Monday, August 13, 2012

When winning is just another word for cheating.

Valerie Adams now has her gold medal and she totally deserves it. I feel sad for her opponent who has now been stripped of her medal after taking prohibited substances. That she wanted, needed or was pressured to win so much, at all costs, is sad and goes against the principals of good sportsmanship.
I feel for the lady from Belarus; wondering what she must be going through, from the moment she stood on the dais, clutching the medal with tears flowing freely. Surely she would have wandered at how she had arrived at that vaunted position.
Now it has all been taken away from her, leaving Valerie to bask in delayed glory. She too must be finding this more than just a vindication of her efforts; possibly it may even feel a little shallow. Her just reward should have been to be honoured at the time of her victory, rather than go through the obvious stress she has faced.
There were those who doubted the validity of her opponent’s victory but they remained silent. Anything else would have appeared paltry. Now that the truth is out, we must all move on--- that is after Valerie (and the other new recipients of the silver and bronze medals) has received her hard won accolades--- Onwards now to other great victories.