Like many other sports fans around the world, I happened to be watching the excellent coverage of the Olympic Games in Athens by NBC Sunday afternoon... I was very interested in the gold medal deciding boxing matches between Cuba's Mario Kindelan and 17 year-old Amir Khan of Great Britain as well as American Andre Ward versus Belarus' Magomed Aripgadjiev, but the broadcasting network had scheduled the men's marathon prior to the boxing events, so I sat in my most comfortable recliner to watch the event.

I had no particular interest in the race, but a Brazilian runner caught my eye early on, I thought he looked like an older version of a boxer friend of mine, so my interest peeked a bit. The man's name was Vanderlei de Lima, 35 years of age, slight in build at 5' 5", 119 pounds.

Much had been written and said about those who were expected to medal in this event. But just like it so often happens in boxing, somebody forgot to send Vanderlei de Lima the memo, and so, he ran in the lead, seemingly comfortable and well on his way to an upset at the 22 mile mark. The gold medal was certainly within his reach, only 4 miles and change away from his grasp. Upset in the making I thought to myself...

All of a sudden, and out of nowhere, a man dressed in a funny looking colorful outfit, with a handwritten sign sprawled on his back emerged from the crowd. He jumped in front of Vanderlei as the Brazilian ran the race of his life, his last chance at ever winning Olympic gold. The intruder, much larger in size than the runner, pushed him hard into the fans watching on the side line, totally shocking the crowd and the Brazilian runner, and needless to say taking him off his otherwise relaxed, strong pace.

Onlookers seemed to have done the job of the security personnel, because from what I saw on the screen, it was they who freed the runner from the maniac's grasp. Several seconds later we saw Vanderlei emerge from the crowd, looking confused,  shocked; with a broken stride he struggled to continue toward the finish line.

What the heck? Who was that man? Most importantly, why did he pick on this particular athlete? I was very upset -and concerned- at this unexpected turn of events...

Shortly after the incident we learned the identity of the 'demonstrator' (for lack of a better word). For the purposes of this article he -as well as his 'cause'- shall remain anonymous, as I refuse to grant him the publicity he was so desperately seeking.

But back to the Brazilian runner and the race... Yes, Vanderlei de Lima is still in the race but he now seems to be struggling; his form is not as tight as it had been prior to the incident, and his face reflects what may be interpreted as a why me? type look. Oh no, come on Vanderlei, hang tough brother, hang tough, you can do this, said I from the comfort of my living room.

Within a short period of time, an Italian runner passed Vanderlei with little effort, followed by an American runner, and then the coverage of Vanderlei became a little fuzzy and we lost track of him for a few seconds... What happened? Where is he? Did he give up? Is he hurt? Is he OK? Those were the questions I was shouting at my television set. Where is Jim Lampley when you need him?

Along with millions I watched the Italian claim gold. I was very happy to see the American brother claim silver, but my heart was with De Lima; my eyes were glued to the set, hoping to see him enter the venue next, after all, a bronze medal is better than nothing, right?

Well folks, I am very happy to report that the next man to enter the stadium was in fact Vanderlei de Lima himself, who in child like fashion waved his arms pretending to be an airplane, smiling broadly and playing to the crowd who responded in kind. He threw kisses, waved and smiled as he crossed the finish line, now the proud owner of a bronze medal for his beautiful country, Brazil, who had never before medaled in this event. By the way, in spite of all the drama, Vanderlei was only one minute and seconds behind the winner of the race.

I guess we all have our favorite Olympic moments, but as things stand today I can honestly say that Vanderlei de Lima's courage and determination, his sportsmanship and humility in the face of adversity rank at the top of my list of Olympic Games special moments.

Oh yeah, the powers that be awarded Vanderlei their most prestigious award and he does go home with a bronze medal as well. (I was thinking an honorary gold medal may have been in order, but is there such a thing?) After all, wasn't this an issue of breach of security as well as inadequate protection for the athletes? It certainly took more than one minute and some seconds for the whole sad affair to unfold, so hypothetically one can say de Lima would have easily won the race.

Vanderlei de Lima may never realize how, through his resolve in the face of adversity, he has become a source of pride and inspiration. I think it's safe to say that his effort will not soon be forgotten. This writer wishes to salute all Olympic Games participants, but if I -as a fan- had one award to hand out based on who best represented the rich history and humanity of these ancient games, Brazil's Vanderlei de Lima would be the winner hands down.

Questions? Comments can be emailed to Elisa Harrison