Sporting Heroes

The Olympic Games are now well under way and although I have been able to watch only snippets on Singapore's five dedicated TV channels to the event, I started to think about 'Sporting Heroes'. To experience the Olympic competitive spirit at first hand must be an experience nothing short of sensational. Anybody, regardless of their discipline, who participates in an Olympic event must carry the memory of the moment, or moments, for the rest of their lives. But I think it must mean more to some than it does to others. It must be a truly awesome experience for an athlete from a country like say Liechtenstein - who have never won a medal in nearly 60 years of trying - to stand shoulder to shoulder in competition with an athlete at the top of their game - say Michael Phelps the swimmer, knowing you cannot win but just being there is prize enough. Imagine it! It is exciting enough being at the Olympics as a spectator, but to participate against the best of the best, is an experience beyond words.

I started to think of lining up against Haile Gebreselassie in the Olympic marathon and running 'in the zone' stride for stride, mile after mile, with one of the greatest athletes of all time. He is an all time sporting hero.

But what makes him a sporting hero in particular? I started to think about this even more.

There has to be attributes to the make up of a sporting hero and for me these are; talent, greatness, modesty in achievement, attitude and focus on winning, engage with your public and winning against the odds. Sporting heroes are a rare breed because very few fulfil all these attributes.

There are many athletes who think of themselves as heroes for example lets start with football and Christiano Ronaldo. Without doubt he is an exciting talent and set very high standards of football greatness in last season's Premier league. I imagine there are millions of kids around the world who worship him and give him a god like status. But this doesn't make him a hero in my book. Greatness he has in bucket loads, talent for certain, but he is acting as spoilt schoolchild. He lacks the modesty of his greatness, instead of channeling his talent he is too busy beating his sizable chest. He has created a high pedestal from which he shouts out loud in self proclamation of a hero. You can see him as a Freddie Mercury like monarch complete with diamante crown and fur robes. Sorry Ronnie you blew hero status out of the door.

My first sporting hero was Sonny Liston, the great American heavyweight boxer of the 1950's. I remember listening to the wireless commentary of the epic fights against Floyd Patterson and the young Cassius Clay. But soon Cassius took soon took over, as Mohammed Ali, the self proclaimed 'Greatest'. Ali had more talent in the dirt under his finger nail than most boxers of his era and with his attitude he started to write new chapters on sporting achievement. He loved his audience and they loved him, and they still do! His pre fight rantings became legendary; 'Flies like a butterfly, stings like a bee', we all remember. He provided a new sporting spirit and he was a winner, a good winner, a fair winner and a popular winner.

However you need to win in a certain way to achieve the ultimate sporting hero accolade. A true sporting hero will win famously, at least once in his career, against the odds. When you come from a hopeless losing position and somehow create mental focus to win. The higher the odds against winning and coming out on top, the greater the sporting hero status. Enter Ian Botham. He had all the attributes of an individual sporting hero, but he single handedly beat the Aussies in the 1981 test match at Headingley. It has been described as creating something glorious out of nothing - in other words sporting magic.

I cannot think of any sportsman or sportswoman who has all of these attributes in the same measure as Ian Botham. Sure there are greats: George Best, Bobby Charlton, Virginia Wade, John Mcenroe, Stirling Moss, Arnold Palmer, Michael Schmaucher, Steve Redgrave, Alf Tucker. They all have some of the attributes but they don't have them in quantities like Botham had.

What about today's rising stars? Well there is Lewis Hamilton, Wayne Rooney, Andrew Flintoff, Michael Phelps, Paula Ratcliffe. They have greatness, talent, focus, attitude, self belief and I admire all of them, but will they be great sporting heroes? I'm not sure.

But one thing for certain is that the athletes competing in Beijing, whatever their level and whatever their chances of winning, have my admiration for just getting there, and I'm sure they are loving every single moment!