By Frank Deford
United States’ Katie Ledecky holds up her gold medal after winning the women’s 800-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Aug. 3, 2012. Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption
toggle caption Lee Jin-man/AP
In the television era, the second week of the Olympics is reserved for what is considered the marquee event: track and field.
So, the shared premier showcases of the first week are swimming and women’s gymnastics. While swimming was always a spotlight sport, I was, if you will, sort of present at the creation when gymnastics became the new star lead-off hitter.
Click the audio to hear Frank Deford’s full commentary on this issue. All of his sports commentary is available here: Sweetness and Light.