A Great Retires
Sports magnifies every thing. Every moment inside the sporting arena is looked at and talked about with far greater importance than necessary. The magnifying process also means that terms are used far more charitably than they should. Great is one such over used term. Even the most miserly will agree that Hicham El Guerrouj was a great. I use was because he has announced his retirement. I will not go over the records and accomplishments as they can be found easily on the internet.
“For 16 years, I’ve done sports. Now I want to start a new life. I will return to another world whose horizons I do not know.”
The human aspect of El Guerrouj struck you more than his athletic accomplishments. This is why it was poignant that he cried when he announced his retirement. All sports men and women face this predicament at some point of their careers. For all their lives, they have strived hard to increase effectiveness that extra bit to ride over the rest of the competition. Once sponsors come to back you, the only worry is how I am going to improve performances to leave a mark over contemporaries and in the process, even leave an imprint on history.
In Cindrella Man, Russell Crowe, playing James J. Braddock pleads to his wife when all financial hope seems lost - to let him battle the devils he can inside the boxing ring as the devils there are known while the devils in the outside world are not. The life of the sports persons is limited and they have known just one thing to do all their lives. So they are obviously very nervous when they step into the real world once they hang up their boots.
It is emotionally challenging when a sports person retires as they wont be able to compete at some thing they have loved enough to devote all their life to any longer. The great Moroccan says that this is a new life. He is very much right.
Tags: Hicham El Guerrouj, James J. Braddock, Retirement, Russell Crowe.
