 Picture perfect
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-25 08:08  It all started with a photograph. Of course, it would, wouldn't it, when you are talking about Yelena Isinbayeva, the pin-up girl of Russian athletics, the best woman pole-vaulter the world has seen. But this photograph was different. It didn't in any way highlight her known strengths: Her athleticism, her attractive face, her alluring charisma. It did just the opposite. In the center of the 91,000-seater Bird's Nest, in the midst of Olympic competition and competitors all around her, in the middle of the pole vault final, it showed her taking a catnap, face covered, seemingly switched off from the rest of the world. The calmness the image radiated was blissful. For me, that was the moment. The definitive moment of the Beijing Olympics. The Games produced champions of the highest caliber, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps supreme among them, athletes testing and stretching the limits of what the human body can achieve.
Paradoxically, the stillness of the moment captured in the photograph seemed to show more about what the human body is capable of doing. It transcended sheer physical performance. As things turned eventually, there was a physical dimension to follow: Minutes after the photograph was taken, Isinbayeva won the gold medal and a little later, set another world record, the 24th of her career. Like all great champions, Isinbayeva performs best when the whole world is watching. "I love it so much, I feel like an actress. They (the crowd) are there just for me. They want a world record, so at least, I will try to do my best. And I was confident, I really wanted to make all the people happy." Like all great champions, she knows how to put the competition in place. No 2 American Jenn Stuczynski had thrown up a challenge before the Games: "I hope we do some damage, and, you know, kick some Russian butt." Isinbayeva replied with gold and a world record, and: "She must show respect, and know her position. Now she knows her position." Like all great champions, she says the right things to the right people. At the press conference after her gold, which had gone well past midnight, Isinbayeva was asked if she'd rather be celebrating than answering questions from journos. She replied: "No, it's a pleasure for me. I know you have been waiting two or three hours, but I want to feel professional. After all, you are my PR people in your different countries." But most of all, like all great champions, Isinbayeva can look inside her head and still her mind. The photograph says it. They say that perfection lasts just a moment. Isinbayeva in the photograph stretches a moment to eternity. (China Daily 08/25/2008 page13) |
