Hey Everyone!Fellow bloggers back me up!
9.69 seconds - that's the new world record for the 100 meter dash. Jamaican Usain Bolt did exactly what his name promised... he bolted across the finish line in record time - and we were there! BOCOG gave us tickets to the athletics competition this evening - including what some say is the most watched event at the Olympics. The Bird's Nest was amazing. Like my friend Julie said: you can't truly experience the Olympics until you set foot inside National Stadium. It has not totally sunk in yet - what we saw. The evening started at 7PM and we got to see women's heptathlon and shot put finals. The main event was the 100 meter dash which was scheduled last in the evening around 10:30.
The stage was set with a special montage and entrance music. The athletes got into position and the crowd - screaming and talking throughout the night - dropped the volume to almost whispers. The anticipation was almost too much to handle. The gun exploded. With it, hundreds of photo flashes went off like a sparkling wave across the stadium. People cheered and the stadium was alive. One athlete pulled out from the pack. At 9.69 seconds, Bolt crossed the line - a new world record! Even before he crossed the line, he was already celebrating with his hands outstretched. It was over so fast that it took a second to see who had won. Bolt was overjoyed and made a victory lap - first embracing his friends and family and then addressing the crowd. With his shoes in hand and flag around his back, he embraced the new record as the world's fastest man.
Back in the stands, we all were going crazy. We had just witnessed history and couldn't believe we were present for a new world record. The atmosphere in the stadium was in full party mode. People were cheering and music blasted from the surround sound speakers throughout the stadium. Some people said that at these Olympics in Beijing no records would be broken. I'm wondering what they're thinking now.
Speaking of records: we watched Michael Phelps win his 7th gold this morning in the ONS office. We were all huddled around the television. The race was incredible! There was a moment of doubt at that photo finish, but when the scores came up and he had won by just a tenth of a second, the whole office went crazy!
Here in Beijing, it's Olympic mania. Almost everyone you meet has something Olympic. Every TV in every store and bar has the Olympics running. Even now, the TV in our room is tuned to CCTV 1 showing a handball match. It's Olympics 24/7 - something I've always wanted to experience.
Ted
1 comment:
Hi I just came back from the test center. I knew there's a new world record last night and feel a little sad that I left so early. But that's the right thing to do before the test because I gave myself one hour and I truly enjoy this one hour in the BIRDS' NEST! It's one of my best time in my life because of those cheerful moments!
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