Olympic Weekend: Golden Relay Race, Fake Fireworks
by Allie Comeau on August 11, 2008 
4 comments
With two gold medals to his name already, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is off to a pretty good start at the 2008 Olympic Games. But he’s looking to win six more.
Phelps is on a mission to beat Mark Spitz’s record of 7 Olympic gold medals – and he just might do it.
First Phelps took the gold and set a new world record (he broke his old one) in the 400 meter individual medley. But that was just the first of many contests he’ll be competing in over the next week.
“I’m not downplaying this race by any means, but I have to put that race behind me,” Phelps said. “I have to act like it never happened because I have so many tough races ahead of me.”
Yesterday, it was all about the 4×100 meter freestyle relay and Phelps’ teammate Jason Lezak. Lezak, who swam the final leg of the race, came from a body length behind to win the race by a fingertip. Literally, he was ahead by the tip of his finger only. The match was exciting to say the least. Phelps, who swam the first leg, was cheering Lezak on poolside and was ecstatic at the win.
In other Olympic news, Dara Torres, the 41 year old U.S. swimmer, took silver (along with three twenty-something teammates) in the 400 meter freestyle relay. The silver medal is the 10th of her long – and strong – career.
The U.S. basketball team beat China 101 – 70, even though China has the enormous (and enormously talented) Yao Ming on its side. The USA plays Angola today, Greece on Wednesday the 13th, Spain on Friday the 15th, and Germany on Sunday the 17th.
And, believe it or not, a lot of those fireworks you saw during the opening ceremony on Friday night were fake. They were actually 3-D digital images added for effect. The digital sequence, which apparently took more than a year to produce, was edited into the television broadcast “at just the right moment” to create the illusion of live fireworks. Apparently, the pollution in Beijing made broadcasting a pyrotechnic display of that magnitude impossible and so they faked it. I certainly couldn’t tell – it looked real to me.
What did you think of the Olympic opening weekend?
August 11th, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
I re-watched the ceremony here and didn’t see any problem…
http://www.danielpoon.com/lifehacking/2008/08/11/re-run-beijing-olympic-opening-ceremony-online/
August 13th, 2008 @ 8:12 am
They did a really good job of blending the digital sequence in with the live footage. They even had an expert recreate the hazy conditions in the sky so no one would notice. I certainly couldn’t tell!
August 13th, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Phelps is doing amazing! I love watching him continue to beat his own records, and the smile on his proud mama’s face when he does it!
As for the fireworks…with as poluted as their air is (91%?), it’s probably best that it was digitally done anyway. The entire opening cermony was a phonominal work of art, be it “real” or otherwise.
August 14th, 2008 @ 8:59 am
I agree with you about the fireworks and the opening ceremony (and Phelps, of course)… my favorite part was when the torchbearer ran the length of the stadium. That was beautiful.