Released by NBC Sports on September 30th, 2008, this is 91 minutes of Olympic Highlights. This DVD contains 24 chapters, eight of which are running events from the Bird’s Nest. Other events include women’s gymnastics (Nastia Luikin & Shawn Johnson), Michael Phelps in swimming competition, the beach volleyball team of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, and about 6 minutes of the opening ceremony that was directed by filmmaker Zhang Yimou. Below is a breakdown of the running events (all footage is finals) in the order which they appear followed by the amount of time (about 36 minutes total) used to cover that specific race.
Men’s 400 Hurdles: (2:35) Angelo Taylor runs a personal best 47.26 for the gold leading a United States sweep. Full names and lane assignments are shown on screen in addition to a replay of the final hurdle of this race.
Women’s 100 High Hurdles: (1:31) Lolo Jones is mentioned before the gun sounds. The lane assignments consist of the last name and country flag on the track and it is 24 year old Dawn Harper from lane six who is able to run a clean race for victory. No times are mentioned as disbelief is the lasting emotion.
Men’s 400 Meters: (3:36) After a false start, the focus is on Jeremy Wariner before LaShawn Merritt runs away from the field in the last 100 meters. Merritt’s 43.75 is a personal best and makes him the fifth fastest quarter miler of all time. The United States sweeps with Wariner in second and David Neville diving at the line for the bronze.
Men’s 4x400 Relay: (7:59) Individual lane assignments are provided with each of the four athletes named on screen. The US team of Merritt (44.0), Taylor (43.9), Neville (44.1), and Wariner post a new Olympic Record of 2:55.39 as they run clear of the rest of the field making this the 18th Olympic victory for the United States in this sprint relay event.
Women’s 4x400 Relay: (7:40) Complete lane assignments are also provided in this women’s race that is competitive to the end. The United States team of Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix (48.7), Monique Henderson, and Sanya Richards (48.9) battle with the Russian team yet put ahead in the final strides to win in 3:18.55.
Men’s 100 Meter (2:53) With few introductions, the gun sounds and Usain Bolt of Jamaica leaves the field for a new world record of 9.69 seconds. More time is spent on his gathering with his family than the actual running of this record setting race.
Men’s 200 Meter (7:20) Full introductions of each lane takes over four minutes of this coverage. Bolt is in lane five and running into a headwind he remains focused through the tape for a new world record of 19.30. There is no discussion of any lane violations or disqualifications that changed other podium positions. The initial camera angle shows curve running from the outside of the track as well as some of the home stretch from the side. This entire race is shown again with the one camera positioned near the finish line focused only on Bolt throughout his entire race.
Men’s 4x100 Relay (3:35) The Jamaican team breaks the 1992 world record by .3 seconds by running 37.10 in the final. With Bolt on the third leg, he runs up on Asafa Powell before they blow away the rest of the field. After the team poses for celebration photos, the three handoffs are again repeated showing that this record could easily dip below 37 seconds with more fluid passes.
All United States gold medal track races were covered, as well as each of the three world record races posted on the track. The only field event shown was the women’s discus where Stephanie Brown Trafton wins with her first round throw of 212-5. What is not shown are any interviews, awards stand moments, or complete listings of results. It is unfortunate that a post production release does not insert the final place positions and finishing times of all the competitors who participate in the finals of these races (at least as a separate bonus feature). The menu does allow you to select individual races, although it returns to the menu after each race rather than continuing to play the next chapter.
If you want to own this DVD production, place your order at Amazon.com or directly from the NBC Store. Note that the NBC Universal store will only ship within the United States and a credit card is needed to complete your purchase (PayPal is not accepted).
