After 17 days of gruelling races, stupefying performances and heart pounding tournaments, the Olympic Games once again draws to a close. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games originally looked like it was destined to fail. The highest temperature in decades, the tragic death of an athlete in training and an embarrassing gaffe in one of the most important moments of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the lighting of the Flame, all contributed to an aura of pessimism surrounding these Games. But somehow at the end, Vancouver and the strength of the Canadian people pulled through to give Canada the highest Gold medal count in Winter Olympic history. There is no question that despite the initial setbacks, the last 17 days were a great show. Vancouver had a high standard to meet after the sheer size and pageantry of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As I was there in Beijing during the summer of 2008 and attended many events including the Closing Ceremonies, I honestly think that Vancouver’s Opening and Closing Ceremonies paled in comparison to that of Beijing. But then again, Beijing had a much larger budget and much greater human resource than Vancouver so it is futile to compare Beijing with Vancouver. Given the circumstances surrounding these Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver delivered big.
Every two years, the Olympics represent the center stage, the focal point of the world for two weeks. It is where the full range of human emotions and drama are put on display. It is the forum where dreams can materialize in the flash of a millisecond and extraordinary strength and perseverance does not go unrewarded. The unrestrained joy, exuberance and tears broadly painted on the faces of young athletes who’ve just won a medal have never failed to uplift and inspire me. As a spectator, one cannot help but smile and cheer for and with these gifted young athletes who’ve sacrificed so much for that moment of euphoric triumph and glory. The ultimate appeal of the Olympic Games is in large part due to the fact that relative unknowns can achieve instantaneous international fame and represent their country’s brightest moment on the podium. It makes ordinary people believe that miracles can happen and that fame can knock on anyone’s door regardless of socioeconomic status. If anything like a fairy tale were to happen in real life, it would happen at the Olympic Games.
These Winter Olympic Games have produced a compendium of inspiring, heartbreaking and miraculous events. The most well-known of course is Joannie Rochette’s profile in courage as she performed a beautiful short program in a black dress only two days after her mother’s death. Rochette’s composure, courage and perseverance to realize the dreams of both mother and daughter in the aftermath of heartbreaking tragedy are exactly the qualities that the Olympic spirit enshrines and is dedicated to. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one can easily identify with Rochette’s pain and applaud for her as she pulled off the skate of her life. My mom, who lost grandmother a few years ago, watched Rochette’s skate in silence and tears. Ultimately, her bronze medal is as much a reward for her brilliant performance as a tribute to the extraordinary strength that humans can exhibit even when life is at its bleakest. Rochette finished the short program, her face strained with emotions and her eyes red with tears, to a standing ovation in the Pacific Coliseum. As Rochette sent a skyward kiss towards heaven upon completing her skate, the whole world cheered and cried for this extraordinary human being whose passion is as undying as the Olympic flame.
Another inspiring story from these games is that of the Chinese short track speedskater Zhou Yang (周洋). Zhou Yang was only 18 years old and in her first Olympics when she won the gold medal for the women’s 1500 m event. At the 1500 m finals, she was the lone Chinese athlete facing off against three extremely powerful Korean skaters. Yet with three laps remaining in the race, she outdistanced herself from the rest of the skaters and managed to cross the finish line several meters ahead of silver medalist. The little known Yang’s parents, both of whom are handicapped, are extremely poor people whose only major source of income comes from selling lottery tickets. The family lives in a dilapidated two room apartment where one room houses the lottery store and the other room is their home. Her mother sewed clothes for customers in order to earn money but it ultimately never helped the family much. Speedskating to Zhou Yang and her family was like a potential lottery ticket out of poverty and misery. Zhou Yang later told reporters how every morning, her father would wake up at 3 in the morning in order to driver her in a decrepit old motorcycle to training. Zhou Yang, after winning the gold medal in an event previously monopolized by the powerful Korean skaters and thereupon becoming a national hero, remains every bit the shy and soft spoken young girl from Changchun. Having always been a fan of the Chinese Mando-pop singer JJ Lin (林俊杰), she received a signed copy of Lin’s new album as well as a personal message of encouragement from Lin. When asked by reporters after her glorious gold medal win about what she plans to do after her win, Yang immediately answered: “Winning this medal can allow my parents to live a better life.” Those are the words of a true Olympic Champion.
Vancouver 2010 also saw the triumphant return of Shen Xue (申雪) and Zhao Hongbo’s (赵宏博) whose gold medal win in the pairs event ended Russian domination for 40 years. The veteran couple, Xue aged 31 and Hongbo aged 36, came out of retirement for one last shot at gold. Their record breaking short program skate and their gold medal win were the result of an Olympic dream that began a decade ago. The last Olympics at Turin were to be their last and I remember distinctly the words of the commentator as they skated during the Gala performance to the entrancing song from Man of La Mancha, “An Impossible Dream.” The commentator said that the pair was skating to a song written for them, a gold medal win really being an impossible dream. Nobody would ever imagine that this veteran pair can even come back to the rink four years later, let alone set a world record and win a gold medal. At last, this couple has realized their impossible dream, setting an incredible precedent for the next generation of skaters.
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games was one of Canada’s finest moments. The closing ceremonies showed the world the unique sense of humour that Canadians possess, going even as far as poking fun of their own blunders during the opening ceremonies. It was no easy feat as the Games started under the shadow of tragedy. Yet Canada’s narrative during these Games, just like the stories of many individual athletes, ended on a glorious and triumphant note.
No comments:
Post a Comment