I have had occasion to watch quite a bit of the London Olympics. It has been an emotional and astounding experience for me. I found myself overcome with pride and admiration for the strength of their accomplishments, the stories of Michael Phelps and Oscar Pistorius stand out specifically.
While one cannot denigrate the accomplishments of the male participants, for me, as in many other ways, it was all about the women. Kim Rhode won Gold, shooting 99 out of 100 skeet, winning medals over five Olympics. Claressa Shields growing up in impoverished Flint, Michigan with a father in jail through much of her life became the only American Boxer to win gold. The South Korean and Chinese Archery teams fighting for Gold through heavy rain. The astounding American Athletic Team, Keshia Baker, Allyson Felix, Diamond Dixon, Francena McCorory, Sanya Richards-Ross, DeeDee Trotter, Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight, Tianna Madison, Jeneba Tarmoh, Lauryn Williams, Jenn Suhr, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Brittney Reese each winning Gold. Kristin Armstrong on her bicycle and the US Women’s Soccer Team (ah, Football) winning Gold.
And how can anyone forget the Williams Sisters, Serena and Venus, first players in history, male or female, to win the Golden Grand Slam in both singles and doubles, the swimmers, Alyssa Anderson, Missy Franklin, Lauren Perdue, Allison Schmitt, Dana Vollmer, Shannon Vreeland, Rachel Bootsma, Claire Donahue, Jessica Hardy, Breeja Larson, Rebecca Soni and Katie Ledecky; or the fantastic Women’s Gymnastic Team, the Fab Five, Gabby Douglas (2 Gold), Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman (2 Gold), Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney, in a series of events encompassing both heartbreak and triumph, or Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh’s victory at Beach Vollyball. This is the first Games in which there have been more female Olympians than males. The American women took home 29 gold medals to the men’s 15.
While I have primarily mentioned American teams, and have skipped over some of the larger team events, they were not the only profoundly exciting events for me. I am the Eroticist after all, and I must point out one of the most visually captivating events, those of Rhythmic Gymnastics. It is captivating to watch. Beautiful women in coordinated routines assuming positions impossible to contemplate. I include some samples here, here, here and here for your enjoyment.
Women, mysterious, most beautiful, worthy of great respect and admiration. I congratulate them.
The Eroticist