Can we get Usain to Bolt across the Harbour Bridge?
Roar Rookie By Matthew Maguire, 7 Aug 2009 Matthew Maguire is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- 2012 London Olympics, Athletics, Athletics Australia, Jana Rawlinson, John Steffensen, Mark Webber, Steve Hooker, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tamsyn Lewis, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt
Mark Webber tore across it at 280km/hr, and a quarter of a million Sydneysiders, black and white alike, strolled over for far more significant reasons at the turn of the century.
But as a pure sporting image, could there be anything better than to see world sprint king Usain Bolt do just that – bolt across the Sydney Harbour Bridge?
As an un-backable favourite to add this month’s 100m world championship in Berlin to his Beijing Olympic gold medal in the blue riband event, the fastest man on the planet is athletics’ most obvious marketing golden goose.
Athletics, for so long the most poorly administered, attended or publicly cared for of all sports in Australia, is now presented with an opportunity to re-brand itself with a fresh posse of world class performers.
Boasting a current track or field Olympic gold medalist for the first time in almost a decade and just the second time in 21 years, Steve Hooker is a likeable lad and provided many Aussies with their 2008 Olympic highlight.
Yet a grown man in knee high socks, with ginger hair and running with a twelve foot pole, will rarely have the masses packing the stands.
Shock Beijing silver medalist Sally McLellan has further enhanced her reputation this European season and is a genuine World Champion contender later this month.
Craig Mottram’s recent failures aside, the Big Mazungo is still world class while the public’s perennial whipping girl of Australian sport, Tamsyn Lewis, this year notched up her fifteenth national title and the world indoor 800m championship.
Then there is Jana. Weird, wonderful Jana.
Injured again and unable to defend her second world title in Berlin, Jana Rawlinson and her impossibly long legs represent Australia’s next best chance of Olympic gold providing her injury setbacks end soon.
McLellan, Hooker, Rawlinson, Lewis, Mottram; all genuine stars of Aussie and world athletics. Throw in half a dozen up and comers, such as Mitchell Watt in the long jump and middle distance runner Benita Johnson and the makings of Australia’s athletics squad for next year’s Commonwealth Games and the 2012 London Olympics begins to look its best in decades.
Athletics Australia must capitalise on a once in a generation talent pool with a once in a generation superstar.
Usain Bolt streaking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, either solo or in exhibition race mode, against the likes of John Steffensen and Cathy Freeman, would generate immeasurable media interest around the world.
Shown live on television from Bondi to Broome, it would inspire a nation of kids, for whom perhaps AFL, NRL or swimming is not their idea of sporting bliss.
Thousands would line the bridge and finish line as Bolt strode out in search of the 150m world record he broke during a similar exhibition race on the streets of Manchester in June.
Reports suggest Perth and Melbourne are in talks for an October visit, costing about $500,000 between them.
Sydney should jump in to help with a Harbour Bridge run the lure.
Half a million dollars is hardly an insignificant amount, but if Tiger Woods is worth almost $3m to play here in the Australian Masters, then $500,000 for Bolt is chicken feed.
The outlay, preferably with considerable corporate assistance, would be worth every cent.
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August 7th 2009 @ 5:52am
hobart said | August 7th 2009 @ 5:52am | Report comment
First rate post, Mathew, even with people strolling across the bridge a mite too early. Toronto recently hired Bolt to run on their new track at U of T and some people paid $25 to stand outside the stadium in the rain and get a peep at him through railings as he flashed by. He’s a great guy – he made a point of slapping hands through the railings after he finished.
The Manchester event was run in lousy weather, too. Usain’s becoming a real mudder.
August 7th 2009 @ 8:33am
Jason said | August 7th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Here in Perth, they are trying to get Bolt and a training partner or two to run (and hopefully break a WR in either the 100 or 200m) at the official opening of the new Perry Lakes athletics complex. I have my fingers crossed.
August 7th 2009 @ 9:57am
GG said | August 7th 2009 @ 9:57am | Report comment
You clearly know nothing about athletics. Tamsyn is not world class. No mention of Dani Samuels who genuinely is. Benita has been off the pace for a while. Usain Bolt running againt Cathy Freeman? A retired 400m runner against a 100-200 runner. What distance would they run? John Steffenson is a 400 runner. Again does Bolt run the 400 or Steff the 200? Bolt can run a good 400 but people would want to see his 100 speed. This article is just embarrassingly bad.
August 7th 2009 @ 10:28am
Matthew Maguire said | August 7th 2009 @ 10:28am | Report comment
I think you have selectively read the article GG – Bolt’s run would be purely an exhibition event. It is not intended that Steffensen (who has run 200m in the past by the way) and certainly not Freeman, actually be competitive in a race against Bolt. It is about the moment, the image, the spectacle. You could line up the best 10 male sprinters on the planet and Bolt would still make a mockery of them – that’s kind of the point. For what its worth (and it not a criticism of the mods because I conceed the article was going too long), a paragraph suggesting the 300m record be attempted was removed from the post.
As for Tamsyn, she is never going to be an Olympic medalist but that does not preclude her from being considered world class. Or perhaps you would prefer your own opinion over that of Maria Mutola, who throughout her career repeatedly stated she felt Lewis was a significant threat and was proved right when Lewis rolled her in the indoor world champs. Before you claim the indoors are not the real deal (i agree) and Mutola was washed up (i disagree), the more important competitor in the race was Matye Martinez, bronze medalist at the Osaka world champs.
Samuels has enormous potential and will be a star yet I find it curious you are willing to state a youngster who has achieved little beyond a finals appearance on the world stage is world class while claiming Lewis, who has achieved much, is not. Its ok to be a Lewis hater, just dont let it blinker your views on athletics as a whole.
Benita looks likely to focus on the marathon – she’ll be fine.
Finally back to Bolt – I agree with ‘people want to see his 100m speed.’ Obviously. And they will have the opportunity to do just that in Perth and Melbourne should he accept the current offer put to his management team. An additional bridge run in Sydney would be purely exhibition (as stated in the article), a promotion for a great sport that requires a kick-along in this country.
Sorry you didnt like the article – I will attempt to better accomodate your tastes on my next attempt.
August 7th 2009 @ 7:06pm
Amy said | August 7th 2009 @ 7:06pm | Report comment
Finally some lateral thinking. What a great way to promote athletics.
Lighten up GG – think outside the box.
August 8th 2009 @ 6:31pm
Nipper said | August 8th 2009 @ 6:31pm | Report comment
A well written article about a very undervalued sport that Australia has such a rich history in. Good insight into ways to promote this great foundational sport with so much potential at present. Thanks
August 11th 2009 @ 3:34pm
Robbo said | August 11th 2009 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
Upon reading (and then re-reading to make sure the author was being serious) this “article” can I just say: What the hell are you smoking?