Rio Olympics perils, glory loom large
The eyes of the world will be on Rio de Janeiro Friday night for the opening ceremonies of what many fear will be the worst Olympics in history.
Terrorism fears. Zika virus. Doping Russians. And, of course, Brazil’s fiscal and environmental disasters, with questionable preparation of facilities and the toxic stew that is their water: Sailors, windsurfers and marathon swimmers beware. Why not throw in sharks, too?
Those are the headlines, and the worries are legitimate. But the Olympics have a way of creating moments that change the way we look at the world.
Sometimes they are philosophically profound, like Jesse Owens giving Adolf Hitler a lesson for the ages on race, and sometimes a welcome escape from the troubles of the world. Remember the U.S. hockey team’s “Miracle on Ice,” beating the Russians in 1980? And Michael Phelps’ eight golds in the 2008 Beijing Games? Mary Lou Retton’s gymnastic magic in 1984 in Los Angeles?
More than 20 athletes with Bay Area ties are in Rio, many of them capable of not only winning medals but also creating iconic moments. Among the most likely are:
Stanford-bound swimmer Katie Ledecky, who could prove to be one of the greatest swimmers in history competing in the 200, 400 and 800 meters freestyle and 4x200 relay.
Saratoga’s Kerri Walsh Jennings, the former Mitty and Stanford standout entering her fifth Olympics in beach volleyball and striving to become only the second American woman to win four consecutive goal medals. Lisa Leslie, who once scored 101 points in 16 minutes in a high school basketball game, was the first.
Former Cal standout Alex Morgan and Santa Clara University star Julie Johnston, who shined in the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 2-0 win over New Zealand on Wednesday. The team is favored to win its fourth consecutive gold.
Danville’s Maggie Steffins, the MVP on the gold medal women’s water polo team at the London Games that’s headed to Rio as a favorite for another gold.
Kanak Jha of Milpitas, who at 16 is the youngest U.S. Olympian this year and the first American born in the 2000s to qualify for the games. He has high hopes of scoring an upset in the table tennis competition.
But what keeps a nation glued to televised coverage is that we never really know who’s going to soar to a pinnacle of Olympic drama. It could be someone we’ve never heard of. That’s why we love sports and respect Olympic athletes in particular.
Let the games begin.
Hoping the worries about Rio will prove unfounded, we’ll watch instead for the moments of surprise and glory that will live inmemory from these 2016 Games.