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A true warrior Schumacher's run cements his place in sport
Updated: Wednesday December 13, 2000 3:46 PM
So Ferrari didn't bottle it after all. Nor Michael Schumacher. After their early-season Formula One dominance, things were looking shaky for a while. McLaren came roaring back in the points standings. Mika Hakkinen appeared a good bet for a third successive world drivers' title. At the time of the McLaren resurgence, I wrote about the enormous pressure on the glamorous Italian team and especially its number-one driver Schumacher. Were they really about to cave in again? They had failed to win a world drivers' crown since Jody Scheckter triumphed in 1979. With each passing year, all the millions of dollars and assembled talent still could do nothing to reverse the losing trend. The last few years, with Schumacher at the helm, offered Ferrari's best chance to douse their drought with the waters of F1 title victory. But at season's end, Williams and then McLaren thwarted the lofty ambitions of the men behind the famous red machine. Last year, Ferrari won the constructors' title. A first glint of glory. Now, with the rocky mid-season road a distant memory, Schumacher stands atop the F1 world once again. His previous two titles came with Benetton, but neither compare to this. Back-to-back victories for the German in the Far East clinched the drivers' title and then the constructors' crown for the demanding Ferrari team and its massive and passionate following. The magnificent run for Schumacher down the home stretch was testimony to his skill and nerve. He did have that steely determination after all. He didn't need to revert to dirty tactics at the start of races. He proved himself one of the modern motor sport greats. I've never quite warmed to Schumacher. Quite the opposite in fact. But I'm all for giving credit where credit's due...and it's due in bountiful amounts for a man who steered Ferrari to their first title double in 21 years, shrouded in the kind of immense expectation and pressure few of us can imagine.
Venus needs to maintain top formSo Venus Williams is human after all. Lindsay Davenport ended her remarkable victory streak at 35 matches in the Generali Open final in Austria. That run included Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Olympic titles for Venus, whose early promise finally reached fruition in staggering fashion. Talking of which, fashion filled a void while injury kept Venus away from the courts early in the year.
Now there's talk she'll return to her fashion studies as the season winds down. While I applaud her for wanting to have a life outside of tennis, to follow another passion, I also warn her that if she wants to become world number one she can't afford to be anything less than single-minded. Martina Hingis won't be taking a sabbatical any time soon, neither will Davenport. They'll keep piling up the points -- even more so, in fact, if Venus and sister Serena are off strutting their fashion stuff. If reaching the pinnacle of the women's game in terms of rankings doesn't light Venus' candle, then fair enough. But the thing is, I really believe it does matter to her. It most certainly does to her father, who once boasted Venus and Serena would be one and two in the world one day. They've come good on his other boasts about Grand Slam titles and are the kind of young women who simply never want to let daddy down. So now for the acid test. Will the Williams sisters hit the start of the 2001 season with full force in Australia or will staying at home to follow fashion be a more tempting option? For the sake of we selfish tennis fans, I hope they can add a darn good juggling act to their other talents and manage to satisfy both their needs. If Venus can't, she might be kept tantalisingly away from the world number one spot for some time to come. A player of her phenomenal raw talent deserves to know what it feels like looking out from the top of the world.
Paralympics revived in SydneyAtlanta did the Paralympics a disservice in 1996. Sydney has restored the pride. I was appalled to see Olympic banners being taken down on the highways and by-ways of Atlanta as the Paralympics were about to get underway. Different sets of organizers, yes. But to my mind this was a flagrant show of disrespect. Attendances at the '96 Paralympics were poor. Spectators were charged to enter events. Lukewarm publicity, combined with entrance fees, thus meant there was nothing like the vibrant atmosphere served up by crowds in Barcelona four years earlier, where fans given free access to many venues. They charged in Sydney. But the Australians were ready for another party after their fabulous Olympic success. Coughing up a few dollars here and wasn't about to dampen their enthusiasm. Sydney, with a massive audience for the opening ceremony and great interest throughout, has given the disabled athletes of the Paralympics the kind of attention their hard work and endeavour warrants. Ticket sales passed the 1 million mark, making this the best-attended Paralympics in history. Another gold for Sydney, me thinks.
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