Author: John Medeiros
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

John Medeiros' writing has appeared in several publications, including Water~Stone Review, Gulf Coast, Sport Literate, The Talking Stick, Willow Springs, Second Run, Swell, Gents, Badboys and Barbarians, Evergreen Chronicles, Chiron Review, Hot Metal Press, Windy City Times, MARGIN, Big Toe Review, Christopher Street, and Art & Understanding. He was the recipient of the Gulf Coast Prize for Nonfiction. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has been featured as a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays of 2006. More information about him can be found at his website: www.jmedeiros.net

---

The Thrill of Victory (Korea in the XXVII Olympics)

It could have been any sport
rising and falling over the ages
like a national icon, or an anthem,

and it could have been any chant
shifting between the pages of history
or an archive in a hall of fame

or a song our fathers sang when they were young.
It could have been any group of men
lifting and hugging each other

like childhood friends who drifted over the years
and then ran across each other
several children later,

and it could have been any prize
shining and longing to be gold
like an Olympic medal or a small gilded god.

But it was none of these things.

It was just a small group of people
walking hand in hand
in unison behind a flag –

one flag held by two people. Two
people from two different countries
longing once again to be one.

This was the Olympic moment.

---

---