Rain. I love it!
While chillin' in the Mixed Zone today, I altogether scrapped the umbrella and just got drenched. Picure a kid jumping in mud puddles and you can picture me. So as the media was cursing under their breath because of the inconvenient amount of percipitation, I was in high spirits.
But not just because of the rain. Qingdao gave out its first Olympic medals today. Rain did nothing to keep the show from going on at the outside medal presentation ceremony. In the women's Yngling class, Great Britian's Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb, and Pippa Wilson, scored gold. The Netherlands and Greece took the silver and bronze. In the men's Finn class, Ben Ainslie also of Great Britian scored gold. USA and France won silver and bronze.
In the words of one of the UK medal winners I overheard passing by, "it's pretty heavy." The medals were elegant and stunning, even under gloomy storm clouds. The rounds of metal were passed out at an outside ceremony next to the splashing waves of the bay. I experienced the works, the athletes, the raising of the flags, the anthem, and the the gold. Just seeing the medals with my own eyes was a treat of a lifetime and to think that I was standing just several feet away from world class Olympians who sacrifice so much to compete as such a high level was even more of an honor.
There will be more days like today this week. USA is not necessary the leader in sailing in Qingdao, but gold is possible.
