Beijing Olympic Games Anniversary
Aug 8, 2009 3:44:28 GMT -5
Post by douglaslam on Aug 8, 2009 3:44:28 GMT -5
It is exactly a year ago today the Beijing Olympic Games opened. Now, they are just warm and fuzzy memories. The Olympics unified all Chinese no matter what each person's political inclination was. China trumped in the gold medal tally. But how many of us can recall that China won its first ever gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
I took two weeks off work during the Beijing Olympic Games to take it all in at home. Because of the time difference was just two hours, staying up late was no problem. I cheered for both my adopted country Australia and birth country China. For instance, when Steve Hooker was pole vaulting, in his last clearance for the gold medal, my wife and I gave a collective heave ho, to will him over the bar. Over the bar he did and thus became the first male Aussie athlete to win a track and field gold medal since Ralph Doubell back in 1968. I do think I had a part in Steve Hooker’s victory with my mighty heave ho.
Athletes from Taiwan, who represented all of China, won the first two Olympic medals of any colour. In 1960 the Rome Olympics, C.K. Yang won a silver medal in the gruelling decathlon. His classmate at UCLA Rafer Johnson won gold. Yang went to Rome as the world record holder and hot favourite for the event.
I was a young fella living in Kowloon's hinterland the New Territories at the time. We had a small poultry farm. It was on a Saturday (or perhaps Sunday) afternoon, I, and my good mate met up in Yuen Long the local township to see the Rome Olympics documentary on the big screen. The cinema was the only place for Olympic action. We came for one reason: C.K. Yang. He was every young boy's big hero; he was nicknamed the Iron Man of Asia. We idolised him, we wanted to meet our hero. Even as youngsters, we were keenly aware of the tense political situation and famine across the border in China. And the bombardment of Taiwan's outlying islands by the mainland was still fresh in our minds. Good cheers were in short supply.
When C.K. Yang appeared on the screen, the whole cinema erupted in a thunderous applause. We all rose as one, we screamed and shouted “ ho yeah! ho yeah!( bravo! bravo!,) at the top of our lungs, we clapped, we yelled, we stamped our feet. Some people ran up and down the aisle excitedly. It was spontaneous and unrestrained. I never experienced anything like that since. We were seeing our hero in action. It was an unreserved outburst for our pent-up passion, emotion, and pride. We rode home on our bicycles with a big grin on our faces. It is my most memorable cinema experience.
The second medal winner was Chi Cheng, who won a bronze medal in the women's 80 metre hurdles in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Maureen Caird of Australia won the event being contested for the last time.
Chi Cheng was affectionately called the Asian Gazelle for her extraordinary grace combined with great speed on the track. She was a multiple world record holder and, perhaps, the greatest Asian female track and field athlete of the 20th century. Sadly, injuries prevented her going to the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.
Both C.K. Yang and Chi Cheng will always be remembered as great Olympians and champion athletes. They were also the first male and female medal winners for China. They did us proud.
Since then, China has asserted itself as a sporting power. Members, please let us hear your anecdotes of the 1984 LA Olympics. Let us hear your stories of how the Chinese communities in Nth. America take to the event, which was such a big part in China's resurgence on the world stage.
I took two weeks off work during the Beijing Olympic Games to take it all in at home. Because of the time difference was just two hours, staying up late was no problem. I cheered for both my adopted country Australia and birth country China. For instance, when Steve Hooker was pole vaulting, in his last clearance for the gold medal, my wife and I gave a collective heave ho, to will him over the bar. Over the bar he did and thus became the first male Aussie athlete to win a track and field gold medal since Ralph Doubell back in 1968. I do think I had a part in Steve Hooker’s victory with my mighty heave ho.
Athletes from Taiwan, who represented all of China, won the first two Olympic medals of any colour. In 1960 the Rome Olympics, C.K. Yang won a silver medal in the gruelling decathlon. His classmate at UCLA Rafer Johnson won gold. Yang went to Rome as the world record holder and hot favourite for the event.
I was a young fella living in Kowloon's hinterland the New Territories at the time. We had a small poultry farm. It was on a Saturday (or perhaps Sunday) afternoon, I, and my good mate met up in Yuen Long the local township to see the Rome Olympics documentary on the big screen. The cinema was the only place for Olympic action. We came for one reason: C.K. Yang. He was every young boy's big hero; he was nicknamed the Iron Man of Asia. We idolised him, we wanted to meet our hero. Even as youngsters, we were keenly aware of the tense political situation and famine across the border in China. And the bombardment of Taiwan's outlying islands by the mainland was still fresh in our minds. Good cheers were in short supply.
When C.K. Yang appeared on the screen, the whole cinema erupted in a thunderous applause. We all rose as one, we screamed and shouted “ ho yeah! ho yeah!( bravo! bravo!,) at the top of our lungs, we clapped, we yelled, we stamped our feet. Some people ran up and down the aisle excitedly. It was spontaneous and unrestrained. I never experienced anything like that since. We were seeing our hero in action. It was an unreserved outburst for our pent-up passion, emotion, and pride. We rode home on our bicycles with a big grin on our faces. It is my most memorable cinema experience.
The second medal winner was Chi Cheng, who won a bronze medal in the women's 80 metre hurdles in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Maureen Caird of Australia won the event being contested for the last time.
Chi Cheng was affectionately called the Asian Gazelle for her extraordinary grace combined with great speed on the track. She was a multiple world record holder and, perhaps, the greatest Asian female track and field athlete of the 20th century. Sadly, injuries prevented her going to the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.
Both C.K. Yang and Chi Cheng will always be remembered as great Olympians and champion athletes. They were also the first male and female medal winners for China. They did us proud.
Since then, China has asserted itself as a sporting power. Members, please let us hear your anecdotes of the 1984 LA Olympics. Let us hear your stories of how the Chinese communities in Nth. America take to the event, which was such a big part in China's resurgence on the world stage.