THE WORLD’S GREATEST ATHLETIC CLUB
Saturday, August 7th
By James O’Brien
Today is my last day at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Without question, these have been a Games unlike any other – the first in history with no spectators; but, there is no denying that the competition has been everything that could have been hoped for and expected. As I write these words, I am looking forward to Sarah Hildebrandt’s bronze medal bout in the 50kg division of the women’s wrestling tournament as well as the gold medal match between the USA and Spain in women’s water polo.
In many ways, these Games have gone by in a flash and lasted forever. My daily routine – bus, MTM, bus, MPC, bus, venue, bus, MTM, bus, another venue, bus, MTM, bus, hotel – has become exactly that, routine, to the point that I now see faces that have become familiar, fellow travellers on the journalistic journey. The conversations in which we engage often focus on the acronyms with which we have all become familiar.
“Did you ever get OCHA to work?”
“No, but my ICON CLO access seems OK. I never could get my FA to respond about my individual ICON.”
“Your CLO can get your PCR results through ICON.”
“Can I get them before I leave the MTM for NTA? Do I have to go to the MPC?”
It’s a peculiar lingua franca with which everybody seems to have become alarming familiar alarmingly quickly. It doesn’t help that the acronym’d apps don’t always work so well – for example, incorrect passport number and nationality on departure COVID tests; but, much is redressed by the willingness of the volunteers to assist, which goes a very long way, IMO.
As I prepare to leave Tokyo – presuming the passport issues will be resolved – it seems fitting that this should be a day of wonderful NYAC success, specifically at the hands of the aforementioned Sarah Hildebrandt, plus the US women’s water polo team which dominated Spain in the final of that tournament, thereby adding nine gold medals to the NYAC tally. This was the USA’s third consecutive Olympic gold medal in this Olympic competition, this time claiming the crown with a score of 14-5.
Team USA forged to an early lead, with the NYAC’s Alys Williams scoring just 27 seconds into the match. Maggie Steffens, also NYAC, added another goal with 3:36 left, before Spain added one after six attempts. Maddie Musselman and Rachel Fattal (both NYAC) each scored in the last minute, to give the USA a 4-1 advantage after one quarter. At half-time the score was 7-4; but it was the five unanswered goals in the third quarter that really sealed the deal. Fearsome goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson (NYAC) shut down the Spain attackers with a series of saves in the second half, with Spain managing to score just once. With this victory, the US women continue a remarkable streak of having won medals in every Olympic Games in which women’s water polo has appeared. (It was added to the Games schedule in Athens in 2004). One of these days, I will calculate how many of those medalists have been NYAC members.
In the wrestling bronze medal match, Sarah Hildebrandt faced Oksana Livach from Ukraine, the 50kg bronze medalist from the 2018 World Championships and the 2019 European champion. No pushover, therefore. Hildebrandt, though, was the silver medalist from the 2018 World Championships, albeit at 53kg; she dropped down a weight for this tournament, no easy feat, as any wrestler will attest. But Hildebrandt gave an exercise in dominance, winning by technical superiority, 12-1, which is dominant, by any definition. In actuality, what it means is that Hildebrandt took Livach to school. Then she stopped by later and ate her lunch.
I would be remiss if I did not spare a few lines for Amro Elgeziry who represented the Club and the USA in the men’s modern pentathlon. Avid readers of this blog will know a little about the modern pentathlon from the sketchy anecdotes that I provided yesterday. It is a very cool event, though little reported and appreciated, it would appear. The first event in the competition is swimming in which, today, Elgeziry led the field, setting an Olympic record, no less. After that, though, the tide turned and, though our man fought valiantly, his ultimate placing was 25th with 1358 points, 124 down on the winner, Great Britain’s Joseph Choong. Which is curious, given that the women’s event yesterday also went to a Briton, Kate French.
With those results, the NYAC’s participation in the Games of the XXXII Olympiad comes to a close. At this point in time, it can be enlightening to look back on the results and reports from the very start of the Games, to the time when it was all to come, all unknown, an adventure in expectation, trepidation and dreams. Now, all the questions have been answered and many of the dreams have come true. Some stories have ended, others are just beginning. Each one, though, is another page, another chapter in the history of the Olympic Games and that of the New York Athletic Club.
It has been a privilege throughout these past two weeks to watch our athletes compete in this cauldron of competition and to keep our members apprised of all the ups and downs, twists and turns. It is because of these young men and women in Tokyo right now – plus the ones who have gone before and who will come after – that we may feel entitled to call the NYAC the world’s greatest athletic club. For that, we owe them all a debt of gratitude, not to mention a toast of congratulations at the All Sports Dinner. It will be a celebration of Olympian proportions. See you there.