High Praise for Mediocrity

I have been watching the Olympics and I must say I've been really taking an interest in it especially that of the Uk athletics team. All I can say is that we in Britain seem to celebrate mediocrity but we wrap it up in 'gutsy, heroic and similar words when actually 'NOT GOOD ENOUGH' would suffice. Michael Johnson summed it up really when he accused quite rightfully that our sprinters have been left behind by the Americans and other nations. The reason being that if you make it into the UK athletics team you are treated as a celebrity such as Darren Campbell etc. In america there are sprinters who are faster than our UK sprinters who are not even in the US team and we have never heard of them. That was it for me as the great Michael Johnson was basically saying we reward mediocrity and he was damn right and I am glad he said it. Take Darren Campbell's interview at the end off his 200m semi. he stated he tore his hamstring in an earlier round but managed to run in the 200m semi, then stated he was in perfect fitness. This guys trying to pull a fast one on us, all I know if your hamstring has gone you definately won't be running a 200m semi and most definately will not be in the relay team. Another case of not been good enough and having so many excuses nothing seems to make sense.

Deniece Lewis, shame on you for not having the guts to finish your last two events, so what if you'd finish 18th, probably more to do with you being beaten by a young unknown who hasn't had the specialist attention UK athletics lavished on you. Kelly gets bronze and had your coach spent some time with her and worked on her javelin she could have won silver. This girl has the potential to win gold if given the right coaching but I reckon UK athletics will support golden girl Lewis all the way to Beijing, where she wont win any medals, as she's well past her best and doesn't have that hunger anymore but the money will do her fine.

I wont even bother to start on PR as enough has been said but as stated earlier we celebrate mediocrity and she's never won a medal at a major tournament ever and we have her down as winning the marathon, she believed her own hype the poor cow. The japanese lady Noguchi blasted her into the greek sidewalk, giving up and weeping and the daily mirror's headline has her down as a hero. I think not but then again when was the last time the daily mirror got a headline right. I watched the marathon and saw PR chuck in the towel as she slipped into 4th place and it was plain to see, the site of Britains so called gold medal hope for the marathon weeping on a greek dual carriageway was pitiful but again we enjoy celebrating mediocrity. She runs a few selective marthons and wins them sets a world record time in the marathon so what it counts for nothing in the Olympics. She' wont run Boston as it's too hilly for her, which I guess she'd never run the Stockport marathon which is a pig of a course. However all the excuses in the world do not take away the fact that PR jacked it in but our two other UK runners finished the course and one of them had to get time off from Dollond & Aitchinson to go to Athens.These two ladies wouldn't have had half the sponsorship support etc PR has received but they did themselves proud, they finished. If PR now attempts to run the 10K, then she's a bigger fool than she looks as everyone know how to beat her, sit on her shoulder and then overtake her in the last 200m as she's no kick at all. Gold medal I don't think so, lucky if she finishes 4th.

Kelly Holmes run is probably the best run by a British woman ever in a major tournament but I am sick of seeing it now BBC overkill. The girl did good but how long has it taken her to get there but she managed to imporove at each major event when she wasn't injured. That race should be given to all young athletes even if they are Shot putters!

That lad Amir Khan, the boy can box and so what if he's only 17 but he's got a tough fight on friday and if he does his homework and fights smart then he's in the final, if he's meeting a Cuban, then I am inclined to put my money on the Cuban as their talent pool is immense. If he does get gold I hope he stays amatuer and fights in beijing otherwise he'll end up like Nas, a good talent wasted, the vultures of the pro game are circling already.

The british cyclist racing in the Madison (200 laps of the circuit)today one fell off, got back on his bike and carried on they came 3rd and got a bronze, now thats what I call guts and true grit.

The track and field team have been so piss poor why bother give them lottery funding when it could be pumped into other sports to give us real winners. UK athletics needs a swift kick in the arse to get rid of the underachievers and work with some talented hungry for success youngsters. I like to feel that my lottery money is being well spent but on this showing it's not. Beijing in 2008 will be very tough as the Chinese will be preparing Athletes for every event possible and you know what they may just win everything in sight.