Aug 24, 2008 04:00 PM
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Track and Field athletes will probably roll their eyes at me for this one, but still I have to say I was amazed to see this little four-wheeled RC car scurrying across the field last night during the men's 5,000 meter race carrying javelins, and dammit, I wanted to write about it. After a little digging, I discovered a photographer who had documented the little cars (there are two at the Beijing games), and how they're a first for the Olympic summer games.
Eric Seals, a photojournalist with the Detroit Free Press, was photographing Detroit area Olympians when he saw the little red cars shooting across the field part of Track and Field. Watching the cars in action sounds almost as fun as driving them:
Two kids who look to be in their mid teens sit in chairs with large remote controls driving these cars (that look like something from that Speed Racer movie) back and forth from the field of play where the hammer throw competition is happening. Usually after an athlete throws the hammer someone is there to take it from the official back to the start for the next athlete to throw. Not here, not at these Olympics. Instead the official takes the heavy hammer and places it into the car, which is then driven back to where the kids are sitting. They have two of them so as one is coming back to the start the other is on they way to the end. I’m told the cars are also used to transport the discus and javelin as well.
This could easily be a new Olympic sport in and of itself. BMX racing? Football? Please. RC racing with shot puts and javelins in tow? Gold. [Freep]
Send an email to Jack Loftus, the author of this post, at jloftus@gizmodo.com.
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