Eight Minutes, Four Seconds: Kayla Harrison’s Olympic Judo Triumph Outside the Rio Spotlight: Outside the Rio Spotlight, #1
By Maria Kaj
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About this ebook
This gripping narrative of America’s greatest Olympic judo medalist, Kayla Harrison, covers the stiff lineup of international superstars she faced in Rio 2016 on her way to becoming the only U.S. combatant ever to win two gold medals. In the style of 16 Days of Glory, this blow-by-blow account of the matches highlights one of the lesser-known competitors whose triumph was still as awe-inspiring as those seen in prime time. A survivor of sexual abuse and future potential MMA star, this champion delivers what one reviewer described as “the most thunderously bad-ass performance in Olympic judo.” (7000 words).
Read more from Maria Kaj
The A to Z Olympics: 26 Torch-Worthy Tales & Tidbits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOutside the Rio Spotlight: American Triumphs You Didn't See at the 2016 Olympics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Eight Minutes, Four Seconds - Maria Kaj
Your respect for the author’s copyright is deeply appreciated.
Text copyright © by Maria Kaj 2018
Cover art © by Maria Kaj and Karin Kallmaker 2017
Second Edition.
All rights reserved. This work is sold subject to the condition that it shall not in any way be circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any alternate, copied or replicated form of digital, binding or cover. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book by any means without permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase authorized editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy.
For more information about this story or others in
Outside the Rio Spotlight: American Triumphs You Didn’t See at the 2016 Olympics
Contact the author at: Mariakajcv@gmail.com
And keep reading the blog: kajmeister.com.
Thank You!
This story is one chapter of a full-length work, covering a dozen examples of American excellence at the 2016 Olympics. While Harrison’s account stands on its own, it can be read along with the others in Outside the Rio Spotlight: American Triumphs You Didn’t See at the 2016 Olympics. The book can be purchased in Kindle on Amazon or in ePub form at fine digital purveyors like Apple and Barnes and Noble. The paperback edition is also available on Amazon or at the author’s website at kajmeister.com.
Eight Minutes, Four Seconds:
Kayla Harrison’s Olympic Judo Triumph Outside the Rio Spotlight
by Maria Kaj
Foreword
As Gertrude Stein or George Orwell might have said:
A gold medal is a gold medal is a gold medal.
…however…
All gold medals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the United States dominated in sport at an unprecedented level, winning 46 gold and 121 total medals. This was the highest gold medal and total medal count for America—or for any nation—when not hosting the Games in a non-boycotted Olympics. Americans won in 20 of the 27 sport categories with 210 athletes receiving medals across dozens of individual categories. By any stretch of the imagination, that is a whopping mound of athletic success.
However, if you watched the national prime time feed or just scanned headlines, only six sports seemed to take place. The vast majority of coverage involved swimming, gymnastics, basketball, diving, track sprints, and beach volleyball. The other 20+ sport categories were crammed into quick updates that merely mentioned a winner or flashed a shot of the medal stand. Many of these glossed-over achievements were notable firsts, nail-biter contests, or remarkable demonstrations of mastery. Just showing a picture on the screen about the youngest gold medalist or the first American in a sport does not do justice to the triumph represented or