On Aug. 15 in Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic women’s 400-meter dash took an unexpected turn when American favorite Allyson Felix was beat by an astonishingly well-timed dive from Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas.
The dive broke the internet as everyone with an opinion rushed to exclaim their thoughts about the finish. Some raced to criticize the method of finishing as cowardly and asked if it was even legal. Others saw no problem with the finish. It quickly became apparent that this topic was very polarizing. But generally, it just felt like the whole word had to chime in to let everyone know which side of “Divegate” they were on.
The unfortunate part of the whole scenario is that the focus on the dive instantly took attention away from any other possible storylines.
One such example is the fact that the entire race and finish were wildly entertaining. The field was pretty much running even with one another until Miller pulled away from the pack coming out of the second curve. Then, on the last straightaway Allyson Felix turned it on and closed ground. The two were neck and neck for the last 20 meters or so. The margin of victory in the race was less than one-tenth of a second. Both Felix and Miller should be applauded for their amazing performances.
Another fact that got lost in the madness was Felix becoming the most decorated U.S. woman in Olympic track and field history. Before the race, she was in a tie with the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee with six medals each. Felix earning a silver medal in the event gave her the lead with seven. It seems almost counterintuitive to think that a record that has stood for decades being broken is seen as just a side note to the ending of this race.
Only in America can fans come up with an idea as outlandish as “you should win standing up” in order to justify why our runner should have won. The dive was perfectly legal. Not to mention, in an interview with ESPN, Felix’s own teammate says that diving across the finish line is an everyday occurrence. She even goes on to say that without a dive across the finish line in her qualifying race she would not have made the American Olympic team.
I don’t mind looking for a way to reconcile your favorite losing, as a Detroit Lions fan I find myself doing it just about every Sunday of the fall. Some fans have argued that if the race was two feet longer, Felix takes gold. I respect and agree with the logic behind that, but don’t come with an excuse or reason that works to diminish the value or challenge the legitimacy of Miller’s win.
Just imagine for a second that the shoe was on the other foot and Felix was the one who dove across for the win. I doubt that the finish would have the label of controversial or that anyone would have made much of it. Even if there was a large reaction to Felix diving it would be in the exact opposite vain. There would be no talk of whether or not her dive was legal or how clumsy a professional looked. Instead, the conversation would be about Felix’s passion, desire and sheer unwillingness to lose.
If, when saying the word “dive,” you’re not referencing one of the Olympians intentionally throwing the race, there should not be controversy behind it.
