Best Sports Moment of Decade? Usain Bolt vs. Nadal/Federer

2008 has been a fabulous year for a sports fan.  There have been not one but two all-time, epic athletic moments to savor.  The first is Rafa Nadal's heroic, career-defining victory in five long sets, over G.O.A.T. contender Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's final.  The second is the Olympic explosion of a new force in track and field, one who may one day eclipse the accomplishments, as well as the fame, of even the sport's greatest legends:  the amazing Usain Bolt.

Sure, I'm passing over great moments courtesy of the Boston Red Sox, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, and numerous others who might be cited as candidates for consideration in such a discussion.  Like most sportswriters, I'm drawing rather subjective conclusions, blatantly revealing my biases, and foisting a highly debatable opinion based on personal emotions.  

I'm imagining, however, that there are some of you out there who agree with me--who might relate to the rare feeling of excitement I experienced while watching two young virtuosos of tennis elevate the possibilities of their sport in one of the most gripping, compelling sporting events of all time, with everything on the line, with the whole world watching...and then again a couple months later, feeling that same chill when a young, physically anomalous sprinter from Jamaica shocked the planet by dominating the fastest men in the world not once but twice, setting a formidable new standard for what it means to be fast.

Just as Nadal/Federer Wimbledon '08 transcended the sport of tennis (and in the process galvanized waning international interest in the game of tennis, particularly here in America), Usain Bolt completely transcended track and field (and will perhaps also rejuvenate interest in the sport, given his colorful personality, hip ethnic heritage and beautifully raw running style).  In both cases, the athletes happen to play sports which showcase the individual, as opposed to a team; there is nothing quite as engaging as waching two world-class individuals square off against each other, or, such as in an Olympic race, a small, super-elite group of individuals. 

Federer/Nadal could be likened to an epic, heavyweight battle, such as Ali/Frazier or Hagler/Hearns.  It had the same feel as one of the great boxing events, where you wonder just what is driving these two warriors to remain standing, to dig deep for a little more when the tank appears to be all but empty.  Usain Bolt's Olympic performance might also be likened to the world of boxing, the most obvious reference point being a young Muhammad Ali, whose emergence signaled the arrival of an athlete with physical gifts and potential previously unseen or unheard of in the history of his sport.  Bolt even did a little rope-a-dope during his post-race victory dance on Wednesday.  Michael Johnson, upon witnessing Bolt's new 200m record, suggested that the new world record holder could possibly be another Superman.

Federer, Nadal and Bolt all possess the freak factor:  a combination of raw physical gifts, unique kinetic abilities, and fierce competitiveness.  As everyone knows, these comprise the integral ingredients of a champion.  While watching the number one and two tennis players come up with amazing winner after winner, I found myself saying "Wow...how is that possible?"  Sitting there in front of the television, I felt humbled by the courage it must take to save multiple match points, to refuse to cave in psychologically.  Both Nadal and Federer each had good reason to give up at various points in that match, but showed, through sheer guts, why they each have their place in the pantheon of legends. 

Bolt, in turn, was met with reproval and disdain for celebrating early in his 100m win, even though he still managed to set a new world record.  Many experts and harsh, opinionated fans, I suspect, were willing to more or less write him off, if he had failed to meet expectations in the 200m.  They would have called him a fluke.  They would have loved to dismiss him as a talented but undisciplined showboat.  How did Bolt respond?  He not only smashed a record thought to be untouchable, but he ran the whole way, as hard as he could, against a headwind, emphatically showing the world that not only is he no fluke, but he is now the most dominant sprinter the Games have perhaps ever seen.  (It's a shame he's not competing in the 400 also!) 

During Nadal's grueling grass conquest of Federer, managed only after myriad past failures, I found myself marveling at the possibilities of the human body, shaped and conditioned to its finest form.  Of course, we all marveled at this very thing, and again said "Wow, how is that possible?" while watching Usain Bolt rewrite history.  It's the same basic feeling you get when you walk through the Louvre in Paris--a mixture of delight, awe, and a sense of pride relating to collective human achievement--and just as there are parallels between tennis, track and boxing, they also exist between sports and the arts.  A great athletic performance is like a timeless painting, a song or novel.  It requires creativity, is impossible to reproduce, and will remain for all people to enjoy, for generations to come.     

For my money, Nadal/Federer's classic chess match at Wimbledon this year, along with Bolt's demolition of the world's best Olympic competition, while redefining the possibilities of the human body, rank among the greatest athletic spectacles ever.  After Wimbledon, I said, "Well, something like that's not going to happen for a long, long time."  But I was mistaken.  Don't get me wrong--Tiger's a stud, and Michael Phelps is a great champion.  Kudos for Treanor/Walsh, the Redeem Team and Shawn Johnson.  But the two moments I've discussed here will be etched in my memory forever, along with the emotions I felt when witnessing them for the first time.

Which is better?  More jaw-dropping?  More significant in the grand scheme of things?  I think it's a dead heat.  A tie.  The Wimbledon '08 men's final, along with the gold medals and world records of Usain Bolt...both get a resounding A+.