Very few ‘perfect' moments in sports

There are baseball players who are said to posses "perfect swings," and there is a small fraternity of pitchers who have pitched "perfect games." Some basketball players have "perfect form," quarterbacks throw "perfect spirals," and gymnasts and ice skaters can even receive "perfect scores."

But I am about to start an imperfect argument, because I maintain that there have only been two truly perfect performances that have ever occurred in the world of sports.

Of course there is no real way to define perfection, nor does the concept of perfection allow for degrees of gradation. Something is either perfect or it isn't. If it isn't perfect, it's not to say it isn't impressive in its own right or even awe-inspiring.

It's just not perfect.

At the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, American track and field athlete Bob Beamon achieved perfection. Participating in the long jump, Beamon tore down the approach, planted his feet and hurled himself into the skies. Upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and lading in the sand, Beamon was reportedly unimpressed when he heard his distance called out in metric measurements. He had set a word record in the long jump - world records being set in the Olympics was nothing new - but this was no ordinary record.

Beamon had just jumped 29-feet, 2.5 inches, shattering the existing record by 21.75 inches - almost two feet.

It was also a record that stood for 23 years, and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the five greatest sports moments of the 20th century.

An then there is Secretariat, and his supernatural performance in the Belmont Stakes in 1973.

After winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes - the first two races of horse racing's Triple Crown - the horse also known as "Big Red" had saved his best for last.

Essentially a two-horse race from the time the gates opened, Secretariat and Sham set a break-neck pace, but it was not to break Secretariat, only add to his mystique. Big Red rode to a 31-length win and won the race in 2 minutes, 24 seconds. Both marks still stand as records today.

When Beamon was informed by his teammate and coach that he had broke the word record, Beamon collapsed to his knees in shock. Numerous reports available online by sports reporters who covered the Belmont Stakes talk about people watching Secretariat and weeping during and after the race. One reporter related a story of golfer Jack Nicklaus telling the reporter that he had watched the race all alone on a TV in his home, and found himself crying at the end. The reporter responded, "All those times you've been out on the golf course in search of perfection, well now you've seen it."

Some nay-sayers will argue, "It's just sports." To them I say, "Is it really?"

Contact Craig Purcell at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.