Sport

Quite a story has emerged here in the news in the last few days. Sports coverage in New Zealand covers everything - none of this 3 or 4 sport nonsense from the states. Triathlons, cycling, equestrian, rugby, cricket, pretty much anything you can imagine and they give it a mention in the national news. Water sports feature large because it's an island (pretty straightforward). Sailing and rowing are particular sports of interest.

In the mornings this weeks, munching my muesli, I've been anxiously awaiting the result of the Olympic trails for men's single sculls. Mahe Drysdale was rowing against Rob Waddell, the previous world champion and national favorite. In the course of the trial it was obvious that Waddell was suffering, and he ended up announcing that since 1995 he has suffered from atrial fibrillation, meaning that at times his heart will race at 500 or more beats per minute. He likens it to rowing through concrete.

During the Sydney Olympics Waddell was medicated, and subsequently he's sailed as a grinder on the NZ sailing team. His return to rowing isn't finished, though - it looks like they'll put him in the doubles competition, once again on meds.

I'm just totally captivated by the idea of an athlete achieving at an Olympic level with a heart condition. And it would never have come out if he weren't so obviously in pain after the first race this week. The fact that he continued to row through that race while his heart was fluttering - wow.

I guess for me the most captivating thing about sport is the lengths that an individual can push their physiology with the sheer force of their will, and this was certainly a prime example of that. It always makes me wonder what we could achieve through the sheer force of our will if only it was focused.