Now that the medal drought has been broken, can the Kiwi TV people stop this incessant, over-patriotic, excessively hungry focus on medals? It’s embarrassing and counter-productive.
What does Auckland have in common with Paris?
Let’s answer thelast first: In Auckland when it rains hard, sewage mixes with stormwater and places such as Takapuna Beach are closed to swimmers. Despite $2.55 billion (€1.4b) spent on preventing it from happening, Paris cops the same thing. When it rains hard, similarly nasty merde goes into the Seine, just as it does at Takapuna Beach (among many others).
It’s a stark reminder of how hard it will be for a disorganised and uncoordinated world, run by politicians (sigh), to stave off the worst effects of climate change and global pollution – and the systemic let’s-dump-it-in-the-sea strategy that has helped get us in this pickle in the first place. Paris, of course, doesn’t have a seaside or lake venue that could accommodate the swim leg of the triathlons, so the answer is pretty simple – hold it elsewhere, like the sailing being held in Marseille.
If you’re thinking that the answer to question three negates question one and the request to hold the Olympics in Paris every time, not a bit of it.
That shot of triathlete Hayden Wilde sitting on the ground, his arm round the man who relieved him of a gold medal, with the Pont Alexandre III bridge and the Musee D’Orsay in the background was truly – that overused word but appropriate in this instance – iconic.
New Zealand's Hayden Wilde (left) with Britain's Alex Yee after being pipped to a gold medal in the men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics. Photo / Iain McGregor
It showed not only the beauty of sport – that two men like Wilde and Britain’s Alex Yee can be such deadly rivals but also good mates – but the beauty of the setting for their competition.
From the equestrian course at the Palace of Versailles to the triathlon and cycling courses through the middle of the city, taking in features such as the Trocadero, Montmartre and the Arc de Triomphe, and even the mountain bike course at Elancourt, there is no question Paris’ reputation as a city of art, romance and culture endures.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris five times but some of the views of the French capital on the TV coverage have been startling in their freshness. Most big cities have a district or patches of beautiful buildings – Paris seems stuffed with them. Watch that triathlete turn that corner – hang on a minute, what’s that building? It’s gorgeous ...
The Seine? Not so much. Its influence on this event was more than in most triathlons. The rain not only brought manky microbes into the water, it also created a current that saw many swimmers – particularly in the women’s race – stroking hard upstream but not going anywhere much.
Wilde made it out of the water – his weakest leg – about a minute behind the leaders but made up ground with sheer talent, bloody-mindedness and the outstandingly selfless action of fellow Kiwi Dylan McCullough. In true Tour de France domestique fashion, he waited for Wilde and then carted him through the rest of the cycle leg, allowing him to draught to save energy.
We’ll never know if the Seine cost Wilde the gold (he certainly didn’t blame it), so we’ll just have to be content with that shot of the embrace framing all that is great in sport. Ladies and gentlemen, that right there is a true sportsperson – talent, planning, effort, commitment and … grace. His Instagram post to Yee afterwards: “Love yah, mate. Deserved Olympic champ.”
Rod Emmerson's take after the Olympic men's triathlon was postponed due to pollution concerns in the Seine river, while here in NZ, the daily triathlon of swimming among some interesting Government policies proves challenging for Kiwis. Cartoon / Rod Emmerson
Yee didn’t return the arm round the shoulder (an even greater shot, perhaps) after his winning surge, catching Wilde just before the end, knackered him so much that he had to be helped off the finish line. The pair whooped it up at the medals ceremony – and that message (gold medals aren’t everything) shouldn’t be lost on the TV folk.
In that first week, the coverage has mentioned medals and medal hopes at almost every turn. Fair suck of the Seine, I get it – it’s the Olympics; medals are the story. But not in every breath, in every over-egged live cross. It undervalues the efforts of the athletes; it ignores just what competitors had to do just to get to Paris, as the commentators talk breathlessly about “we” and “us” and “our”.
I’ve covered four Olympics, three of them for the Herald, and I know it’s hard for the media – we get a few snatched moments on the day of competition. The real work is done months and years before that, giving a firm idea of the sacrifice and commitment of elite athletes; there is always a story like Wilde’s to illustrate it.
Now the trophy case is beginning to fill, here’s hoping the naked uber-patriotism is cleaned up more than the Seine was. A true patriot, as someone once said, is a guy who gets a parking ticket and is happy the system is working properly.
That’s pretty much what Hayden Wilde did – and the coverage should mirror it more.
Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.
