A legend stumbles

This morning, I woke up to a sad news. A legend I had been hearing tales since childhood had fallen……to disgrace.

A fighter and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has been stripped off his 7 titles and has been slapped a lifetime ban from cycling. But they will never be able to strip him off his fans. Fans, who love him, as a sportsman, as a fighter and as a survivor.

The US Anti Doping Agency claims on hearsay basis (is that even valid?) that all these years Armstrong had been using performance enhancing drugs. Without any trials, the USADA has declared a presumed verdict. And all this happens when Armstrong has never failed in any dope test. So has the USADA proved science wrong?

Though we don’t know the truth, we might never know it, for Armstrong has called it quits. He is not going to challenge the verdict. He has decided to move on. In his words ‘Enough is enough.’ He moves on dedicating his life to his family and a cause he has been supporting even before he won a Tour de France, his cancer foundation.

Though the fans would want to see their icon fight a battle and emerge victorious, like he has always all battles. In his book It’s not about the bike Lance says, “Giving up was never an option.” Then why did he give up this fight? Some may even consider this retract as a sign of guilt, but what the world knows is the half truth, or probably half lie.

Armstrong has failed the sporting test but has come out with flying colours in the test of humanity. He is a symbol of hope for millions of cancer afflicted patients, who look up to him as a fighter.

The sport of cycling has definitely suffered a huge setback. The word cycling is synonymous to Lance Armstrong. If people chose to believe the USADA then definitely the synonym has been dropped and probably will never find a replacement. Lance Armstrong, the human - has won, the cyclist - failed. 

OSCAR 'VICTORIOUS'

‘You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have’ – Oscar Pistorius

This comes from a man who has shown to the world that grit, determination and courage can take one to places. South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius, Blade Runner for the world, has become the first differently-abled person to qualify for Olympics. Yes, you read it right, Olympics and not Paralympics!  

London Olympics will see a unique participant in form of Pistorius this year. He will compete in the men's 400m and 4x400m relay at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Pistorius was born with congenital absence of the fibula (calf bone) in both legs and both his legs were amputated between the ankle and knee at the age of 11 months. Then on, he could have lived a life of oblivion as a man fretting and frowning over his fortune, but he decided otherwise.  He rewrote his life course, set examples for others and achieved what even normal humans only think of. He got the artificial limbs, must have struggled hard and reached the place he is today.

Oscar Pistorius holds the world records for the 100m, 200m, and 400-meter sprint events in the T44 sport class (reserved for disabled athletes). At the 2004 Athens Paralympics, he won gold with a record time of 21.97 seconds. Pistorius competed against able-bodied athletes at the South African Championships in 2005, and in the same year he won the 100m, 200m, and 400m events at the Paralympic World Cup. At 2008 Summer Paralympics: he won gold in the 100m, 200m, and 400m events, completing the 400m race in a world-record time of 47.49 seconds.

Imagine a person achieving these feats, without legs; a runner without legs! Though there has been controversy over his prosthetic limbs, as some critics claim that he has an advantage over able-bodied athletes.

But Pistorius emerged a winner in this battle as well. In 2007 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), felt Pistorius had advantages over normal runners due to his prosthetic limbs. IAAF gave a ruling that prohibited him from participating against able-bodied athletes. But Oscar won the appeal against the IAAF, resulting in revocation of the rule.

This Olympics, watching Pistorius compete with the other athletes, would be a delight. Whether he wins or lose will be a different tale altogether. For millions of his fans out there, he is already a winner.  

At times when abled-bodied humans are depressed, distressed and feel that life is not fair to them, they must have a look at this man’s life; surely they’ll feel life has never been fairer.  

ROGER FEDERER: RETURN OF THE KING

Centre Court. Stunned silence mixed with huge uproars. The royal box and the 15000 plus audience. Two champions on the world’s most coveted grass court, aiming to create history.

The 126^th edition of the Wimbledon at the All England Tennis and Croquet Club was all about old champions doing what they do best. Destroy the young guns and let the critics realise they are not to be written off yet. The Men’s and Women’s singles champions this year - Roger Federer and Serena Williams - are both aged 30 years.

On July 8, Sunday, when Andy Murray and Roger Federer stepped on court, both carried huge pressure on their shoulders. Roger aimed to add another grand slam to his 16 slams kitty after a two year drought while Murray was a nation’s hope that yearned for a Wimbledon crown for almost 76 years. The match was being touted as Federer vs Britain. The much anticipated match began in presence of a royal audience, with Britain’s who’s who present to cheer for their local hope.   

Amidst huge cheers from the home crowd, when Federer serve on the very first game was broken by Andy, it seemed that Murray under his new coach, eight-time grand slam winner Ivan Lendl would not be present in yet another final and let his opponent win.

As the game progressed, Murray with his dominance and excellent returns took the first set 6-4. He broke Federer twice in the set, second time in the ninth game. Federer broke back in between, with more chances in the twelve minute eighth game and in the second but couldn’t take them.  

Then in the second set which seemed would turn in to a tie-break, Federer did what only champions can do. At 6-5, 30-all on the Murray serve, after a long rally with acute angled shots and spins and a classic drop shot, the set was his.

In the third set, in the Federer serve in the third game at 40-0, rain struck. Rain it seems was a blessing for the six-time champion.  With the Centre Court roof now covered, after a forty minute gap, Roger Federer played unbelievable tennis. Rightly so, Fedex has lost no indoor match in the last two years.  The sixth game of the set saw ten deuces before Federer took the game with a backhand shot. The third set was his by the ninth game.

With two sets down, Andy Murray now seemed to be lost in the spell cast by the maverick magician.

In the fourth set, the Swiss star meant business. Murray lost his serve in the fifth game. Then there was no looking back for Roger, champions don’t miss such opportunities. Federer served out the match in his second championship point kneeling down to the grass, a king had met his lost kingdom. The grass court had regained its sheen.  

With his twin girls watching daddy dearest, winning his 17^th grand slam singles title, regaining number one position, equalling Pete Sampras’ record of being number one for most number of weeks, no more tennis records are to be broken, Roger Federer now creates them.