Rio Games: unruffled, Chinese happy to wait for first Olympic gold medal
Once a source of Chinese audience called for dropping the obsession of gold medals in sports
China had to wait until Day 2 of the Rio Games to claim its first gold medal but in a change from the past, viewers back home did not appear to mind the delay.
By the end of competition on Saturday, China had claimed two silver medals and three bronze. Zhang Mengxue broke through for China on Sunday with a win in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
It was only the second time the country’s contingent had ended the first day without gold since it sent its first team to the summer Olympics in 1984. The last time China drew a blank on the opening day was in Sydney in 2000.
China’s Olympic gold medal haul was a source of national pride in the past but the public reaction on the mainland seemed mostly calm and measured on Sunday before the first win.
“The colour or the number of the medals is not so important as before. A gold medal used to be a symbol of national pride for China, but we don’t need that now,” said Mao Peng, a 40-year-old Beijing business executive and avid sports fan.
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“A medal could change a winner’s fate, but there are many Chinese athletes in Rio who have no hope of getting a medal but just fight for better results, and they have my respect and attention.”
There are many Chinese athletes in Rio who have no hope of getting a medal but just fight for better results, and they have my respect and attention
