Benjamin Boukpeti: Picked up the first medal for Togo bronze in the men’s slalom kayak event but the French-born sportsman has only been to Togo once as a child to visit his paternal grandmother! According to Reuters, Boukpeti “only decided to compete for Togo when it became clear he was too old to make it into the far more competitive French team”.

Michel Phelps: This American swimmer won his 11th Olympic gold, making him possibly “the greatest Olympian of all times”. Satire site Shangzilla.com jokes that BOCOG has now announced Phelps to be a separate country on his own.

Mohammad Alirezaei: This Iranian swimmer pulled out of the fourth heat of the 100 meter breaststroke because Israeli Tom Be’eri was competing in the same event. The controversial move was said to be under the orders of the heads of the Iranian Olympic delegation.

Sang Lan: This former professional journalist was paralysed 10 years ago at the Goodwill Games in New York during a routine warm-up vault when she landed on her head and sustained a spinal injury. She has now remade herself as a college graduate and news media figure. Read what she had to say to the New York Times here.

Li Jiawei: The China-born flag bearer for the Singapore contingent Li Jiawei has been roundly criticised by Singapore bloggers for dragging the flag and showing little pride in holding the flag. Blogger DK asks why the flag-bearer couldn’t have been a true-blue Singaporean.

Zou Shiming: This Guizhou-born Chinese athlete chose boxing over more traditional martial-arts, and might very well help increase Chinese interest in this sport. Zou is 1.68 meter (5.5 foot) tall and weighs 48 kilos (106 pounds), but his small body mass is compensated by his quick fighting style. Learn more on New York Times Olympic site.

Homa Hosseini: One of three female athletes competing for Iran, this 19 year old rower caused a stir when she was chosen as her team’s flag bearer. Some called it heresy, others welcomed the choice as a symbol for women’s rights in Iran.

Hiroshi Hoketsu: Made his Olympic debut in at the 1964 games in Tokyo, now this Japanese dressage rider is back. At the age of 67 he is the oldest athlete to compete in the Beijing Olympics, Hiroshi Hoketsu himself expressed the view that dressage: “is a sport which you can do at a fairly advanced age if you have a chance and an agreeable horse”.

Antoinette Joyce Guedia Mouafo: The youngest athlete in the Beijing Olympics is only 12 years old. She is a 50 metre freestyle swimmer competing for Cameroon.

Kvirkvelia Manuchar: Just a few days after after Russian troops entered his home country, this 30 year old Georgian won his team a gold medal in the Greco-Roman 74-kilogram weight class, the first wrestling gold won by Georgia in any Olympics.

Photos from The Beijing Olympics’ official homepage and Xinhua

Ada Fredelius contributed to this story.

I wasn’t going to blog about Michelle Wie’s decision in play in yet another PGA tour event because the story is soooo old, but I came across this article in SPORT where Leadbetter holds nothing back in his criticism of Michelle’s choice (or perhaps her parent’s choice) to skip the chance to play in an LPGA Major to play with the boys on a 2nd-tier PGA tournament. Why would she do that when she is finally starting to regain some respect in her sport?

Please tell me it’s not the money. Doesn’t she have enough?

Did you know that Ms. Wie beat out Annika Soremstam AND Lorena Ochao for sponsor money last year? According to Forbes magazine, Wie earned $ 12M in deals last year, Sorenstam $11M and Ochoa $10M.

She’s the fifth highest paid woman in world sport, behind Maria Sharapova ($26M), Serena Williams ($14M), Venus Williams ($13M) and Justine Henin ($ 12.5M).

Is there something completely out of whack here? I am the first person to say there needs to be more money in women’s sport, but not like this.

Michelle was expected to try to qualify for the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club. But because she wasn’t guaranteed a spot, she pulled out of the qualifier and accepted another sponsor’s exemption for the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open at Reno, Nev. It is her eighth PGA Tour event. She’s never made the cut before, but maybe she thinks with a sub-par field she might have a chance. Even if she makes the cut (which I predict she won’t) - it’s a really really dumb idea.

According to Michelle…‘‘There are going to be criticisms in entering this tournament,but I’m just doing what I feel like I want to do.’’ You bet there are lady and the one who should be in your court just can’t stand to watch…

“I’ve put too much time and effort into Michelle to be able to sit by and watch this happening without saying something,” Leadbetter said. “If she doesn’t stick to doing what’s sensible, we could see one of the greatest potential talents the game has ever known going to waste. There’s far too much negative energy surrounding her at the moment. She’s getting slated by players on the LPGA Tour and the men’s tour. She’s going to be like a pariah if she’s not careful.”

I expect we’ll be seeing Leadbetter get the boot very soon by the Wie’s, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to wash his hands of this whole mess.

I think it’s time for a Michelle Wie intervention.

Golfgal

Leadbetter warns Wie
By Lewine Mair
Sport
30 Jul 2008

DAVID LEADBETTER, the world’s leading teaching professional, yesterday criticised Michelle Wie’s decision to play among the men in this week’s Reno Tahao Open in Nevada. “It’s a shock to me and to her agents that this is happening,” said Leadbetter,…read more…

Michelle skips Major for PGA again! “Wie” just don’t get it.

Sorenstam slams Wie for playing men’s tour

The Province
30 Jul 2008

SUNNINGDALE, England — Annika Sorenstam cannot understand why Michelle Wie is continuing to play events on the U.S. men’s tour. Sorenstam, who on Thursday starts her final women’s British Open before retirement, believes the American teenager should…read more…

I watched the CBS broadcast of the Colonial last weekend. There was plenty of poor play, but one player hit such an awful shot that it would’ve embarrassed a hack like myself. The quick-witted Gary McCord deadpanned, “That shot was ugly, very ugly. That was Amy Winehouse ugly.” I hit the floor laughing.

If you think about it, that must have been one helluva ugly shot. Because not only is Amy Winehouse fugly appearance-wise, she has an ugly drug addiction problem, an ugly attitude, and a downright ugly voice, IMHO. When I first heard her music, it sounded to me like a woman high off her rocker on crack. And that was before she was caught smoking the rock on video! I’ve heard her albums multiple times out of sheer peer pressure to be cool, but I just don’t get it. I find her music old-fashioned and nothing special. It is perplexing to me why she is so popular and receives so much universal praise for her music. I’m tempted to hold American Idol-like auditions at drug rehab centers around the country to find the next “musical genius” and really milk this craze! Read more »

Two weeks ago, I took my dream golf trip to Bandon Dunes with 7 of my golf buddies. Here are my quick thoughts on my off-the-course experience and hopefully they will help you plan a Bandon Dunes golf trip:

Air Travel

The fastest way to get to Bandon is to fly into North Bend airport (OTH). Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of flights into it. Your best bet is to fly to Portland and then take a puddle-jumper to North Bend. If you’re nervous about flying like I am, be warned that the plane from Portland to North Bend is small. There are only 9 rows of seats with 4 seats per row! Thankfully, the airline (Horizon Air) offered complimentary wine and beer to take the edge off.

Ground Transportation

The resort is about a 20 min. drive from the airport. I called about 5 local ground transportation services for quotes. I decided to go with Aviation Transportation (877-315-7963). Not only were they the best deal at $50 round trip per person, but they offer complimentary beer. Service was top-notch and reliable. Just tell them your flight information and the driver will meet you at the gate and load your luggage into a luxurious van. For your return flight, they will pick you up from your hotel about 2 hours before your flight. I will definitely use them again.

Lodging

I stayed at the The Lodge at Bandon Dunes in the Lodge Suite which is basically a 2-story, 4-bedroom, 4-bath, condo sans kitchen. It sits right next to the 18th green of the Bandon Dunes golf course and offers distant ocean views. Every room was spacious and features a flat-panel HDTV. I would characterize the architecture as modern rustic. The accommodations were excellent, but you’d expect that for a $1,7000/night suite ($425 per person)! My only complaint was that there was no HD signal going into the HDTVs. That’s like driving a Ferrari with a Kia engine!

Dining

The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a little isolated from the main town so the dining options are limited. However, the food at the resort is so good that there’s really no reason to dine anywhere else. Here’s my thoughts on some of the food that I consumed:

Oregon Blueberry Pancakes and Pure Maple Syrup ($6.50): Two fluffy plate-sized flapjacks stuffed with plump blueberries. They’re so big that it’s plenty for two healthy appetites but so tasty that one will want to finish it by himself!

Flash Fried Calamari Appetizer ($8.00): Very good of the light-batter variety.

Duck and Ginger Potstickers Appetizer ($9.00): Very tasty with a pleasant sweet-soy dipping sauce.

Pan Seared Elk Striploin ($36.00): When it comes to food, I just have to try everything at least once. Since I’ve never eaten elk, I figured that this was a must order. I found the meat to be very similar to beef in both taste and texture. It was good, but not quite as exotic as I expected. While I’m glad I tried it, it’s probably not something I’d order again.

Grilled Ribeye Steak ($38.00): I ordered it rare just like all steaks should be ordered. While it was a mammoth-sized steak, it was a bit tough in spots. However, the flavor was excellent.

Grilled New York Strip ($39.00): Again, rare! This steak was much better than the ribeye I had a few nights earlier. Much more tender with a slightly better flavor. If you have only one steak on your visit, this is the one to order.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops ($32.00): Nice big scallops each resting on its own mound of shrimp risotto. Easily one of the best scallop dishes I’ve ever eaten.

Grandma’s Meat Loaf ($17.00): Probably as good as meatloaf can get but that’s not saying much. However, I love meatloaf so I really enjoyed it. I would recommend having it for lunch as opposed to dinner because there’s just so many better options for dinner.

Beer: The resort features Deschutes Brewery’s Mirror Pond on tap at every dining facility. Is there really any other choice? It’s probably the best American style pale ale ever brewed. For the lighter beer palates, there’s also Widmer Hefeweizen on tap. I admit I downed a couple of those too!

Wine: I love wine, but I know very little about them. Luckily several members of my crew were well-versed in fine wines. According to them, the wine list at the resort is excellent. My favorites were the Opus One “Proprietary Red Wine” (Thanks John!), Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad and the Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon. As you can tell, I’m well on my way toward wine snobbery!

Overall Dining: I was pleasantly surprised by the gourmet quality, generous portions and reasonable prices of the food at the resort. Usually isolated resorts operate like ruthless monopolists and really stick it to you for food. Not so in this case.

Stay tuned for Bandon Dunes Vacation Trip Tips: Part II, On the Course!

Introduced in the Fall of 2000, the Titleist Pro V1/V1x was one of the most revolutionary golf balls of all time by incorporating a multi-layer construction with a soft urethane-covering to virtually eliminate the traditional trade-offs between distance, spin, feel, and durability. Since then the Pro V1/V1x has been the dominant ball in golf. Dominant among pros and amateurs alike.

Not wanting to be left behind, I adopted the Pro V1 as my primary ball from the get-go. I’m always open to trying the competitor’s new offerings, but I just haven’t found anything that’s materially better yet. Part of the reason is that Titleist isn’t content to rest on its laurels. There has been at least 2 major revisions to the original Pro V1/V1x. The newest adds the A.I.M. (Alignment Integrated Marking) sidestamp so that you don’t even have to manually line up your golf ball anymore! Read more »

A couple of years ago, ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski wrote an article that included a seemingly absurd proclamation that “Tiger Woods is the greatest individual athlete of our time. OK, of all time.” After Tiger’s unhuman-like performance at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Wojciechowski’s statement might be right on the money. Winning the most difficult tournament against the world’s best with a torn ACL and a double stress fracture is nothing short of miraculous. Unfortunately, recovering from that injury will cost Woods the rest of the season. It seems that Wojciechowski might be the Carnac the Magnificent of golf with his prescient statement: “Only injury stands between Woods and any record worth owning.”

But there are always haters out there who will try to bring you down. Surprisingly, the sharpest barb came from the usually docile Retief Goosen, himself a two-time US Open champion. When asked whether he believed that Woods was faking the extent of his pain, he said: “I think so. It just seemed that when he hit a bad shot his knee was in pain and on his good shots he wasn’t in pain. You see when he made the putts and he went down on his knees and was shouting, ‘Yeah’, his knee wasn’t sore. Nobody really knows if he was just showing off or if he was really injured. I believe if he was really injured, he would not have played.” Retief later tried to downplay his jealous-tinged remarks saying, “I was being light-hearted. No one but Tiger himself knows how badly hurt he was. But if he was really badly hurt, he would have withdrawn, wouldn’t he?”

Well Retief, maybe your wuss ass would have withdrawn, but Tiger is tough as nails. In addition, you just gave Tiger the extra motivation to crush you every time you set foot on the same course that he does. Get better soon Tiger, and when you get back it will be open season for Goose hunting. He may or may not be the greatest athlete, but Tiger Woods is the greatest competitor!

Yesterday I congratulated Trevor Immelman whole heartedly on his Masters win. What a wonderful display of talent and dedication! I was almost afraid he’d lost it on 16 at the end, but he proved that he is not a quitter and bounced back to finish at 8 under par - 3 shots ahead of 2nd placed, Tiger Woods.

But the stage today goes to a wonderful young man who proved that he is a Masters winner, even if he didn’t take home the green jacket. There is no doubt in my mind that Brandt Snedeker will win a major in the next 2 years. I think he is that good and that deserving.

Not only did he prove this week that his game is ready, Brandt Snedeker is probably the most likeable player you could ever want to meet.

That always-present smile of his (even after a rough break or bad shot) is what keeps me glued to the TV when he’s playing. His sportsmanship makes me want to point the kids his way and say, “Hey guys, come see a real sports hero!”

Golf has always been considered a “gentleman’s” game, but with the swearing on camera, the smashing of clubs, the temper tantrums, the spitting in cups, the trash talking in press conferences and in the media, some of us have started to wonder ‘where have all the gentleman gone?’

But then you watch Brandt play…you watch him smile even after a bad shot…you watch the way he treats his fellow competitor on the 18th hole at Augusta…you watch him in the post round media centre and you say…”Yes, golf is still very much a gentleman’s sport and here he is…right here.”

Brandt had a great week - he just had one tough afternoon. But did you see the other scores out there from players who have been in the game a lot longer: Flesh shot +6, Paul Casey +7, Jim Furyk +5.

And what about those veterans who didn’t even make the cut? Sergio, Ernie, Freddie, Luke, Steve Stricker - I was shocked at how many of the so called greats of the game never made it to Sunday.

“Pretty phenomenal, to be (on the Nationwide) two years ago, struggling to be a professional golfer, and to be here, crying like a little girl in front of a bunch of media and 100 million people,” Snedeker said. “I’m sure I’ll be getting ribbed for the next two months about this.”

Brandt, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You gave it your all and you should be proud of yourself. I hope the media and other players are as gracious and honorable as you are and give you a hug, not a ribbing. I know you’d do it for them.

As this reportered shared, “As Snedeker pulled his visor down on his forehead and held a towel to his red-rimmed eyes, a Masters official ended the press conference by thanking him for a great week.”

I wonder who that Masters’ official was. Whoever he is, he just proved to me that maybe there really are a lot more gentlemen left in this game than I thought.

Golfgal

‘Just a rough day’ for Snedeker
JOSEPH PERSON NEWSPAPERS
Calgary Herald
14 Apr 2008

MCCLATCHY AUGUSTA, GA. For three days, Brandt Snedeker strode around Augusta National with a smile that was as omnipresent as his wavy blond hair and white Bridgestone visor. But the lasting image of Snedeker from the 72nd Masters will be one of the…read more…

The Master of Fine Arts is the new MBA. So argued author Daniel Pink in a recent New York Times story about the new creative economy, in which even old-school corporations like GM increasingly value imaginative “right-brain” thinkers. Harvard Business blogger Tom Davenport vehemently disagrees. While I agree with Tom’s sensible point that all jobs require input from both sides of the brain, I’m glad more companies have begun to recognize the benefits of artistic training.

A few years ago I quit my job managing a web company and went to grad school to study fiction writing. It was supposed to be a complete break from my real-life career. But when I returned to my day job, I realized my MFA had been a pretty good management-training course. I didn’t learn a thing about finance, but for two years, I’d practiced disciplined imagination — a requirement for innovation. And I’d learned a few things about managing people (and myself).

Here are 4 lessons an MBA might learn from an MFA:

1.How to take criticism. In a writing workshop, each writer must remain silent while others discuss his work. This rule allows him to hear what people say, rather than distracting himself by preparing his defense. Train yourself to listen openly to all criticism. Then wait until you’ve had a chance to reflect before deciding which suggestions to follow and which to ignore.

2. What motivates people. Everyone’s mix of motives is unique and complex. The more you can intuit the secret desires that drive a person (whether a fictional character or a colleague or your boss), the better you can predict what she’s going to do next. If you figure out what motivates the people who report to you, you’ll be able to tailor incentives for each individual.

3. How to engage your audience. Good fiction writers know how to involve readers in acts of collaborative imagination. Readers like to be challenged — part of the pleasure is guessing the murderer’s identity before being told — but if they can’t follow the plot, they get frustrated. Companies competing in the experience economy need to get this balance right. Customers, like readers, do not like to be bored or confused. They like to feel smart and creative and listened to. That’s one reason companies that involve their customers in idea generation, like Dell, Staples, and BMW, rate highly in customer loyalty.

Knowing how to keep your team engaged is an important skill for all managers, but it’s critical if you want to succeed at innovation. Again, involving team members in the creative process is the key.

4. When to let go of good ideas. Or, as writers like to say, kill your darlings. An idea may be great on its own, but if it doesn’t serve your larger venture, you have to be ruthless and cut it. Brilliant but misplaced ideas can derail a project or keep you from seeing bigger, better solutions. It can be almost impossible to recognize your own darlings. Writers have editors to point them out. In the business world, look for honest feedback from colleagues you trust.

Katherine Bell is a senior editor at HarvardBusiness.org