Well-Oiled Machines
If this were a food blog, I’d be telling you about the wings we made for dinner last night while we watched the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Luckily for you, it’s not, and I won’t, save to say they were awesome, if not actually historic.
History and awesomeness, though, were on our minds as we watched the people, pageantry, and parades at PyeongChang last night. Athletes from Russia, without the Russian flag. History. Athletes from North Korea, marching side-by-side with their South Korean teammates, under a unified Korean flag. History. And, to the delight of the entire world, a well-oiled skier from Tonga, carrying a Tongan flag, shirtless despite the 28-degree weather. Awesome.
Pita Taufatofua, a Tongan martial artist turned skier, will be only the 72nd person to compete in back-to-back summer and winter Olympics. Mind you, 5 of those people have done that multiple times – Japan’s Seiko Hashimoto seems to hold the record for back-to-back Olympic games at 7, starting with the winter games in 1984 and participating in every subsequent summer and winter Olympics through 1996. Terry McHugh of Ireland did it four times, from 1996-2002, as did Jaqueline Mourão of Brazil, from 2004-2010.
If the World’s Favorite Oiled Tongan makes it to Tokyo in 2020, as he’s said he hopes to, he will be one of only 15 people to have participated in 3 Olympics in a row. He seems to be a bit of a nut, but I suspect you might have to be to compete at that level. This is a guy who understands that he doesn’t need a medal at these games – he’s already won.
Speaking of winning, I am considering setting my sights on the Olympics as well. Since I really don’t look that good in coconut oil, I’m researching curling – and I think I may have found my people! They are – mostly – slow-moving, overweight, white people. I could do this! Some of the athletes at PyeongChang this year are older than I am. Mind you, they’re setting records for it, but still – my dreams of Olympic glory needn’t fade yet.
Speaking of well-oiled machines, the dizzying, dazzling drone display was pretty damned impressive. That was probably the best commercial for Intel that I’ve ever seen. Between that and the fireworks, this Opening Ceremony was a clear and solid answer to the theatrical and technical masterpiece that was Beijing ten years ago.
On with the games!
[…] person who makes me happy is one I’ve written about before: Pita Taufatofua, the well-oiled Tongan. If he qualifies for Tokyo this coming July, he will be one of […]