Shot putters meet History in ancient Olympia

The Ancient city of Olympia played host to the men's and women's Shot Put competitions as 15,000 spectators gathered on the picturesque grassy slopes of the ancient stadium to get a feeling of this unique experience. Paul Gains retraces what will remain as an unforgettable moment in the history of the Olympic Games.

Less than twenty-four hours after an historic Shot Put competition in ancient Olympia, a luxury coach pulled up in front of a roadside McDonald’s restaurant, half way between Olympia and Athens. Out stepped some of the biggest men to walk the planet, all pursuing one purpose - the mighty Big Mac.

The sight of two-time Olympic silver medallist Adam Nelson and his American team-mate John Godina, the bronze medallist in Sydney, carrying fast food takeaways to the air-conditioned bus was in stark contrast to what had transpired the day before at the birthplace of Olympic sports.

Beneath the hot skies Nelson, Godina and ten others, including the eventual winner, Yuriy Bilonog of the Ukraine, had filed past the columns of the Temple of Hera, past the place where the Olympic flame is lit, into the arena where centuries before the Ancient Greeks had thrown javelin and discus. The Christian emperor Theodosius 1 declared them a pagan ceremony, and banished them in 393 AD.

There was no McDonald’s here, no sign of commercialisation at all. Preserved by archaeological rite, the stadium consists today of nothing more than a hilly mound and a dusty floor stretching 221 metres from one end to the other. Adjacent to the stadium lies the ruins of ancient Olympia protected by archaeological laws. Just down the tree-lined street is an enclave where a solitary statue of Baron Pierre de Coubertin stands.

Results and flash quotes were not dispersed during the competition for fear of creating litter. That would be pure sacrilege. So the crowd followed the competition with the help of stadium announcers and manual scoreboards. The absence of a giant scoreboard with its instant replays and results summaries, to which we have become accustomed, was noticeable. Yet everyone seemed to accept that this was an attempt by the Greek organisers to link ancient Greece to the modern Olympics.

An estimated 18,000 spectators covered the dried grass, and watched as one by one the women’s and men’s competitors stepped into the circles, which had been laid only the day before. They cheered and generally adored the venue and the atmosphere, which seemed more like a high school competition rather than the Olympic Games.

“I am so excited that I have lost my voice and can hardly speak,” confirmed an ecstatic Yumileidi Cumba who won the women’s gold medal.

“I didn’t expect so many spectators,” the 30-year-old Bilonog said from his home in Odessa, Ukraine some days later “I expected less people. I felt support from the Greek spectators and it helped me a lot. Thanks to the Greek fans I could do it. The Olympic gold medal is the dream of any athlete. So for me it means my dream came true. For my country it is one more brick in the long-term building process of a world sports power.”

The giant Olympic champion - he stands 2.00m tall - arrived home in Odessa to meet the Mayor, and leaders of the federal government. Following the World Athletics Final in Monaco, a formal civic ceremony was planned. He was known before the Olympics, but now he is, understandably, a national hero. According to his agent, Jose Praia, he admires another Ukrainian sports hero, Sergei Bubka, for being not only an outstanding sportsman, but for becoming a leader in sports outside the arena.

“It is a pleasure to work with Yuriy,” says Praia “He is very well educated and always so proper. He is different from others.”

Clearly Bilonog believes in keeping it all in the family. His wife, Clavdia, is a former discus thrower, and her father is his coach. The possibility that either of his two children, Anna (7) or Danil (3) may one day pursue throws is therefore strong. 

By no means was his victory easy though. Nor was it decisive. He had been stymied for five rounds of the competition, and very nearly left Olympia frustrated.

Adam Nelson threw a hefty 21.16m on his first throw to take the lead. The American then fouled five times. A couple of those fouls drew laughs from the crowd.

“I figured if I was going to foul I would at least make it funny,” the good-natured Nelson said later. “I had one of those days where the strangest things happened to me. I dropped the shot off my neck, which hasn’t happened to me since I was twelve!”

Bilonog responded with 21.15m on both his first and second efforts, agonisingly close to the gold medal position, but not quite enough. Then came 21.07m on his third, before two fouls. He denies feeling pressure on the last throw.

“I was thinking I needed to collect all my strength, as I had one more attempt. To lose by 1cm is not the same as losing by 50cm,” he remembers thinking “No, I was not frustrated. I was feeling confident. I was ready to throw further. So there were reserves, and I felt there was strength remaining to be used.”

On his final throw he reached 21.16m, equalling Nelson’s first effort, but he won the gold by virtue of the count-back. Bilonog was encouraged and delighted that the American immediately congratulated him, telling him he was the better man that day.

“First of all I dedicate my win to my family”, Bilonog declared “then to all who supported me during my career, my coach Evgeny Korsak, Nike, the Portuguese club I represented Sporting CP, as well as the Spanish club Chapín Jerez.”

“I plan to compete until the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and to participate in all European and World Championships. The 2008 Olympics will be the point of highest male strength, so it is my following main goal. I will compete for at least four more years, but it depends on my health. I will be competing as long as my body permits me to.”

A graduate of the physical education programme at Odessa University, Bilonog showed he has a good sense of humour, telling the assembled media that he had arrived only the day before.

“I have not seen much except the cafeteria”, he said with a grin “the food is exceptional, and the service is fantastic!”

The experience of competing in ancient Olympia was certainly not lost on the athletes, all of whom had positive things to say about the choice of venue. Indeed, most seemed honoured to have had their event chosen to be isolated. One could argue that the Shot Put, for once, outshone the 100m as the focus of the Olympics.

Nelson had virtually tasted the gold medal, and having lost in Sydney too, could be forgiven if he showed signs of frustration in Olympia. The Athens, Georgia-based thrower was remarkably honoured by the experience of competing in Olympia.

“Talk about an Olympic experience,” Nelson said “this is better than anything I could have dreamed of. This facility is absolutely world class. It has been for 3,500 years, so why would it change now?”

“There’s something special about this place. It brings out a certain emotion in me as an Olympic athlete. It is something that is pretty powerful. You feed on it, and let it take you to the next level.”

The success of the 2004 Olympic Shot Put competition is now well known, particularly for the location and historical significance. Never can this be duplicated. So Yuriy Bilonog and Adam Nelson will treasure the experience perhaps more than the medals themselves.

Published in IAAF Magazine Issue 3 - 2004