Today's title is about shots of the shot put. Don't you have anything which you know nothing about but you want to know something about it. Shots are one of those objects for me. Golf ball manufacturers are supposedly competing for the longest reach for their golf balls. Then, how about shots? Are you indifferent? Shot putters would desperately want to get the shot which flies farther.
According to a sports-related magazine, in both of the Atlanta (1996) and the Sydney (2000) Olympic games, a craftsman's-made shots swept all the prizes; gold, silver and bronze. In such cases when Japan is exclusively too excellent, the rules are often modified. In the shot put world too, the regulations for the shots were changed. However, the craftsman never became downcast and in the next Olympic Games in Athens (2004) his shots swept all the prizes again.
What would become of his shots in the next Beijing Olympic Games (2008)? You might be convinced of his shots' landslide win, but the craftsman didn't offer his shots to the Beijing Olympic Games, even though he elaborately crafted them. He witnessed the Japan-bashing in the AFC Asian Cup in China and the Chinese people's stone-throwing at the Japanese Embassy and he felt that China wasn't qualified to be holding the Olympic Games. That's why he denied offering his shots.
He is going to offer his shots to the London Olympic Games this year. I hope you'll recall the craftsmanship embedded in the shots.
(Vocabulary)
shot putter 砲丸投げの選手
downcast ふさぎ込んだ, 意気消沈した
bashing (人・団体などに対する) 激しい批判, バッシング
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