Or so the men's gymnastics team seemed to say Tuesday in Beijing. The Hamm twins were the bedrock of men's gymnastics. They were the hope for a medal in these Olympics. After both Paul and Morgan Hamm withdrew from the competition due to injuries, no one expected the men's team to do much. But with a determination that defines the Olympic spirit, this team that was patched together at the last minute, hung on to win the bronze medal.
The next day, the women's gymnastics team competed amid controversy surrounding the age of their Chinese opponents. The rules state that gymnasts have to be at least 16 years old, yet earlier this year evidence surfaced that at least two of the Chinese gymnasts were only 14. There is no way a 16 year old is still in the process of losing her baby teeth.
But the Chinese government issued papers verifying that all of the girls were definitely 16. And we wouldn't want to doubt the integrity of the Chinese government, would we? Despite the controversy, it was the Americans' own mistakes that cost them the gold. In this, the athletes themselves showed more sportsmanship than their coaches, who groused about competing against babies and unfair judging practices.Michael Phelps is five for five. Five gold medals. Five world records.
Even with his goggles leaking; even swimming blind, he won another gold medal and set another world record. Twice in one day.
And he's not done yet.
4 comments:
I didnt think those Chinese girls were 16! But I hadn't heard any differently. Huh. Cheaters.
The men's gymnastics team were fantastic! I was so proud. :)
Michael Phelps is simply phenomenal.
That little girl barely looks 12. Is the minimum age thing a recent development? I remember watching Dominique Moceanu in the 1996 Olympics, I think she was 14 at the time.
Opal, Oh I so agree! If you don't win fair, you don't really win.
Ditto on Michael Phelps.
Amy, you are being more generous than I was. I thought she looked 10. Yes, the age requirement is fairly recent. It was instituted in 1997. When Nadia won, she was only 14. But it seemed that competing at that level was too strenuous for young girls' bodies. Too many injuries were happening, so they set an age requirement in place.
I felt so sorry for Alicia after her falls off beam and floor. What an absolutely dreadful feeling it must be to cost your team the gold, but hey, there but for the grace of God go any of them.
I was glad to *wake up* this morning to find Lukin and Johnson taking the women's gold and silver in the all around though. Lukin's vault was literally perfect; I tried to stay awake for the rest but didn't even make it to the uneven bars. Darn that NBC!
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