Torah Bright fell an agonising quarter of a point short of retaining her winter Olympics gold at Sochi overnight.
Having crashed out in the first of two runs in the final, and lying 10th in a field of 12, Torah showed she is a tough lady by turning on the heat when all appeared lost.
Torah finished with 91.50 points, the gold to American Kaitlyn Farrington with 91.75, with another American Kelly Clark the bronze with 90.25.
“Why did I do this to my family again, leave it to the last (as she did in Vancouver four years ago)?
“Why did I do it to myself?”
Two very good questions, proving she is a clutch competitor.
While Torah was making every Australian mighty nervous at Sochi, as well as the millions watching her on television, Shaun Marsh and Steve Smith were going through a clutch exercise of their own at Centurion on the opening day of the first cricket Test against South Africa.
They came together with Australia in as much strife as Torah at 4-98. But when stumps were drawn the baggy greens were 4-297, the unbroken partnership worth 199 with more to come tonight.
Marsh is unbeaten on 122, Smith 91.
What an extraordinary contrast between Marsh and Smith, chalk and cheese batsmen.
Marsh cracked 141 on debut against Sri Lanka at Pallakele in September 2011, and made a duck, one of four, in his last Test against India in Adelaide in January 2012.
Since then and last night, the very talented Marsh has been injured, lost form, and had a couple of brain explosions off the field.
All that added up to the very distinct prospect his Test career was stuffed.
But in the end talent has won out, and despite being injured again and not flying out to South Africa with the team, Marsh was instrumental with his unbeaten 63 for the Perth Scorchers to take out their first BBL title after missing out in the last two finals.
So Marsh was re-selected for South Africa, and the rest in history.
A debut 141, a comeback 122*, there must be a message in that.
Steve Smith?
Every time I watch him bat, I marvel at how such an ugly duckling batsman can score so many runs, and be aggressive at the same time.
Smith defies the purists. Just about everything he ever does at the crease is wrong, according to the batting text book.
Smith just says stuff the purists, and like Frank Sinatra he’ll do it his way.
In his last six Test digs Smith has scored 111, 15, 19, 115, 7, and 91* – a total of 428 at an average of 85.60.
He’s become one of the first picked, which says a lot for an ugly duckling.
But Smith’s secret is when ball meets bat, his hand-eye co-ordination in spot on, and his feet are in position.
How he gets there, and how he follows through don’t mean a thing, and that’s where the ugly tag comes from.
So Steve Smith, just be as ugly as you like if it means you are going to be consistently among the runs in a brittle batting order
The next big question, can Brad Haddin keep up his golden Ashes batting form?
We’ll know after tonight.
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