Day 9: Gold Medal Day
Berlin, Germany: The last day of the World
Track & Field Championships dawned with sunny skies and cooler temperatures
- perfect for the women's marathon. Dave was up very early so he could get
in his run before they closed the crosswalk across Potsdamer - or he would
be stuck over there for hours. After his run, we watched the women's
marathon on television and ran downstairs every time the racers ran by the
hotel - a great way to watch the entire marathon! Kara was with the pack for
quite a while, but slowly faded back and finished a very respectable 10th
place, just over two minutes behind the victor, Xui Bai, of China.
Kara Goucher (middle of photo, blue shorts, white top, sunglasses) at the
11k point in Berlin
Then it was time to head over to Olympic Stadium for the
final night of competition. The program was short and sweet tonight - every
event was a final and the stadium was packed.
A great booth at the stadium: Vitamins & Cocktails
When we arrived (left) and about thirty minutes later
Polish hammer champion receiving her $100,000 for breaking a world record
The final evening of competition was very, very good for
America. Brittany Reese won gold in the women's high jump, Bernard Lagat won
a silver in the 5000m, Shannon Rowbury won the bronze in a very
controversial 1500m, and the US men & women won the 4x400 relays. That is
some serious hardware the American's are taking out of the stadium tonight.
Chris Solinsky, Matt Tegenkamp & Bernard Lagat race for the US in the 5000m
final.
The amazing Ethiopian, Kenenisa Bekele, won the race. He also won the
10,000m a few nights ago!
Bekele & Lagat being interviewed after the 5000m
Olympic Stadium tonight
I finally remembered to ask someone to take our photo in the stadium -
(photo by Toby)
The women's 1500m final was a bit painful to watch. Three
Americans made the final, so there was a lot of hope amongst our little
group of nearby fans. But the race was slow and the girls were so bunched
together - you knew something bad was going to happen... and it did. A
Spanish racer tried to pass on the inside and pushed the leader, Gelete
Burka of Ethiopia. Burka fell hard, but did get to her feet, and finished a
very late 10th. The Spanish girl, Natalia Rodríguez, won the race... but not
for long. She was disqualified! Yes!
Rodriguez said she was sorry, but Burka was having none of it, and was
removed on a stretcher.
Seriously, the girls are so much meaner/tougher than the
boys... they push more, and I bet their fingernails are longer too. It is a
dangerous sport.
And then it was time for the 800m final. Always a brutal race - the 800m was
especially hard tonight. Because of pushing/shoving/falling in the prelims,
and the subsequent protests by coaches, the 8-man race became a 10-man race.
That is two-too-many men for this super-intense two-lap show-down! One
American, our own Nick Symmonds from Oregon Track Club Elite, was our
favorite.
Olympian Nick Symmonds before the 800m final
Nick Symmonds being introduced
Nick Symmonds finishing 6th.
Oh, well. Next time!
Last night in the stadium
Frau Fischer (right) sat next to us all week - she and her husband were a
delight
On to the relays - which were quite fun. The US teams simply
creamed the competition, so that was a fun way to end the evening.
Evidentially the evening continued on and on with the closing ceremonies,
but we left the moment the relays were over and headed back to the hotel on
the subway.
Fast Women
We found a group of our friends already in the hotel bar and
we all went to dinner. Yes, this is my last night for Wiener Schnitzel!
This is the last schnitzel you are going to see
Tomorrow we head for Frankfurt. Until my next update, I
remain your World Champion correspondent.