Jumping, But Hardly For Joy

Eventually one wonders why anyone submits to the rigors of the event. Mike Manley, who loves it despite all it's done to him, returns to origins: "Don't you remember when you were a kid? You'd set up boxes or park benches or sticks with string between them. And you'd jump. You'd do it again and again, getting as high as you could. There was a mesmerizing quality to the repetition. Each time you left your feet, you felt...well, you felt free, and you didn't ever want to stop. Don't you remember?"

Kip Keino's question is strictly rhetorical. "They do give medals for it, don't they?"