China emerging as new sports superpower
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
BEIJING (Reuters): It is China, though, slowly emerging as the new superpower of sport -- perhaps an inevitable trend given that the 1.3 billion population represent a fifth of humanity and a formidable Soviet-style sports system is geared to maximizing medals.
Since World War Two, only the United States and the Soviet Union have topped final Games medals tables.
Britain's 12 golds and third place in the medals table herald their best Olympic performance since the "Rule Britannia" days of empire nearly a century ago.
It is a remarkable turnaround for British sport just 12 years after Britain collected a solitary gold at the Atlanta Olympics and finished way down in 36th place in the table.
Now their golden wave in Beijing has Britain ruling over traditional sporting giants like Australia, Germany, Japan and Russia in the medals table. The British are in contention for at least another handful of golds before Sunday's closing ceremony.
A look at the record books shows Britain have never enjoyed such a golden Games since Antwerp in 1920 when they won 14. They last managed to finish as high as third in 1912 in Stockholm.
Apart from China and the US, Britain and Australi are the other countries to have reached double figures in Beijing so far thanks to a strong showing in rowing, cycling, sailing and -- more surprisingly -- swimming.
On Monday, China lost its main hope for a track gold Monday when 110 meters hurdles Olympic champion and national hero Liu Xiang pulled out injured from the Games.
His painful departure in front of shocked fans at the Bird's Nest stadium took the gloss off an otherwise magnificent Games for China, who lead with 35 golds on Day Ten and look untouchable even by perennial medal-league winners the United States.
Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has beaten rival Jenn Stuczynski of the United States to win her second consecutive Olympic pole vault gold medal.
Svetlana Feofanova of Russia, the 2003 world champion, won the bronze Monday night.
Isinbayeva, the world record holder, has dominated the pole vault in recent years, going unbeaten indoors or outdoors since the start of 2004.
The 21-year-old's performances, including his astonishing 100m final win when he pumped his chest in joy before crossing the line, have injected some much-needed glamour into athletics and brought celebrations across his Caribbean homeland.
Jamaica's women also took a clean sweep of medals in the women's 100m on Sunday night.
So what makes the land of laid-back reggae so speedy too?
"It's part of the natural ability of Jamaicans, I don't know, maybe it's in the water," Sports Minister Olivia Grange said.
The first gold Monday went to Australia when Emma Snowsill won the women's triathlon by over a minute, having time to collect a flag and slap hands with spectators before finishing.
"It's a fantastic feeling," she said.
Swimming phenomenon Phelps was finally resting on Monday after writing a new page in sports history with his record eight golds at one Olympics. That took him past fellow swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 feat.
Phelps, who howled in protest at his first swimming lesson when a child because he did not want to get his face wet, is the most successful Olympian of all time.
Since World War Two, only the United States and the Soviet Union have topped final Games medals tables.
Britain's 12 golds and third place in the medals table herald their best Olympic performance since the "Rule Britannia" days of empire nearly a century ago.
It is a remarkable turnaround for British sport just 12 years after Britain collected a solitary gold at the Atlanta Olympics and finished way down in 36th place in the table.
Now their golden wave in Beijing has Britain ruling over traditional sporting giants like Australia, Germany, Japan and Russia in the medals table. The British are in contention for at least another handful of golds before Sunday's closing ceremony.
A look at the record books shows Britain have never enjoyed such a golden Games since Antwerp in 1920 when they won 14. They last managed to finish as high as third in 1912 in Stockholm.
Apart from China and the US, Britain and Australi are the other countries to have reached double figures in Beijing so far thanks to a strong showing in rowing, cycling, sailing and -- more surprisingly -- swimming.
On Monday, China lost its main hope for a track gold Monday when 110 meters hurdles Olympic champion and national hero Liu Xiang pulled out injured from the Games.
His painful departure in front of shocked fans at the Bird's Nest stadium took the gloss off an otherwise magnificent Games for China, who lead with 35 golds on Day Ten and look untouchable even by perennial medal-league winners the United States.
Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has beaten rival Jenn Stuczynski of the United States to win her second consecutive Olympic pole vault gold medal.
Svetlana Feofanova of Russia, the 2003 world champion, won the bronze Monday night.
Isinbayeva, the world record holder, has dominated the pole vault in recent years, going unbeaten indoors or outdoors since the start of 2004.
The 21-year-old's performances, including his astonishing 100m final win when he pumped his chest in joy before crossing the line, have injected some much-needed glamour into athletics and brought celebrations across his Caribbean homeland.
Jamaica's women also took a clean sweep of medals in the women's 100m on Sunday night.
So what makes the land of laid-back reggae so speedy too?
"It's part of the natural ability of Jamaicans, I don't know, maybe it's in the water," Sports Minister Olivia Grange said.
The first gold Monday went to Australia when Emma Snowsill won the women's triathlon by over a minute, having time to collect a flag and slap hands with spectators before finishing.
"It's a fantastic feeling," she said.
Swimming phenomenon Phelps was finally resting on Monday after writing a new page in sports history with his record eight golds at one Olympics. That took him past fellow swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 feat.
Phelps, who howled in protest at his first swimming lesson when a child because he did not want to get his face wet, is the most successful Olympian of all time.