"The older I get, the more profoundly I appreciate that, when I'm writing about sport, I'm also writing about love. This makes perfect sense given these are mankind's two greatest inventions and the stuff we can least do without, but there's more to it than that: sport and love are both expressions of identity, creativity and devotion, pursued because they are right but also because it's impossible not to."
"None of which seemed remotely relevant at the 1992 Olympics, when Derek Redmond stood on the start line prior to his 400m semi-final. Four years previously, he'd withdrawn from the opening round 90 seconds before the gun, suffering with one of many injuries that blighted his career. But now he was right there, having recorded the fastest time in qualifying before winning his quarter-final. He was ready. And Redmond got away well, but as he stretched down the back straight, his right hamstring popped. I heard a funny clap, he said, and I honestly, for a split second, thought I'd been shot."
"Professional athletics is not an inherently enjoyable activity: you sacrifice fun and freedom to hurt yourself on a daily basis, to eventually hurt yourself for the viewing pleasure of a worldwide audience. But even in that context the 400m stands out, a barbaric event offering no escape: you sprint until you can't sprint any more, then you sprint more."
Sport and love are intertwined expressions of identity, creativity and devotion pursued because they are right and irresistible. Love appears in many forms and varies between people and across time. Parental love is implacable, indivisible and incomparable. Derek Redmond approached the 1992 Olympic 400m semi-final after a career marred by injuries and strong qualifying performances. His right hamstring ruptured down the back straight, producing a 'funny clap' and a momentary sensation of being shot. Professional athletics demands daily self-inflicted pain and sacrifice for public spectacle. The 400m is uniquely brutal; athletes sprint beyond limits, hoping rewards like Olympic competition justify the physical toll.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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