Opinion Sports The Tattoo

Superheroes Dominate Olympics

Usain Bolt (Kiernan Majerus-Collins/YJI)


Greenfield, Wis., U.S.A. – Summer 2008 was the summer of superheroes.

Iron Man, The Hulk, and Batman rescued the silver screens in May, June, and July.

But without a doubt, August belonged to a different kind of hero, the kind of hero that might not look different than any other person if you saw them on the street.

They don’t wear capes. Instead, they opt for different attire. A Speedo swim suit, perhaps, or a tank top and shorts. I’m talking about the athletes of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, of course.
We’ll start with the obvious, Lord of the Watercube himself, Michael Phelps.

America held its collective breath as our hero, a goofy-looking kid from Baltimore, fought along with his relay team for his eighth Beijing gold medal.

As he swam to the wall, he swam into the history books, making him what some call “The Greatest Olympian Ever,” a title he rightly deserves.

We make our way from the psychedelic Watercube to the monstrous and aptly named Bird’s Nest stadium for a different kind of speed.

With the name of a superhero and the legs of a cheetah, Jamaican Usain Bolt broke world and Olympic records in three different events.

Some called him quirky, some called him disrespectful. But no matter how you perceive the 22-year-old sprinter, there’s no denying it – he really is super.

Emily Mongan is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International. Kiernan Majerus-Collins, another YJI reporter, took the photograph of Usain Bolt in Bristol, Connecticut.

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