Starry-Starry Night

I believe the stars are always aligned and they're as perennial as the universe.  It's a question of whether yours are at a particular moment.  Roger Federer's and Lee Chong Wei's weren't last night.

Roger Federer was all smiles and gracious after his loss (a premonition he has felt before the match began) but Lee Chong Wei could hardly hide his anguish.  If you thought watching Dong Jiong sobbing uncontrollably at Atlanta (1996) when he received the silver medal was heart-breaking, watching Lee Chong Wei walking to the podium for the victory ceremony would leave you speechless.

Meanwhile, Usain Bolt thundered his way to a new 100m Olympic Record, 9.63secs - just 0.05sec away from his World Record that I would've loved see broken.  It might look like I'm asking too much but wouldn't anyone want a more spectacular finish given that the Jamaican is the current WR holder and is 'expected' to win the race?

Perhaps, my stars weren't quite aligned, either.

Quinh did not hum along the Chinese national anthem at Wembley Arena yesterday.

Olympic Glory

There is something about the Olympic Games that move contestants to tears, whether they win or lose.  If you happened to just switch on the TV and see someone crying after the final score is revealed, it's hard to tell if the athlete has won the gold medal or had to settle for a silver (again, like Russia's gymnast, Victoria Komova).  Your only clue is the reaction from the surrounding those or the coach.

It's Day 8 at the London Games.

I've pretty much got the Chinese national anthem stuck in my head.  Dad would be proud.  At the Aquatic Centre, you wonder if they should just default the gold medal song for the diving events to that tune... and of course, Wu Minxia and Fu Minxia are related...not.  May I also suggest to the Aussies and Americans to first compare the size of their swimmers' hands and feet to Ye Shiwen's before throwing doping allegations at the Chinese.

Meanwhile, I didn't expect to get that much badminton coverage here Down Under for a change - you have to love Foxtel Sports for broadcasting from Wembley Arena (and the amazing Foxtel iQ box for taking care of the time difference and clashed events issues... and-and the Foxtel mobile app for remote control!)... well, not just that but for everything Olympic.  It's definitely lifted my enthusiasm since Day 2 and reminded me what a badminton fanatic also I was!  ... and of course, the big news on the disqualification is no surprise and it started with the Aussies kicking a fuss.  I really think they should avoid group matches - this isn't soccer; there is no big money in it.  Instead, revert to playing single eliminations (perhaps, a 15-point-best-of-5 format?) like how they started in Barcelona (1992) so nobody would tank games in true Olympic spirit, or not.

Tomorrow, there will be two exciting rematches - the 2008 Beijing Olympic badminton men's singles final with Lee Chong Wei going against his nemesis, Lin Dan, and the 2012 Wimbledon men's single final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray.  Who will take gold?  I get the feeling two or three of them would end up crying regardless.