ITU world championships, Beijing 2011
It was a very spontaneous decision to fly to Beijing and meet MACCA there. I traveled without any press credentials as I had missed out on the deadline. Okay, I thought, I shall find a way to get close to the race. What I did not know was that the whole area was going to be fenced off like a military camp. Even the athletes in their swim suits got checked by metal detectors. So no chance ever for me to get close to the start and to the finish line.
Okay, I said to myself, I shall take the position of an outside observer. This was in my opinion the best I could do in this situation. The viewpoint I was able to take was special, and I only got there by sneaking in behind the Russian team coaches.
Now, you can see the result.
This video is actually weird, it is very Chinese and reflects the situation very well on this cold and rainy day.
Chris had a great race, very consistent performance… It was the swim that cost him lots of time. With number 72 his starting position was far away from being optimal. From my viewpoint the race course appeared as a tiny loop, up down, up down the guys where hurrying past me. My head almost started swimming. And everywhere you saw Chinese in uniforms trying to control the area. But anyhow, people were friendly and relaxed. I felt comfortable, if there were not the rain.
This was definitely an unusual perspective to watch a race. It was fun, because it was so very different.
