The real weight of Olympic gold

The Olympics were no doubt emotional for weightlifter Lin Qingfeng's parents, as they had not seen their son during his six and a half years of training. His laborer father and cleaner mother recognized him on TV only when he was introduced while mounting the podium to receive his gold medal.

The sporting jamboree will have been even tougher on the parents of diver Wu Minxia. Her father, who works as a plumber and is the sole breadwinner of family, decided to withhold news of the deaths of both her maternal grandparents and of her mother's struggle against breast cancer until after she won her gold medal.

Now in the national jubilations over another Olympic gold bonanza, each champion stands to earn a handsome amount of prize money, endorsements and, possibly gifts like an apartment or a house.