Y'know, sometimes the commentators get all worked up over an athlete whose Olympics is really short. Like that "vault specialist" we've heard so much about. With Al explaining that "Her Olympics comes down to just doing this one vault." (Which, of course, is false, as she'll be competing in the event finals -- but stick with me for the thought.) And we also saw some guys crash early in the bicycle road race -- their Olympics ended before they'd gone a mere fraction of the first mile.
And today there's Robina Muqim Yaar, who ran in the women's 100 meters. Her Olympics was 14.14 seconds. She didn't make the next round. She actually came in 62nd of 63 runners. (By an interesting coincidence, the runner who came in 63rd happened to be in her heat -- so Yaar actually got to experience crossing the finish line ahead of someone else at the Olympics -- which is probably pretty darned cool.)
Yaar is picking up some media attention though, because she's the first female track & field athlete from Afghanistan to compete at the Games. She's quoted as saying that girls "should come forward and join any sport they like, and, who knows, someday they might succeed."
When she crossed the finish line, she clapped her hands over her head in victory, and waved to the cameras in celebration, as though she'd won something.
And, of course, she had.
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