Night of the thoroughbreds

On an evening of amazing feats, an Australian hero and an American legend shone the brightest.

By Gary Kamiya

Sep 25, 2000 | Cathy Freeman, the shy Aborigine runner who has been embraced by all Australia both as an athlete and a symbol of racial reconciliation, dashed to victory in the 400 meters Monday night and sent the largest crowd in Olympics history into a frenzy.

Four years after his historic double gold in the 200 and 400 in Atlanta, Michael Johnson staked his claim as one of the greatest track athletes of all time when he blasted home in the men's 400.

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, the world record holder, won the 10,000 meters, beating out longtime rival Paul Tergat in one of the most exciting finishes in Olympic distance-race history.

American Stacey Dragila soared 4.6 meters to win the first-ever Olympic women's pole vault competition.

Gabriela Szabo, a diminutive blond Romanian who says Count Dracula has been unjustly maligned, drank the blood of/drove a stake through the heart of/bit the neck of/your vampire metaphor here/ her competitors in the 5,000 meters.

And the finals of the 110 meter hurdles, the discus and the men's triple jump were contested.

Throw in some important semifinals I haven't even mentioned and what seemed like about 10 medal ceremonies, and you could say they had a little track and field last night at the old barn. No wonder there were dozens of plaintive-looking fans holding up signs saying "I need tickets" on the vast main boulevard that runs through the Olympic site.

Every day at the Olympics is a full-course meal, but this was athletic gluttony -- an all-you-can-eat sports buffet, an absolute pig-out of speed, power and endurance. In fact, it actually got ridiculous a few times. As with gymnastics, track and field events take place simultaneously, giving the whole proceedings the appearance of an enormous three-ring circus. At one point, while a crucial pole vault attempt was taking place 300 yards away on the north side of the stadium, runners in a qualifying heat for the women's 400-meter hurdles were blasting around the west side of the track and the discus finals were unfolding on the south side. Every now and then the announcer would point out something worth looking at (which frequently had something to do with an Australian athlete), but most of the time you were on your own.

As with gymnastics, it takes practice to learn what to watch and when. If you dawdle too long scoping that toothsome Ukrainian 800-meter runner (when did female track stars, especially from Russia and Eastern Europe, suddenly all become drop-dead gorgeous? This is not the way I remember them looking at all), you may miss a crucial attempt in the men's triple jump.

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