CHINA DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 olympics 5 off track ... Deng dazzles on beam EIGHTH TIME A CHARM? secures Italian kayaker Josefa Idem became the fi rst woman to its fourth compete in eight when she set off in her heat for the 500m K-1 at Dorney Lake on Tuesday. The 47-year-old Idem’s fi rst summer games were in in 1984 and she has fi nished fi fth or higher gold medal at each Olympics. She won gold in in 2000 and missed out on another in four years ago when she By REUTERS in London was edged into silver by four-hundredths of a second. Idem, who was born in but became an Italian citizen in 1992, fi nished third in her heat to reach the semi- China’s beat her fi nals later Tuesday. compatriot , the world champion, to the Olympic bal- ance beam title on the fi nal day WHAT A JUMP of at the London Games on Tuesday. Deng, herself world cham- Nick Skelton, who returned after breaking his neck in a pion on the apparatus in 2009, competition fall, led Britain to its fi rst Olympic show jump- gave China its fourth gymnas- ing gold medal in 60 years. tics gold medal of the Games, Skelton, 54, fractured his neck in 2000 but returned to riding two years later. an hour aft er Feng Zhe had won “After I broke my neck, my goal was to get back to Ath- the parallel bars title. ens in 2004 and then to get to here,” Skeleton said. “When Sui, competing fi rst, pulled you have a horse as good as Big Star, you look forward to off a diffi cult routine but cried getting up every day and riding him.” on her coach’s shoulder after Deng surpassed her by 0.1 points with a score of 15.600 BOLT TO MAN UNITED? at the North Greenwich Arena. Aly Raisman snatched the JULIE JACOBSON / ASSOCIATED PRESS It’s a prospect that will have aging Premier League bronze medal from 2004 Chinese gold medalist Feng Zhe celebrates with the national fl ag, as bronze medalist Hamilton Sabot from walks behind him defenders everywhere quaking in their boots — Usain Bolt champion Catalina Ponor of after the results were declared during the artistic gymnastics men’s apparatus fi nals for the parallel bars. wearing the red shirt of Manchester United. on a tiebreak aft er the But if the idea of the world’s fastest man blazing a trail judges increased the diffi culty around English soccer grounds remains unlikely, United element of her score follow- center-half Rio Ferdinand is enthusiastic about bringing ing a review requested by the the Jamaican sprint king into the fold. United States team, upping her “If you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I’ll speak to fi nal mark. the boss!! Well done in 100m, waiting for you to smash the While Ponor, who came out 200m now!,” Ferdinand said in a message to Bolt on Twit- of retirement last year, left the ter on Tuesday. arena stony-faced after being Bolt joked he would welcome the opportunity: “After the demoted to fourth, the Ameri- Olympics we work on that...lol..thanks man.” can was all smiles having just missed out on all-around bronze because of the same tie- COMPLETE COVERAGE break rule on Aug 2. Introduced at the behest A reported 1,600 Chinese journalists have headed to of the International Olympic London for the Games. Committee to rule out double Among them, nearly 300 are accredited journalists and medals, the system takes into photographers, while more than 800 are non-accredited, account execution scores to according to Gao Dianmin, director of the London bureau separate two gymnasts who of Xinhua News Agency and member of the International accumulate the same total. Olympic Committee’s press commission. The rule gave the edge to REUTERS - CHINA DAILY - AFP Raisman by 0.3. Deng was part of the Chinese line-up who won team gold in | Beijing four years ago. REPORTER’S LOG CECILY LIU The 20-year-old gymnast produced a routine full of dif- London Olympics is ficult combinations, finishing with two backflips, a double- pike dismount and a huge smile EMMANUEL DUNAND / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE the world’s Games as she saluted the judges. China’s Deng Linlin performs during the women’ s beam fi nal on Tuesday. She said the gold medal com- pensated for disappointment so I was able to recover and pre- All-around silver medalist failed them 100 percent. ents say everything is OK, but litism’s shadow has Already the most visited in the team event when she fell pare for this.” Victoria Komova also came off , “I don’t know if I will con- I don’t feel that.” been cast over the city in Europe and a major from the beam and China fi n- American Gabby Douglas, remounted and then sat down tinue sports,” added the 17-year- , who helped London Olympics fi nancial center, London real- ished fourth. who dazzled to win the all- on landing. She fi nished last of old, who cried after finishing Romania win team bronze, E over the past week, ized the most an Olympics “After the team event I was around title, finished seventh the eight fi nalists, with 13.166. second in the all-around and came into the fi nal as a replace- as media have criticized ven- can bring are solid improve- depressed,” she told reporters aft er missing her footing on a Komova, daughter of 1985 team events last week. ment for injured compatriot ues’ many empty seats and ments to people’s daily lives. through an interpreter. “Moti- half-turn and swinging under- world team champion Vera “I will go back home, take Diana Bulimar but she also fell, the “ghost town” eff ect on Examples of the benefi ts vation for this event came from neath the 10-cm wide beam Kolesnikova, said: “I was not some time off, and think toppling off the end of the appa- West End business. abound. my coach and other teammates before falling off . very lucky at these Olympics. I through the situation. My par- ratus as she fi nished sixth. But a recent stroll through Over the past four years, Piccadilly Circus on Friday Britain’s 97 million pound evening made me realize ($144 million) Cultural London’s Olympics is still for Olympiad funded more than its people. 2,700 community projects Rocky road reaches its end Londoners and tourists across the country, involving alike gathered to watch the more than 10,000 people. women’s 800m freestyle on a As the Union Jack was large outdoor screen. Being raised high in the open- Donewald’s tumultous tenure in China ends badly surrounded by cheering ing ceremony, sweet voices and clapping crowds made singing the British national with fi ve straight losses, Sun Xiaochen reports. it almost like watching the anthem came from 80 chil- event live. A few minutes later, dren of the Kaos Signing It didn’t have a happy ending, When he was 25, his father He succeeded again, guiding as Britain’s heroine Rebecca Choir for Deaf and Hearing but it still left Bob Donewald － Bob Donewald Sr, himself China past Jordan in the fi nal, Adlington secured her bronze, Children, some of whom smiling. a well-known college basket- only to be met with another the crowds shouted with joy sang in wheelchairs. Donewald, who took over ball coach — asked him if he’d wave of skepticism following a — and even I, a foreigner, felt Th e children’s eyes showed the Chinese national basket- prefer to coach in college or 1-point victory. deeply moved. hope, pride and a newfound ball team in April 2010, came the NBA. Many fans disliked his signa- If a shopping district could courage to acknowledge their to the end of his contract on The Olympics, was Done- ture defensive style, which fre- CUI MENG / CHINA DAILY create such a festive atmo- equality. Monday as the wald’s answer. quently led to a high number of Coach Bob Donewald (right) led guard Chen Jianghua and the sphere, then one can surely When the three-week team’s Olympic Now that he’s done it, he said fouls. And his motion off ense Chinese national team to a somewhat surprising Olympic berth imagine the level of participa- event ends, London will have run ended with he has no regrets about his was slammed as nothing more but couldn’t do much once there. tion at the pop-up gathering forever transformed East its fi ft h defeat in a oft en-tumultuous three years than one-on-one battles set up spots in the Olympic Park, End. Th e once contaminated row in the group in China. for the team’s only consistent mentator, Yang Yi of CCTV, ,thought we just did the best Hyde Park, Victoria Park industrial site would become stage at the London Games. “It’s been an honor for me to scorer, Yi Jianlian. echoed Su’s sentiment. that can be done in this era.” and many other dedicated what Newham mayor Robin It was the team’s worst be with China in basketball the Not all of this was fair, of “What (Donewald) brought Donewald has grown used to venues. Wales calls a “decent place” to result in recent history, after past three years,” he said at the course. Donewald was handed to the team is only some psychic being the center of debate. Last Saturday alone, 60,000 bring up children. it cracked the top eight at both post-game news conference. an aging team whose younger hallucination,” Yang said aft er In addition to his role with spectators gathered on Lon- But such hope is also the and Beijing Games. “My son has learned some players were not ready to help China’s elimination. “He kept the national team, he also don’s streets to watch the global. “I am a little bit proud, a Chinese and my wife (picked it compete at the highest level. encouraging his players with coached two Chinese Basket- women’s triathlon. Another In 2005, when rival bidders little bit happy and I left with up the language better than I Outsized and overpowered inspirational remarks, making ball Association teams — the 240,000 watched the Games at like Paris and Rio made pro- a smile,” the Michigan native did). We had a lot of fun, and by every group opponent, them believe they were com- Sharks and Xinjiang other central locations. motional fi lms showcasing said as his tenure with the team I met a lot of people here I can China’s average deficit was petitive against the best teams in Flying Tigers. His time with Compared with these the beauties of their respec- came to an end following a say are like family.” 25.2 points by the time it was the world. But he lacks the stuff both ended prematurely. numbers, the 7,000 unsold tive cities, London touched 90-58 loss to Britain. He traveled a rocky road to knocked out, and it ranked last to really (help them win).” Now that it’s over, Donewald corporate tickets Game the International Olympic Even if he would’ve liked to reach that peaceful ending, in rebounds, assists and points Donewald gave himself said he’s ready to spend some organizers released to pacify Committee with a video see better results, Donewald beginning with his fi rst major among the 12 teams. credit for dealing with the hot quality time with his family. the angry public only make showing sports’ power to succeeded in achieving what tournament, the 2010 World On the other hand, Done- potato he was handed. “I asked my son when I was the media hype about empty inspire children around the he set out to do － reaching the Championship. wald had run out of ways to “When I took this job, some- in Beijing, ‘what do you want?’” seats seem a little silly. world. Olympics. Fans and media immediately make the team more competi- one told me, ‘don’t take it; you Donewald said. “He said ‘I Indeed, the most striking Th is eagerness to give set He spent fi ve years as a head questioned his tactical ability tive. won’t go to the Olympics’,” he want a dog that can talk’. Last impression London’s Olym- the tone of London’s Olym- coach and general manager in after China placed 16th, its Su Qun, the editor-in-chief said. “It was a tough time. But night, I talked with him on the pics left on me is a message of pics from the beginning. the British Basketball League worst fi nish in 32 years. of Basketball Pioneers, wrote no one thought we could do phone, asking him again, ‘son, hope for ordinary people. And I feel confi dent the (BBL) in the 1990s, leading He led the injury-plagued on his micro blog: “Mentally, it three years ago. It’s not the you still want a dog that can Whereas Barcelona in Games will reap benefi ts, three clubs to the fi nals of the squad to the 2010 Donewald helped the team to way we want to end it, but I talk?’ He said, ‘no, I want to see 1992 aimed to attract tourists for both the city and the national championship series. championship but still faced be more aggressive than ever, think we at least worked in the you’. So I am going home.” and Beijing 2008 showcased world. He moved back to the US and critics who doubted he could but tactically he didn’t bring right way. China’s new image to the became an assistant coach with lead the team to the 2011 title any improvement.” “I don’t think anybody could Contact the writer at sunxiao- world, London’s goal was Contact the writer at cecily. the New Orleans Hornets. and Asia’s only Olympic berth. Another well-known com- do a better job than we did. I [email protected]. unconventional. [email protected].