The Best of the 2012 Olympics

[Skiprr]

There are already many highlights, including the performance of the Fab Five USA Women's Gymnastics Team, Kim Rhode shooting the best score in Olympics shotgun history, and Misty May and Carrie winning their third consecutive gold.

But this one gave me new respect for the fastest man in the world, and for the sportsmanship that the Olympics should represent.

Usain Bolt, of Jamaica, had won his 100 meters semifinal and was being interviewed at the side of the track by a Spanish television reporter. USA's Sanya Richards-Ross had stepped onto the podium to receive her gold medal in the 400-meter.

As the Star Spangled Banner began to play, Bolt pointed his interviewer to the medal ceremony and the rising flags...and he stood in silence until its completion.

Unfortunately, NBC and the IOC seem to be staunchly defending any video caps of the events. There are many Google results for this incident, but all the videos have been removed.

Bolt is an undeniably cocky athlete. But he backed it up in the 100, and will go for 200 gold tomorrow.

Maybe it's exactly because he's so cocky that this gesture seemed so meaningful to me. Runners don't exactly get a lot of global media time in any given year. This is their time, a narrow window in a four-year Olympiad.

For him to shut down an interview with a European network and turn in silence to acknowledge another athlete and the U.S. National Anthem...that showed me something.

[jimlongley]

I was awed when I watched his gold medal ceremony, he sang the Jamaican national anthem, I was impressed.

[stroo]

Up until hearing about this, I wasn't very impressed with Bolt. Just seemed incredibly arrogant. His demeanor here sure shows a good guy though.