Sheer joy after a shocking comeback.
We begin this post, well, at the finish line. The setting
is: the women’s 4x400-meter relay at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
Three top teams — Jamaica, Great Britain, and the Netherlands — vied for the lead
throughout the race. Entering the anchor leg, Jamaica had a good lead, with
Great Britain following in second and the Netherlands a bit farther back in
third. Yet the Dutch anchor was Femke Bol, a gifted athlete who had something
to prove. Yes, she’d won gold at her signature event — the 400-meter hurdles — but
had fallen right near the finish line in the mixed (i.e., men’s and women’s) 4x400
relay, disqualifying the team.
Often enough, writer-types (and other types) dismiss the importance
of athletic competition, but they couldn’t be more mistaken. Overcoming a significant
deficit right at the finish line, Femke Bol reminds us all to “believe in your
game” and “keep pushing despite long odds” and “run for your teammates” or your
community. This is not meant to take anything away from Jamaica and Great
Britain whose athletes are world-class and whose teams finished second and
third, respectively, by mere fractions of a second. They too were magnificent
and earned their spots on the podium.
For me, anyhow, Femke Bol ran a race that depended on the
craft of her calm, upright posture as well as the edginess of her finish — the great
move she made at the end, when she sprinted for all she was worth. It is one of
the greatest comebacks of all time. Her teammates are Eveline Saalberg, who ran
the first leg; Lieke Klaver, who ran a magnificent second leg; and Cathelijn
Peeters, who ran the third leg. To be fair, they all played a big role, and Femke
Bol didn’t win the race by herself.
Don’t take my word for it though. Check out the
following videos, which explore the results from a couple of different perspectives. Laten we gaan!
The race, as seen from the perspective of
two teammates cheering from the stands
6 comments:
you have a crush on those girls! ~babsy
babsy! just as our readers have a crush on the name babsy, i do have an "athletics-only" crush on these women. they are fierce competitors and i find that very moving! that's my crush. oi, babsy! will you ever say who is babsy? inquiring minds want to know. ba/dg
yes, i am babette. hence ~babsy
ah you remembered my question from many comments ago! thanks babette. we really appreciate your readership and comments. merci & bonne nuit. --ba
Yes! Massive crush on "babsy"! - Reader of "Blood and Gutstein"
babsy, babette, this is just the "visible part of the iceberg." there is huge krush on the name babsy. we're talking -- stellar -- proportions. during the next meeting of the board of directors we will table a motion to teach you the secret handshake. until then, we are fond admirers of babsy! -- b.a. et al.
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