Slow down: longer races offer fans more than sprints do
Middle- and long-distance races have a drama that short ones cannot match
IT IS NOT easy to predict which athletes will stick in the mind when an Olympic games ends, although Simone Biles is usually a good bet. Underdogs will triumph; local favourites will delight; the greats will be brought low and the humble raised high. The winners of the women’s and men’s 100-metre sprints, however, always stand a good chance of being among the Olympic darlings. Not only do they take home gold medals. They also lay strong claim to dazzling superlatives: the world’s fastest woman and the world’s fastest man.
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