Before the races I decided to take a swim in the Olympic swimming pool. It is open to the public, at an affordable price (£ 5.20), but the 50-meter pool is only open from 4pm. It already gives me a great excitement to see the pool so close and think that soon I'll swim where Phelps swam. The stands seem small, less capacious than those of Rome.
At the entrance I find out I have to leave the towel in the locker: it is not allowed to bring anything to the pool area. The pool is much deeper than the swimming pool I'm used to: 2.95 meters: the first time you put your head underwater, it's impressive to see the bottom line so far away. So I find out that when the swimmers at the end of the race are seen with their chest out of the water, it is not because the pool is less deep at the end, but because there is a slit where they stand on their feet: I wonder how they can keep in equilibrium.
The lanes from 0 to 5 have an indication about the swimming speed, of course the central ones are the fastest. They all have an indication of whether to swim clockwise or counterclockwise, I take a little bit to understand what it means(clockwise = outward left and return right, counterclockwise the reverse). Trying to stay on my side often go against the curb.
The water is incredibly light: at the end of the first lenght it seems amazing that it is over. But after a while but it feels weird, at the beginning of the fourth one I feel dizzy and I have to stop for a moment. I also try breaststoke and butterfly, not backstroke because I'm afraid to swim into someone.
As I come out I only need to cross a bridge and I am at the stadium gates. Of course I had calculated that the day would start at 7.05: Makwala's solo run was announced when I was already in the pool, so I missed it. It's raining: in front of me I see two Wimbledon umbrellas (I have one bought in Göteborg for the 2006 Europeans, but with no sport references).
Arrive at my place right in time for the start of the first heat of 3000sc. It's really ccold: I think it will be hard to resist until the end and curse the fact that it has to be cold on August 9, but also think of those in Italy who are throwing curses of opposite sign. Behind me there is a group of Germans who will see the rare event of a throw final without any fellow countrymen and will discuss with the neighbors the best way to go back to the hotel. A few rows ahead, one Moroccan wearing a fez gets noticed.
I'm in the tenth row , behind the second bend. The view is not the best: you do not even see the beginning of the straight for the outer lanes: a panel covers it. Of women's long jump I see very little: the jumps are quite visible, but one does not understand the measure because the landing is covered by the metric bar. On the other hand, I can see women's shot put well, at least the throws, not the measures because I am in a too low position to see the markers. Very nice and balanced race, contested until the last throw. You also see the bend of the 200, while it's not easy to see the straight even on the screen because they only show it in the one on the other side, in that on my side they show the SP.
In the final thetre is he great surprise with the 400 women: I thought I would see Miller's triumphal ride and just a few meters from finish it seemed like this, but the favorite stops suddenly, I thought she had got hurt, but she had just stumbled. Meanwhile, in the general indifference, the qualifications of the hammer are held: in the first group Lingua is ninth and therefore I think he is now eliminated, but at the end of the first round of the second group he is still in, then also at the end of the second and after half of the third. At this point I start to bet against all the last throws: the neighbors will be wondering why I was celebrating. At the end Lingua qualifies: finally a satisfaction.
The return journey is particularly though for the cold: on arrival at the station, volunteers give us five. On the other hand, the underground is less crowded than usual and I can sit down.
The premises were not so good, but at the end I had fun.
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