Paralyzed from the neck down, she asks to be taken off ventilator
by Tim Carlson, August 29, 2008
Witnesses are sworn in and asked to identify the guilty party in a lineup of Olympic athletic catastrophes. Roll tape. One by one, they watch a series of mind boggling disasters.
Australia’s Belinda Granger and New Zealand’s Bryan Rhodes both won the 26th Ironman Canada titles with strong bike splits Sunday on the classic Penticton, British Columbia course.
Sheila Taormina wrapped up an amazing career by placing 19th of 36 entrants at the modern pentathlon at the Beijing Olympics Friday.
This simple statement of the planned final fact in her athletic career does her no justice.
When all the shouting at Shinsanling Reservoir was over, a surprise longshot German outkicked a triathlon murderer’s row to take gold in the Olympic men’s triathlon.
It came first, and was very much unlike the men’s electric, exciting, adrenaline-rich Olympic four-man duel that would take place a day later.
These things are almost always impossible to predict. Which makes this endeavor an amusing fantasy, not unlike playing the lottery. But honestly speaking, there are only 8 to 10 men in the field of 56 who have the foot speed and leg power to win.
Are the Beijing Olympics just another totalitarian infomercial? Or do they signal something hopeful—China reaching out to free world values? Granting the Games to countries with mixed human rights records is not new.