The finish line is just the start of yet another performance. Minutes after a final, while the body is still overbrimming with adrenaline and the mind is only half-trying to remember the last 30 seconds, athletes are in the mixed zone or up against the cameras, searching for phrasing to convey the right feeling. In those offbeat remarks, there is often more truth than in the actual scoreboard, more exhaustion and beaming, irritation and insight, humility and the bare realism that competitive sport seeks to temporarily exclude.
This week, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the fallout from the Tour de France have continued to produce such moments in plentiful supply. Tadej Pogacar, who hardly paused to celebrate victory in a fifth Tour win that equalled a record, talked about the little things in life he wanted to enjoy for as long as he could, about the brilliance of his companions-in-arms, and about making sure he remained steady on his feet.
He admitted that he could not go on riding at such levels forever and alluded to giving up once in a while in the future. The sentiment was not triumphant but measured, as would befit a rider who knew what it was like for both the body and mind to be so under siege. The other events of the Commonwealth Games have been just as illuminating. Indian para-sprinter Dilip Mahadu Gavit and his teammate Mohammed Basil talked of government backing, rigorous training and the joy of stoicly performing for their nation following the historic one-two in the 100m; Scottish athletes can now claim their share of victory on home turf while coaches and officials checked their words, pondering the motivating effect that these may hold.
Few have been so resonant as swimmer Archie Goodburn; finishing outside the medals in his event, he then used the platform of the podium interview to speak about brain cancer research without a trace of stage clich. The honestyzest was compelling, far more than the usual I gave it my all; the team was fantastic. These remarks are important because they come at the moment when the athlete is most unfiltered, before the prepared media soundbites take hold, when a rider will mention the team that sheltered him for three weeks, a sprinter may thank the coach who changed events at just the right moment, a swimmer talk about something bigger than himself. The audience can discern how tired his voice is, hears the slight quiver after missing a target by a hair, perceives a subtle feeling of relief in completing the task set. It has its pragmatic elements too.
Interviews after the competition allow the athlete to deal with the disappointment in the presence of other’s praise. Verbalising the success or failure act may act as both a definitive mark of the event or a preliminary step in to recovery. To the inexperienced athlete the mixed zone can be a training camp in understanding the glare of the onlooking public. To the experienced athlete it can be a wish to boogey the story before someone else does.
