The best, and the worst, of the Olympics

ONE of the great joys of the Olympic Games is that they create instant superstars, people you never heard of before who suddenly achieve fame either by their achievements or the force of their personalities – or both. The O’Donovan brothers from Lisheen in west Cork have ability and charisma in abundance, and their silver medal success in the lightweight double sculls this week was a moment the entire nation celebrated.

Not just because it rescued us from the disappointment of losses in the boxing ring, or compensated for the valiant but fruitless efforts of other Irish competitors, but because Paul and Gary reminded us of what sport is all about.

For them, rowing first and foremost is all about the craic, and the incredible, self-effacing humour they displayed in their interviews this week has seen them join the pantheon of our favourite sportspeople. Their wit and humility has caught the attention of people far beyond these shores – even tennis legend Martina Navratilova tweeted yesterday that they deserved gold for their interviews alone.

Also doing the rounds yesterday was a 2008 photo of US swimmer Michael Phelps with a young Singaporean fan – side by side with a photo taken on Friday when that boy, Joseph Schooling, now 21, beat Phelps to gold in the 100m butterfly.

That is the true purpose of the Olympics, to show young people that with skill, training and dedication, anyone can be a champion – and the smile on Phelps’s face was a joy to behold when he realised that the boy he inspired had come good.