While
I am not a huge swimming fan, I like to do some pool laps
when I get a chance and take an interest in the bigger
races when they are on. Michael
Klim is a boxing fan and I always keep an eye on his
races. Of course, most Australians will have been aware
of the swimming controversy four weeks ago when Olympic
Champion Ian
Thorpe was disqualified from a 400 metre race at the
Australian Championships after overbalancing on the starting
blocks and falling into the pool in breach of the rules.
Unknown
swimmer Craig
Stevens was subsequently thrust into the limelight
when he qualified second behind Grant Hackett in the
final and ever since, the outcry for him to step down
and allow Thorpe to take his place from the media has
been deafening. While I was aware of all this, what
really made my blood boil was a column by Richard Hinds
in the Sydney Morning Herald on April 24
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2004/04/23/1082719627502.html.
As I sat back and read it last Saturday, I became more and more amazed at the attitude by most media commentators who had this unwavering belief that Stevens should simply give up his place to Thorpe immediately. That was bad enough, but then Mr Hinds and many others took offence at Stevens receiving $60,000 and a twelve month work contract from the Channel 7 Network for selling his announcement that he would in-fact step down last Monday. Hinds wrote, “…the only reward Stevens should get for stepping aside is a carton of beer and a thank-you note.”
First the critics want Stevens to stand aside, then when he agrees to do that, giving up a spot in an Olympic event, they want to complain that he receives some compensation for it?
The point the critics of Stevens seem to be missing is that despite the magnificent achievements of Thorpe in the past, no one has a right to a spot on the Australian Olympic team. If Thorpe was that good, he wouldn’t have overbalanced and fallen into the pool in the first place. Life isn’t always perfect. It’s like Kostya Tszyu has said many a time, ‘when you enter the ring, there are no excuses’.
Stevens earned his spot to compete in the 400 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games by coming second in the final at the Australian Championships. It was not his fault that Thorpe was not there to compete against him.
There are many instances in boxing where I am sure people would have liked a second chance after a poor performance or a period of sheer madness. Do you think that if he could relive the moment again, Shannan Taylor would have reacted differently when the warning ‘click click’ sound was heard in the final seconds of his first round against Shane Mosley? What about if Jeff Fenech had the chance to train all over again for his rematch with Azumah Nelson in Melbourne? In hindsight, maybe Kostya Tszyu should have postponed his fight with Vince Phillips while he was in the midst of a court battle? You think Oscar De La Hoya would run those last four rounds against Felix Trinidad again and maybe Mike Tyson should have trained harder for Buster Douglas?
No, life is not perfect and while it will make many people happy to see Thorpe competing in the 400 metres in Athens, he did not earn it under the rules that apply. Under enormous pressure, Stevens made a very tough decision. I wonder if he would have made the same choice if he did not have places in the 1500 metres event and 200 metre relay team at the same Games?
What this whole episode does is remind us that everyone is human and when you step up to compete, whether it is swimming, boxing or any other sport, you cannot rest on your laurels and you must be at your very best. Regardless of what you have achieved in the past, everyone begins as equals at the starting line or at the opening bell. For the best of the best, the difference is their preparation and their willingness to prove themselves all over again. As the old saying goes, it’s one thing to become world champion, but it’s even harder to stay there.
