Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss, suffering from heat exhaustion, staggers to the finish line of the 1984 Olympic women's marathon in the Los Angeles Coliseum, Sunday, Aug. 5, 1984. Andersen-Scheiss finally crossed the line in 37th place, and collapsed into the arms of waiting medics. (AP Photo/David Tenenbaum)
DOG COMMENTARY:
The Womens Marathon in track and field at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles provided an opportunity for Bone Daddy and his two traveling partners….Sky Pilot and Prince of Pleasure….to experience an epiphany and motivation that led these Tres Amigos on an incredible journey to set an Olympic fan record that can never be broken….only tied….which to our knowledge at Ima Sportsphile has never been done again….for this band of “3 Olympic sojourners” to attend a live event in all 26 events that were competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The Women’s Marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics was held on August 5, 1984….as It was the first time a women’s marathon had been held at the Olympic Games…..whereas the 50 competitors came from 28 countries….whereby 44 finished the race. The world record holder Joan Benoit of the United States won the gold medal….with the silver medal going to the 1983 World champion Grete Waitz of Norway…and the bronze to Rosa Mota of Portugal.
Strategically, the race was notable for Benoit making a bold move in only the third mile of the race, despite the August heat….as the rest of the field did not try to keep pace with her….and Benoit maintained her lead all the way to finish…..while defeating her rival Waitz by more than a minute.
More often than seen on televised coverage of sporting events….are the incredible heroics of tthe human spirit that comes to life on the fields of competition….as the TV cameras are predominately focused on the leaders and competitiors that have a chance to win the competition….but every now and then the eye of the camera catches a moment that will endure in the hearts and memories of those who were blessed to see such a moment unfold on the fields of competition….as this 1984 Olympics womens marathon provided such a notable and lasting visual memory…..as Switzerland’s Gabriela Andersen-Schiess entered the Los Angeles Coliseum for her final lap around the track to complete the marathon in a state of almost total exhaustion….barely able to walk….much less trot or run to completion of the race…..as she swerved and stumbled her final 400m of her 26 mile test of her intense will to finish what she had started ….for when she stepped across the finish line she immediately collapsed in the arms of the medical personnel waiting for her mind to carry her body across the finish line. She would finish 37th in the competition.
Bone Daddy was in the stadium for this event…..as it was USA Joan Benoit win and the courageous finish of this Swiss runner that gave his band of Tres Amigos the impetus to embark on their mission to see a live event in every sport in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics….for as Bone Daddy puts it….the feeling of incredible motivation and passion derived from seeing Joan Benoit win the gold medal in the 1st ever womens Olympic marathon….along with the awesome inspiration that Gabriela Andersen-Schiess’s finish provided the “perfect storm” for a Sportsphile and his companions to embark on a mission of such great consequence. This video also features the Womens Basketball game between the USA vs Canada….as played on August 5, 1984 at The Forum in Inglewood, CA….which was won by the Americans by a score of 92 – 61….as the USA Team was on it way to being undefeated in the tournament and winning the gold medal.
Bone Daddy often refers to this heroic effort by the SUI Gabriela Andersen-Schiess as the greatest example of the essential value of sports….that it really does not matter whether you win or lose…..but rather how you played the game…..as it makes this video MUST SEE TV to any and all sports fans.
