Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-18 23:13:07

(BEIJING, August 18) – Today the National Indoor Stadium belonged to a tiny Chinese gymnast who overcame nerves to win the gold medal in the Women’s Uneven Bars.

He Kexin may only weigh 33 kilograms, but a powerful force of courage inspired her tonight, propelling her to a magnificent performance on one of gymnastics’ most challenging apparatuses.

During the qualification phase, He fell from the apparatus and was lucky to qualify for the final. Many critics deemed that the 16 year old was overawed by the occasion of performing in front of a raucous home crowd. Most pundits predicted that it would be He’s teammate Yang Yilin who would win the gold medal not the impish He.

However, He proved everyone wrong. Her routine was near-flawless, combining two consecutive release and-re-grasp skills at the start of her routine. A double gold medalist at the age of 16, He has become the princess of the Uneven Bars.

To win gold, He was opposed against the incredible elegance of Nastia Liukin, who is arguably the superstar of the Beijing Games. In some ways, the grace and beauty of Svetlana Khorkina has been reborn in a USA jersey. Liukin was unlucky not to win her second gold medal of the Games as she scored the same as He but a tie-break based on an analysis of the judges’ individual scores placed her second.

Yang won the bronze medal with a brilliant performance, which scored slightly less than He and Liukin for execution.

In the Men’s Rings, the Lord of the Rings reigned supreme. China’s Chen Xibing performed as amazingly as expected and won the gold medal with a score of 16.600. With a smile never far from his face, the sprightly Chen will be a popular gold medalist.

Chen’s teammate Yang Wei, who won the gold medal in the Men’s All-Around, won the silver medal with a score of 16.425. The bronze medal was won by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Vorobiov, who scored 16.325.

It was second time lucky for Poland’s Leszek Blanik who won a bronze medal in the Men’s Vault at Sydney 2000. Blanik did not even qualify for Athens 20004. but his gold medal in the final of the Men’s Vault today was the first time that a Polish gymnast has won gold in the event. The significance of this was not lost on Blanik.

“That I got a gold medal for my own country is amazing. I’ve been trying for the last 12 years to accomplish this. All I dreamed of was happiness for the Polish people,” said Blanik after winning the gold medal.