Olympic welcome home parade, Melbourne 1992

I was never great at sport, but I’ve always in awe of sportsmen and sportswomen, especially at an Olympic level.

I am always inspired every 2 years when flame meets cauldron, and with the recent addition of the Youth Olympic Games, sports at this level is only getting better. Plus I’m an Australian, I think it’s a DNA thing.

Beyond its obviously cyclic cadence, the Olympics have always been a ‘rhythm’ in my life. Some of my earliest memories are of mascots and medals. I have fond memories of the Moscow Olympics, their mascot Russian Bear, and the Kosak Soviet sounding theme song. I remember getting the theme on a 72 rpm vinyl record, coming home and putting it on my little portable record player, and playing it, over and over again.

Of all the Olympics my favourite was probably Barcelona, which in my mind hasn’t been beaten for an opening ceremony. Cometh the hour, cometh the Archer. (Sorry London and Sydney..)

Barcelona was show, drama, struggle and the first time I found myself an Olympic hero sports-crush. Kieran Perkins had jumped in the pool, dominated during the 1992 games. He was perhaps more than just sportsman, more sporting royalty.

So I guess for me this is my shot that probably that sums that up, Kieran proudly wearing his gold medal, chatty and casual with the press, and perhaps we mere mortals on our knee, in reverence to our sporting royalty.

Photography

© Bruce Mitchell