Trew's Olympic Watch: February

Trew's Olympic Watch: February
Posted by: Editor
Posted on: Wednesday 20th February 2008

Beijing | Olympics | Steve Trew

We may still be more than six months away from the Beijing Olympics but that doesn't mean that we can't speculate about who might be going, and how they might do when they get there. So, the Editors have set me a little task: provide a running monthly commentary on who's who and what their chances are and to keep it updated as the various national squads get selected.

“And the results of the Beijing Olympic triathlon in 2008 are; in first place…”

Everybody knew exactly what was going to happen at the Athens Olympics in the women’s race, didn’t they? Loretta Harrop (in my very humble opinion one of the absolute best athletes in the World - in any sport - that I have ever been privileged to watch) was going to be in the lead pack out of the water, would hit it on the bike along with Sheila Taormina and Barb Lindquist, and then would put the hammer down on the run to take the Olympic medal. A medal that circumstances had proscribed she was not to win in Sydney four years earlier (Loretta finished in fifth at Sydney).

.....

Simon Whitfield, the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion is still around, very much around; no-one (pretty much no-one) expected Simon to win in Sydney… Kate Allen is still around as well; two of the last four Olympic Champions will bring all their experience to China to be challenged by the known and not so well-known newcomers."

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