Marc Lim nabs the world's fastest man before he Bolt-ed.

In Beijing

IT IS a gathering of the world's best athletes. From tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, basketball icon Kobe Bryant to swimming sensation Michael Phelps - they're all here.

These super athletes are mobbed wherever they go - even by other athletes. Chinese fans stake out the Beijing airport for a glimpse. Just the back of Bryant's bald head draws screams.

Journalists are trained not to be overawed. Yet when in the presence of such perfect specimens of the human body, men and women who make the impossible possible, even the most seasoned scribes can't help but gawk sometimes.

So they do their star gazing in subtle ways. Some stretch their necks for a better view, while fumbling over their recorders. Others - rather the more kiasu ones - hog the front row at a press conference.

You can tell the star gazers from a mile away. They're the ones who nervously play with their pen caps, doodle on their notebooks, then stop at the sight of a Phelps or Federer. They then give a blank look which they try, badly, to sell as a sheepish smile, the kind which just shouts: "Wow, it's really him".

But fortunately, journalists can be snapped out of this hypnotic state of mind. The first question fired in the way of the star is usually enough to get them out of fan mode.

In Beijing, the Athletes' Village IS star gazing central.

Only accredited journalists and invited guests are allowed to enter the international zone. The athlete's living area and dining hall are out of bounds. But the international zone is where you can catch the stars shopping for toiletries, getting Olympic souvenirs or sending off a postcard back home.

For those with access inside the main Village, it is not uncommon to share a table with a star. Just ask Singapore trap shooter Lee Wung Yew.

His wife Lynn blogged about it here.

"Unbelievable! Wung Yew ate dinner at the same table with Michael Phelps and the USA Swim Team. Wanna know what Michael Phelps was eating?  He was chomping on a huge burger, while Wung Yew was meekly slurping on a wimpy bowl of porridge.  He also spotted iconic tennis stars Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic in the dining hall.  As Murphy’s Law would have it, Wung Yew didn’t have his trusty camera by his side. A missed photo opportunity!"

As much as I hate to admit it, I have been guilty of being a fan while on an assignment. I had the privilege of interviewing Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man.

The 21-year-old holds the world record in the 100m, a mind boggling time of 9.72 secs. It is scary to just think that this man can cover 100m in a time it takes me to stumble in bed in the mornings as I try and shut my alarm clock up.

Barely a young adult, he held the attention of the international press, with the ease and confidence of the powerful sprinter he is. This is a man attempting to be the first man to win both the 100 and 200m events at an Olympic Games since Carl Lewis in 1984.
 
To be honest, I didn't ask him for an autograph. He asked me, after I had grilled him with questions. Can anyone turn down a man with a title such as "the world's fastest man"?

So I jumped at the chance.

The only reason I can think now of why I said yes so quickly is because I thought had I said no, only to change my mind later, I probably could not catch up with him if he had ran away.

So here, I'm not exactly proud of it, but hey, how many people can brag about having this?

Bolt's John Hancock. ST Photo: March Lim