MURPHY’S LAW: Olympic Homecoming

Posted on: 1:10 am, August 20, 2012, by Keith Murphy, updated on: 01:13am, August 20, 2012

• No one welcomes Olympians home like Iowans. No one. Hy-Vee, Drake, and everyone involved with Saturday’s homecoming should take a bow. The fans should too.
• Hurdler Lolo Jones said the reception she received at the Homecoming is just what she needed. Lolo needed reminding she didn’t fail. Fourth in the world a year after spinal surgery is not failing. Lolo laughed when I asked her if some people would prefer she be an ugly hurdler.
• America’s best female archer, Miranda Leek, has a sparkling personality. I’ll be stunned if she’s not in Rio. Meantime, Miranda just left for her freshman year at Texas A&M.
• Distance runner Lisa Uhl says she never feels more like herself than when she’s in Iowa. Uhl is smart, pretty, and humble.
• Wrestler Jake Varner has a dry sense of humor. He had people laughing. He also made sure everyone knows he thinks Uncle Sam is taking too much of his $250,000 bonus for winning gold.
• Gymnast Gabby Douglas missed her plane Friday night. She was up most of the night making it back to Iowa. Gabby still had more energy than a kindergarten class at Chuck E. Cheese. I don’t know how she does it.
• It was fun seeing both of Gabby’s families interact back stage. They were laughing and loving.
• Liang Chow improves any room he enters with his smile and laugh. What a resource he’s become for Iowa too. Chow and his wife Liwen are singlehandedly attracting relocation.
• Shawn Johnson remains a star. She’s retired from gymnastics, but her popularity remains strong four years after Beijing. Dancing, hosting, writing… Shawn continues finding ways to reach her fans.
• It was a privilege to host the Homecoming. I hope we have another one after Rio.