubt anyone even remembers the coxed pair.

Going on holiday

Back home to Vienna. I am so excited/terrified. Happy because, you know, home and all that. Terrified because my German is so not up to it. Also because I'll be meeting at least one person who I haven't met since I was like 5, and he was about 11, maybe 12 and he's expecting to practise his English out on me. Since his Dad's an English lecturer he's going to be so much better than me at 2 languages.

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BEG, BORROW, STEAL, EVEN RING UP AND ANNOY YOUR TELEVISION PROVIDER, JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET TO WATCH THE MEN'S HIGH BAR FINAL.

YOU WILL SEE SOMETHING THAT IS BOTH FUN, IN THE VAGUELY BAD WAY, AND UNUSUAL.

Oh and the caps. Totally warranted.

( The reason for the caps )

Steve Cram and Brendan Foster commentating on the athletics get even more brownie points. Cram for saying that it all comes down to the day and some of the greatest athletes have never won an Olympic gold. Which sounds kind of obvious but should get stated more often.

And Brendan Foster for saying, while all were wailing about Paula Radcliffe, that the Japanese lady who won ran an amazing, brilliant, incredibly-hard-on-her race and that shouldn't be forgotten.

Oh and in the least important bit of news, I've finished the Randy and Chris Benoit gen fic based on last week's RAW. It's called 'Gold Fever' and is to be found here about -http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=200258;article=513;title=JAWS%20-%20Just%20Another%20Wrestling%20Storyboard

- and it features fear, paranoia and the belt having much the same effect on people as the One Ring.