Word: nadia
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...hockey upset of the Soviets in 1980 is an imperfect analogy?and it is?the feeling inside the arenas was similar. Until now the men of this sport have drawn less attention than the women, an inequity Conner can explain in a single word: leotards. But a Nadia Comaneci's or Olga Korbut's influence may have been triggered for boys finally by six amazing young strongmen who are not only their own standard but their own barbells as well...
...crowd of laughing Rumanians, evidently not the soccer team, is kicking a spotted ball around a park bench. Nadia Comaneci, a guest of the L.A.O.O.C., is staying with her old team. "It is very bright and cheerful. I like everything very much," says the darling gymnast of Montreal. A Lebanese long jumper, Gabi Issa El Khouri, who could shave clear up to his eyes, is rolling them at the second most wonderful question put to him so far: Are Los Angeles and Beirut much different...
...Carl Lewis who enter the Olympics with greatness already thrust upon them; one will test their performances against their reputations. Better still, sudden heroes always seem to emerge and establish themselves, often in sports one has dismissed as boring or has paid no attention to before. Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci created gymnastics for most Americans, not because Americans never heard of gymnastics, but because they had not seen the sport performed by virtuosos. A subtle surprise of the Olympics is how individuals can transform the events in which they participate. Boxing enrages and disgusts you. Then Sugar Ray Leonard...
...heroes, yet heroism in the Games is lightweight; it bears none of the mythic armor of professional sports. With professional athletes, allegories develop with the records; Mantle was pain, Unitas skill, Ali poetry and power. The Olympic Games are too brief for spectators to construct a folklore. Personalities like Nadia float to the top for a few days, but only as they are attached to performances. The hero and the act are one. If an allegorical hero is to be found in the Games, it is youth in general. A time of life is held still. For two weeks nothing...
Alas, we forget one small detail the Olympics are worth saving. As the memory of assassinations and boycotts slowly fades, the stars of the Bob Beamons, Mark Spitzes, Alberto Jauntorenas and Nadia Comanecis continue to shine brightly. The beauty and drama of athletic competition reaches its pinnacle at Olympic time: what a tragedy it would be to give up all the moments yet to come...