Charean Williams: Tears, thrills and spills in Beijing

1Seriously, how much faster could Usain Bolt have run the 100-meter dash? With seven strides to go — some 15 or 20 meters from the finish line in the 100-meter dash — the Jamaican was so far ahead of the field that he began his victory lap. He left his competitors and the world record in his wake with a 9.69. Bolt went on to break two more world records in winning three gold medals. It was one of the greatest — arguably the greatest — track and field performances in Olympic history. And I had a front-row seat to history.

2U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon buried his head in his hands and walked off the court into a tunnel after his men’s volleyball team upset Brazil. He was both mourning the stabbing death of his father-in-law and celebrating the gold medal. It doesn’t get more real than that.

3Sanya Richards was as gracious a loser as I’ve ever seen after she took the bronze in the 400-meter dash. She congratulated the gold and silver medalists, took the victory lap, met with the media and held back her tears. She didn’t intend for anyone to see the phone call she made to fiancé Aaron Ross in the bowels of National Stadium. Alone, Richards was allowed finally to show her true emotions, and she wailed into the phone.

4At the Olympics, the media rarely sees behind the curtain. But the Wariner family gave me that view by allowing me to sit with them during Jeremy Wariner’s 400 race. After he finished second, I was conflicted whether to follow them the 29 rows to the bottom of the stands to greet Jeremy. I finally did, hanging back a couple of rows, as Jeremy grabbed his mother in a bear hug, the tears flowing freely down her face.

5There are good silver medals, and there are bad silver medals. Volleyball player Stacy Sykora of Burleson needed three Olympics before she got to hang one around her neck. She said she’s never taking it off. The smile might never come off either.