Who do they really do it for? – Olympics Day One

Day one of the Olympics is over and I’m almost shaking with anticipation for day two. The London 2012 Olympic Games are going to be good. They’re a celebration; the ultimate sports-fest; the 30^th of the modern incarnation. Already, dreams have been both met and shattered. Among the Australians, this dichotomy was stark. The seven girls who first swum through the 100m freestyle relay heats, and eventually winning the final, would still be hugging their gold medals as they sleep. Melanie Schlanger, Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell and Brittany Elmslie, the best of the four fighting in the heat for a place in the final, had to first fight off the Americans and then the Dutch to post a new Olympic record: 3:33.15.