側評拉德克裡夫

查看英國太陽報的最新報導，Paula Radcliffe尚未決定是否參加女子一萬公尺，雖然她已報名參加。

不過，各方的意見都認為這位女子馬拉松世界紀錄保持者最好別參賽，避免再出現類似的奧運馬拉松賽打擊，若是出現第二次的打擊，她 可能就會從此被埋沒。

但是，依小弟的看法，比賽選手若沒有面對如此的嚴峻挑戰，就難以實現心中的理想，當然最基本的條件就是身體不可有傷，第二就是調 整好心理，選手很難在賽前就可斷定自己是否一百巴仙調整好，在比賽中，就可看出該名選手的心理素質，體育競賽裡，有誰擔保他的心 理素質永遠都是那麼堅強的嗎? 看看男子一百一十公尺跨欄，美國的約翰遜竟然絆倒，連決賽都闖不進，無法與中國的劉翔上演精彩決戰，有誰能了解他心中的打擊和感 受嗎? 況且他的妻子在奧運之前已遭禁賽兩年，他沒有壓力嗎?

我希望Paula Radcliffe在沒有受傷的情況下繼續參賽，若是她只因馬拉松項目的打擊而退出女子一萬公尺，那以後她很難再跨出這道奧運馬 拉松失利的障礙與陰影，畢竟奧運是四年一次，沒有得過奧運獎牌的Paula Radcliffe應該掌握這機會。

想幫許銘傑說句話，也許不該太早論斷他的。

記得他在中正高工時期為我國青棒立下不少汗馬功勞，有時想想對他真是過度地使用。當他升上成棒時其實穩定度已有所不同，他之所以 能加入日本職棒，我想他在青棒時期的成績應該是具有舉足輕重的因素。看過多場許在成棒後代表國家出賽的比賽，表現大多未盡理想， 或許這可能是因素之一。再者，最近一直下放二軍也苦無表現，其實下放二軍對旅日的台灣投手而言多是一場夢靨，因為再不投出好成績 來，回台之日不遠矣！曹竣揚、余文彬不都是如此嗎？回國後成績也是不理想。同為西武球員為何張誌家可以較無壓力，除了個人意願外 他還有七年的保障約為後盾，這也就是當初他為何捨巨人較高額簽約金而就西武的因素考量。對於曹錦輝及王建民的拼鬥精神我深感讚賞 ，但是也很矛盾，因為若當初這二人被列為大聯盟40 名單中，對他們而言是莫大的榮譽但是對我國卻是一大損失，當初陳金鋒不就因此而差點回不來，我記得那時徐生明說過，若為國家榮譽 而言當然希望他回國，但若是為其運動生涯而言，卻又不得不希望其躍上大聯盟的舞台。

其實，職業運動是相當現實的，觀眾的掌聲與運動員的運動生命往往是呈現負相關的，當然希望看到運動員的賣力演出，但是有時也會想 從另一個角度來看看他們所面臨的掙扎。唯一堪告慰的是，還好我們這些業餘的不需面對這些問題，只要享受運動所帶來的快感即可。

以下節錄一個西方人對Paula的評論，倒數第二段最讓我感動 http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/daily_news/0,,s6-0-0-0-0,00. html

In the women's marathon, Paula Radcliffe performed poorly as the great favorite then embarked on a series of medical tests to find out "what went wrong". How about, you got beat? That's what went wrong. Your preparation, strategy and execution on that course on that day against that competition under those conditions got you as far as a fading fourth at 36K. That's it. Why must it always be something else, something beyond others performing better on the day?

Dave Bedford, the London Marathon director, now says that Paula, because she is a northern European, had no chance in the Athens Olympic Marathon due to the conditions. Hell of a time to find that out. But the woman closest to Paula in size and fairness of complexion, Deena Kastor, didn't share that outlook. Her strategy and execution took into account that tiny, energy-efficient women tend to run best on hot, hilly courses, and larger, inefficient women, especially when they choose to lead while carrying the added psychic weight of national expectations, and past championship shortcomings, don't.

Remember the great Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway, another northern European? In the 1980s Ingrid, like Paula, was a track and marathon record setter. But she, too, either won big, or, if you put somebody on her back, would crack. No one gets it all. And, yes, luck of the draw as to which city gets the Olympic bid in your prime years is a factor. We call that life. But nobody ordered Paula to run the marathon. Do the 10,000, less distance, no hills. But maybe no medal either.

Won't someone simply congratulate the champion, and say, "I did the best I could, see you again down the road?" Why must it always be about me? If I can't be "The Man" or win the gold, then what, the effort was for naught? Nice lesson for the kids. Oh where is the Lutz Long of today, the German long jumper who, to his own detriment, assisted his American competitor Jesse Owens in Berlin 1936?

The Olympics is a mirror on the state of human affairs, because the world in its entirety joins in. And the reflection so far in Athens hasn't been all that attractive. Not that anyone asked.