Olympics, Is Illuminated on the Skytree in Tokyo
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2 | Friday, August 13, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO Left: Paris, the next destination for the Summer Olympics, is illuminated on the Skytree in Tokyo. KEN ASAKURA / AFLO Center: Chinese athletes attend the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday. AARON FAVILA / AP Right: A flypast is staged over the Eiffel Tower in Paris during the closing ceremony in Tokyo. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP OLYMPICS: NATION HAILS GOLDEN HAUL From page 1 said in a post-event interview. Quan’s success and story led to snacks, game Fierce competition to be faster, higher and stronger machines and medical services reaching her family, as continued to the final day of the Games, when Team after her victory, the teenager said she wanted to eat USA made a comeback to surpass China in the number latiao, a spicy snack made of wheat flour and chili. of gold medals. China sent 431 athletes to Tokyo, with 58 of them born Before the final day, China led the medal table for 11 after 2000 contributing more than 10 golds, raising high Quan Hongchan displays the gold medal she won consecutive days and was ahead of the United States by expectations for another bumper haul in the future. in the women’s 10-meter platform diving. The Olympic flag arrives in Paris on Monday. two golds. XU CHANG / XINHUA STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP However, middleweight boxer Li Qian lost her Memorable moments chance to win gold against Great Britain’s Lauren Price. Along with Team China’s outstanding performance, The balance was tipped in the US’ favor with victories there were a number of touching moments at the Tokyo for its women’s basketball team, women’s volleyball Games. team, along with a surprise triumph for track cyclist The men’s high jump ended in tears for Mutaz Essa Jennifer Valente. The women’s volleyball team avenged Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy after two previous losses in Olympic finals to Brazil to clinch they decided to share the gold medal. its first such title. The tears came in mid-evening on Aug 1 after the pair The US topped the medal table with 39 golds, 41 sil- outjumped other competitors in the event, but could vers and 33 bronzes. Team China was in second place not better each other. with 38 golds, 32 silvers and 18 bronzes, followed by After they both failed all three attempts to clear the Japan with 27 golds, 14 silvers and 17 bronzes. Olympic record height of 2.39 meters, the judges called China’s two other Olympic squads, Team Chinese Tai- them over. pei and Team Hong Kong also made breakthroughs at They were given the chance of a jump-off to decide the Games, with the former winning two golds, four sil- the gold medal winner. However, events took a surprise A presentation for Paris 2024 takes place during vers and six bronzes, and the latter claiming one gold, turn when Barshim asked, “Can we have two golds?” the closing ceremony. NAOMI BAKER / GETTY IMAGES two silvers and three bronzes. Officials agreed. Tamberi then jumped into Barshim’s Turkmenistan, San Marino and Burkina Faso arms and everyone in the stadium stood and applauded. Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Essa Bar- claimed their first-ever Olympic medals at the Tokyo Barshim said after the event: “Everyone has been tell- shim of Qatar pose after sharing gold medals in Games, while the Philippines, Qatar and Bermuda won ing me what a historic moment it was. The impact is the men’s high jump. DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS their first Olympic golds. definitely huge.” Aram Mahmoud, from the refugee team, produced China’s success another unforgettable moment. The Chinese delegation hailed its 38 golds as another Through playing badminton, the 24-year-old hopes outstanding achievement, equaling China’s haul at the to eventually be reunited with his family in Syria, which 2012 London Olympics. he has not seen for six years. He considers taking part in At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China dominated the the Tokyo Olympics to be one of the highlights of his life. gold medal table, while the US finished with the second- “When they announced my name — that I was in the highest number of golds. team — it was one of my best moments,” Mahmoud said. In a congratulatory message sent to the Tokyo Olym- Although he failed to reach the knockout round, pics delegation, the Central Committee of the Commu- Mahmoud is the perfect example of an athlete continu- nist Party of China and the State Council said: “You have ing to compete after being forced to leave his homeland. French volleyball coach Laurent Tillit is thrown won immense glory for your country and people … The United Nations High Commissioner for Refu- into the air as the men’s team returns to Paris on You’ve overcome severe challenges brought about by gees, Filippo Grandi, said, “Surviving war, persecution Monday. HUGO PFEIFFER / ICON SPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES the COVID-19 pandemic, and fulfilled your mission and the anxiety of exile already makes them (such com- wonderfully.” petitors) extraordinary people, but the fact that they The outstanding performances of Chinese athletes now also excel as athletes on the world stage fills me Su Bingtian of China, Ronnie Baker of the United sparked passion and patriotic sentiment at home. with immense pride.” States and Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy in For example, despite not winning a medal in the action during the men’s 100 meters semifinal. three Olympics he has taken part in, including the Beijing beckons FABRIZIO BENSCH / REUTERS Tokyo Games, sprinter Su Bingtian was termed an “eter- After the excitement of Tokyo, there are the Beijing nal god” by Chinese netizens. Winter Olympics to look forward to in less than six With a time of 9.83 seconds, Su made history in months’ time. Tokyo, setting an Asian record on the way to becoming The Games, to be staged from Feb 4-20 next year and the first Chinese athlete to qualify for the men’s 100-me- which will open in the Chinese capital, are being ter final at an Olympics. co-hosted by Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. Although he finished sixth in the final, Su’s delight was The 12 competition venues have been completed and evident — shattering the notion that Asians are not built tested, while other facilities are scheduled to be finished to succeed in an event long-dominated by Western ath- by October, according to the Beijing Organizing Com- letes. mittee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Su Bingtian celebrates victory in the men’s 100 After the final, the number of Su’s fans on Sina Weibo Games. meters semifinals on Aug 1. JAVIER SORIANO / AFP rose to more than 500,000 in just two days. An exclusive A 34-strong delegation from the Beijing organizing interview with Su’s US coach Randy Huntington by Chi- committee for the 2022 Games was sent to Tokyo to na Daily was viewed more than 13 million times, trigger- hear from Japanese counterparts how to stage such an ing 150 million discussions on the internet. event during a pandemic. In honor of his achievement, Su was chosen to be After gaining firsthand knowledge and experience, Team China’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. the organizers are confident of delivering a streamlined The 32-year-old said in a group interview: “It’s an and safe Winter Olympics. honor like no other. To be an athlete representing China Yan Cheng, human resources director for Beijing in this closing ceremony is a huge privilege. 2022, said, “Observing how the Japanese hosts proceed- “In Tokyo, I can see that we have made a huge ed with their operations and services for the Games dur- improvement in athletics. For China to hit 9.83 seconds ing the pandemic enlightened us in many respects. is something we’ve never been able to do before. This “It’s been a fruitful trip for our staff members and we means that China has changed from a country that will make the best of it by thoroughly studying and ana- watches, to a country that stands shoulder to shoulder lyzing all cases and experiences.” with the big guys.” Inspired by her compatriots’ performances at Tokyo In addition to Su, a group of young Chinese stars 2020, China’s snowboarding Winter Olympic silver shone brightly in Tokyo. medalist Liu Jiayu has raised her expectations for the Quan Hongchan, 14, stunned the world with three home Games next year. superb dives to achieve the highest score ever in the “Closure of the Tokyo Games marks the beginning of women’s 10-meter platform event. The baby-faced Beijing 2022. We’ve been anticipating this moment for Quan scored perfect 10s in three of her five dives. so long. It’s time for us to step up, and hopefully I can fin- Quan’s story is both inspiring and endearing. ish on the Olympic podium again at home,” said Liu, She said she made every effort to win, in order to sup- who won a silver medal in the snowboarding halfpipe at port her low-income family and earn money so that her the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Ravi Kumar holds the Indian national flag as he is mother, who is ill, can be treated. The ski jump in Chongli, Zhangjiakou, Hebei welcomed by fans at New Delhi airport on Monday “I feel that I have to earn money to send home to Agencies contributed to this story.