You might remember that Houston was one of the cities being considered years ago for the 2012 Olympic games, but fell short in the political bidding wars that determine who gets to host.
With all the hype about the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London, I almost missed the fact that the AAU Jr. Olympic competition is underway in Houston. The games got underway yesterday with weightlifting events at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Within the first two hours of competition, two world records were broken by athletes under the age of 14.
Silencia Algarin, a 7-year-old powerlifter from Little Falls, Minnesota, was the first record breaker. Algarin, who weighs 60 pounds, squatted 66 pounds, topping the previous mark of 55 pounds.
“It feels good to be strong, and it’s fun because you get to have gold medals,” Silencia said. “My friends think it’s cool that I can lift a lot of weight. I bring my trophies for sharing time at school.”
There has been almost no mention of the Jr. Olympics in the local media, and frankly it is a little hard to figure out just what Houston – named as the 2012 Host by the organization back in 2008 – is actually hosting.
The USA Track and Field Jr. Olympic Championship competition is currently underway on the Morgan State campus in Baltimore, Maryland – not exactly a Houston suburb – and what’s billed as Jr. Olympic swimming championships begin tomorrow on Coronado Island, San Diego, California.
Being named the official host city in beginning to feel about as good as being awarded a fake shuttle.
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