Olympics Redux Bronze

bronzesamplier
Originally uploaded by Randuwa

I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the Beijing Olympics. I joked with a friend today that the IOC should reserve the right to host the games to countries that are Totalitarian regimes with no respect for human rights: London in 2012?--Pfff!--why not Saudi Arabia? And 2016 Let's go to Myanmar!

For no more than the spectacle has become an homage conceptually to the end of the era of Nationalism, and therefore, obsolete by any PC standard of the 2nd millennium--it also retains a charm. The beauty of the individual. A completely paradoxical value that was both present again in the mega stars like Bolt, Kexin, and Phelps; and lost upon most of us in the constraints of both our own nationalistic fervor and the sheer magnitude of covering the event.

So many winners so little time.

So here are 12 bronze medalists for the record. How many of them have you heard of? Before exploring the options, only the guy from Togo was known to me. A kayaker from Togo!?--Now, of ALL the Kayakers, in all of the countries, in all of the world, the 3rd BEST out of the surely millions of guys is a guy from Togo! THAT'S a story.

Top to Bottom/Left to Right:

And the BRONZE MEDAL goes to:

Paddy Barnes of Ireland
Men’s Boxing
Light Fly Weight 48Kg

Benjamin Boukpeti of Togo
Men’s Kayak/Canoe
Kayak K1

Natalia Falavigna of Brazil
Women’s Taekwondo
68 Kg and over

Mariya Grabovetskaya of Kazakhstan
Women’s Weight Lifting
75 Kg and over

Bruno Julie of Maritius
Men’s Boxing
Bantam Weight 54Kg

Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia
Men’s Weightlifting
68 Kg

Reiko Nakamura of Japan
Women’s Swimming
200M Backstroke

Rohullah Nikpai of Afghanistan
Men’s Taekwondo
Less than 58Kg

Stephanie Possamai of France
Women’s Judo
78 Kg

Maria K. Yulianti of Indonesia
Women’s Badminton
Singles

Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania
Modern Pentathlon

and,

Shahar Zubari of Israel
Men’s Sailing
Windsurfer RS:X

Well done each and one of you and all those your image and data represent.