Is there anything you would change about this book? The book would be far better if it was not written anonymously. Would you recommend The Secret Olympian to your friends? Why or why not? If you were looking to pass the time during travel. I found this hard work. Read as one liners all the way through that became annoying. All based on the experience of athletes and dismisses the research of other authors without understanding their theories.
A very disorganised narrative, jumping around different aspects and riddled with factual mistakes. Avoid this one. It was one I had to keep pushing myself to go back to rather than feeling like I had to hear the next chapter. A insiders view of the greatest sporting event in the world. Anon explores the world of an elite athlete before, during and after the Olympic games.
Anon discusses the thorny issue of drugs in sport and strongly supports the lifetime bans for drug cheats. We get a behind the scenes look at the village, the partying, the food, the partying, the accomodation, the partying All in all a very insightful, entertaining and thought provoking book for anyone who has an interest in the Olympics and sport in general.
Listened to entire book, some chapters twice. The Secret Olympian is an easy read and short novel that I found to be a good source of motivation as to why an individual should remain focused and determined for their particular passion. The anonymity of this novel is something that also drew me in and continued to enthrall me throughout. I found that I was trying to piece bits together the small snippets provided by the author, and by a process of elimination, figure out who they may be.
This book takes you on a journey to understand how a The Secret Olympian is an easy read and short novel that I found to be a good source of motivation as to why an individual should remain focused and determined for their particular passion.
This book takes you on a journey to understand how an athlete may actually feel prior, during, and following an Olympic Games.
It's an appreciative story that highlights just how much an athlete sacrifices for potentially ten seconds on the big stage. I did assume that due to the anonymity of the author that this novel may delve quite deep into some of the secrets of life within the Olympic Village.
However, I found that they did not and only provided a brief overview of what life is like in the village e. I think that the book could have been more "saucy" should it have exposed some more secret events - but I don't think that the author wanted to articulate those details.
I still found The Secret Olympian a good read and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in sports, wanting an easy and quick read, or for an adolescent. Jun 14, Sebastiaan rated it really liked it. Fun behind the scenes view of an olympian's life. At time hilarious. Gave a good feel for the struggles and the theme was captivating. Feb 07, Richard Luck rated it it was amazing.
Perfect reading this or any other Olympic year. A great way to ready yourself for the greatest show on Rarth. Sep 24, Simon Howard rated it really liked it. I'm not sure why this book's author wanted to remain anonymous. Perhaps he's a particularly shy individual.
Perhaps he felt it would threaten his future career. Perhaps it was a marketing ploy. But it certainly can't have been because of any shocking revelations or accusations made in the book, because there simply aren't any. And, actually, the associated coyness around mentioning the sport in which he competes makes this book lack a little something. The anonymity is a shame. That said, it does I'm not sure why this book's author wanted to remain anonymous.
That said, it does give a great insight into the life and psyche of an Olympian, much of it backed up by descriptions from named competitors. He describes sometimes a crippling doubt about sporting ability that apparently affects most Olympians; the challenge of a whole career resting on a performance lasting just minutes or seconds; the extraordinary commitment needed to reach the top in a given sport. The Secret Olympian also gives a compelling description of how National Lottery funding has transformed professional sport in the UK, and peppers the early part of the book with the interesting descriptions of how Olympians found their sport.
There is, as one would expect, detailed descriptions of the seemingly absurd excesses of life as an Olympian: the masses of free kit, the gallons of free Powerade, the inside-story also well-described elsewhere of life inside the Olympic village.
Though, clearly, this book can't give the inside-track on London , as it was written well before that got underway. Still, it's a worthwhile read. Shelves: sports , non-fiction , memoir. Pushed out in time to cash in on London Olympic fever, this is an interesting and easy read.
The author is Anon, although to be honest, I'm not sure why. There's nothing in here that I can see that will make enemies or get him snubbed for breaking ranks. I suspect Anon is because, as the author wryly comments in the final chapter, an Olympian's fame post games is about two weeks, slightly longer if you're a medalist.
Given that the British author of this is reputed to be one of the men's rowing Pushed out in time to cash in on London Olympic fever, this is an interesting and easy read.
Given that the British author of this is reputed to be one of the men's rowing eight thank you Google , I rather think that the publishers thought that Anon would be more attention grabbing than a John Doe who passed from the collective consciousness two weeks after the Sydney games.
However, the writer's identity or lack of doesn't detract from the book. There is a chapter for every stage of the Olympic process: selection, training, the Olympic village, drug testing, partying, winners and losers, returning home, and the post Olympic crash. Many other athletes weigh in with their experiences, and the result is a fascinating peek backstage.
I found the drug testing chapter eye-opening, the stories of village life entertaining, but the final chapter, about life when the games are over to be the most insightful. What DOES an ex-athlete do in the real world? Seems there are only so many jobs as a BBC commentator. Jul 19, Christian Leonard Quale rated it really liked it.
During the Olympics I heard this book mentioned, so I figured I would give it a try. It describes the Olympics seen through the eyes of an Olympic athlete, from the point where they get told they are competing, to the point where they are done competing and don't know what to do with the rest of their lives. It's based on the personal experiences of the author, as well as on interviews with other Olympians. The story is told well, and general Olympic history and trivia is interjected at appropri During the Olympics I heard this book mentioned, so I figured I would give it a try.
The story is told well, and general Olympic history and trivia is interjected at appropriate places. There's a good combination of interesting technical details relating to athletes and Olympic behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as plenty of personal emotions and anecdotes. The sum total becomes a read which is at times really interesting, at times rather emotional, and overall rather enjoyable.
The main problem with the book is that it seems to have been marketed as a tell-all tabloid tale of sex and scandals. That's not what it is, and thank God for that. Jan 02, Andrew Young rated it liked it. This book was mentioned several times over the Olympics via numerous media sources and being an athletic competitor myself, I thought this book could potentially be an interesting read. It turned out to be a good, light read that taught me a lot about what happens away from the well documented competition of the Olympics and the book was just about the right length to keep me interested.
However as recorded b This book was mentioned several times over the Olympics via numerous media sources and being an athletic competitor myself, I thought this book could potentially be an interesting read. However as recorded by other reviews, the use of a secret identity bemuses me as there are no secrets told and all seems like basic information any athlete could dispose.
In addition there was not a great quantity of athletes that the information was gathered from which was slightly disappointing. It is an unimaginable world: the kitting-out ceremony with its 35kg of team clothing per athletethe pre-Olympic holding camp with its practical jokes, resentment and fighting, and freaky physiological regimesthe politicians' visits with their flirty spousesthe vast range of athletes with their odd body shapes and freakish geneticsthe release post-competion in the Olympic village with all the excessive drinking, eating, partying and sex not necessarily in that order the hysteria of homecoming celebrations and the comedown that follows - how do you adjust to life after the Games?
They all have a tale to tell - and most of those tales would make your eyes pop more than an Olympic weightlifter's. Have doubts regarding this product? Please have your order number to hand when you contact us as it will allow us to find your order quickly. For more information, please view our full returns policy here. Checkout Item has been added to your bag In Stock. View Wishlist Add to Wishlist.
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