Five Ring Circus

Aside from being the best at what we do, there’s not a lot that a middle-aged newsletter writer can relate to when it comes to young Olympic athletes. But maybe I’ve found some common ground. Aches and pains. NYT (Gift Article): How the Olympics Break Athletes’ Bodies. “Wear and tear naturally degrades human bodies, even the most talented ones. But performing at the elite level, especially in high-impact Olympic sports such as wrestling, rugby or gymnastics, inherently has more risks. Shoulders give out. Ligaments tear. And, for some, metal screws and titanium plates become just more hardware in the lifelong pursuit of gold, silver and bronze.” (We’ll get into my stiff neck and carpal tunnel another time…)

+ French swimmer Léon Marchand got two golds within a couple hours and became the toast of Paris. His coach is a familiar face to American swim fans. “Bob Bowman is the most successful coach in the history of U.S. swimming. He’s the man who discovered Michael Phelps and molded countless other Olympians. And over the past five Summer Games, he’s overseen a period of American swimming supremacy in which Team USA has amassed a combined 67 gold medals. But at La Défense Arena this summer, he’s representing a slightly different shade of red, white and blue.”

+ Katie Ledecky has had a few coaches over the years. The results have been the same. She just earned her 8th gold medal after another 1500m win. She won by so much, the camera had to pull back to show where the other racers were. This is not new. “Incredibly, she now owns the 20 fastest times in history of the 1500.”

+ Olympic shooters have been winning the style competition at the Games. Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec was decidedly dressed down.

+ Giorgia Villa won silver with Italy in the gymnastics women’s team final. But her passion for parmesan has also gained attention. The photos!