Sydney, scene and unseen

Gallery: 2000 Olympics

For photographers, covering the Summer Olympics is not unlike running an endless marathon -- only with 45 pounds of cameras, lenses and computers strapped on. The Sun's John Makely, one of those photographers, says the exertion is nothing compared to the athletic feats he witnessed -- and captured on film. "Amazing moments occur with stunning frequency," he says. "The pole vaulters float through the air, gymnasts hurl themselves at the vault, weightlifters wrack their bodies to lift one more kilo. They all have pushed themselves beyond their limits, and it shows in their reactions when they succeed and when they fall short of their dreams." Makely found himself reacting to the U.S. baseball victory over Cuba ("I try not to get too rah-rah, but sometimes you can't help it") and the proud way Australia put on the Games ("They made the Olympic site a place more for their own people than for sponsors"). "I can't help but want to do it again," he said as the Games ended, "but four years is soon enough."