History in the Making

I remember when I was growing up, how I would measure my life by the Olympics. When I was 8, in 1988, my Dad would always make sure that the TV was on throughout the evening, and names like Carl Lewis, and Ben Johnson would forever be on our lips.

When I was 12, in 1992, I remember sitting in the bus one day, thinking - 'You know, I will be sixteen before the next Olympics comes around.'

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, I was suddenly sixteen, wearing my geeky prefects' uniform, watching the Olympics at home with my family, remembering names like Michael Johnson, and Ato Boldon, and, closer to home - Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang.

And then I was twenty, and twenty four, and I didn't care anymore about the Olympics. Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 came and went, almost unnoticed.

Then, at the age of 28, in the year 2008, the whole world and I started caring again. Maybe it was because it was China, a newly democratic and capitalist nation eager to leave an impression on the world, and the fact that I am Chinese made me pay more attention. Maybe because Malaysia made it all the way to the mens' single badminton finals, and it was our first real shot at gold in twelve years.

The truth is , it is in a large part due to this man:

Bolt out of the blue.

Sure, there was Michael Phelps *yawn*, but nothing defines the Olympics for me like the 100m and 200m sprint, and in one fell swoop, Usain Bolt from Jamaica smashed two world records en route to winning the double, a feat that has not been achieved since Carl Lewis in 1984. The world is watching once more, and being treated to a real superstar - a kid, who at 22, looks like he's having fun out there, devastating sprint records in the process.

This has been a really memorable Olympics, from the opening ceremony, to the swimming, to the badminton, to the wrestling, to gymnastics, to track and field. I have not watched an Olympics so consistently since I was eight.

I will be 32 the next time the Olympics comes around.