Olympics a tough act to follow, but they did it

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By Ravi S. Narasimhan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-19 07:45

When I entered junior high years ago, a senior was the star of the high-school cricket team and a hero to us.

A right-arm fast bowler (similar to a pitcher in baseball except they run in to hurl the ball), he used to thunder in and terrify his opponents - and thrill us - in Sunday inter-school matches.

And, oh, he didn't have a left arm.

It was the age of innocence, and we thought nothing of it; in fact, he seemed supernatural, not handicapped.

In this age of political correctness, handicapped is, of course, a no-no. It is an athlete who has a disability, not a disabled athlete.

And when these athletes with a disability came to town for their quadrennial gala, I confess I was among those who were skeptical that the euphoria of the Olympics could be repeated at the Paralympics.

I confess I was wrong. On many counts.

It started with the opening ceremony on Sept 6: It was stunning and spectacular; moving and lyrical.

And more touching than the curtain-raiser for the Olympics.

But then, it was Zhang Yimou directing the show. And nothing less would have done. Wonder what he will do with the stories - yes, almost every Paralympian is a story worth the telling.

From then on, the athletic performances matched whatever the Chinese film maestro conjured up for the Opening Ceremony.

First, there were the superstars. Amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit of South Africa and Polish table tennis sensation Natalia Partyka, who also took part in the Beijing Olympics.

And sprint treble winner Oscar Pistorius, who narrowly missed qualifying for the South African squad to the Olympics.

Then, it was the sheer competitiveness of the event - an eye-opener for those of us who thought this was going to a friendly, brotherly affair.

No quarter was given, or asked. In a women's cycling race, accusations of dirty tactics and mind games.

In wheelchair rugby, described as "often brutal sport" no pulling the punches.

A marathon won by half the length of a wheelchair.

Comeback wins, come-from-behind wins, close wins and improbable wins. All fiercely fought for.

Make no mistake: Everyone was in it to win, not just to participate.

Then the passion. Most of the champions - and many who didn't make it to the podium - put in grueling hours of daily training for the big moment, which comes every four years.

And they are still at it when most Olympians would have long called it a day.

China's Fan Liang set a world record to win gold in his category of discus throw - at 50. His role model? Silver medalist Toshie Oi of Japan, who is all of 60 years old.

And in the women's discus throw, 17-year-old Menggen Jimisu of Inner Mongolia was coached to gold by 37-year-old Hasilao, who was participating in his fourth Paralympics in Beijing - in discus and javelin. The Atlanta 1996 gold medalist is more thrilled than Menggen, and his mission now is to unearth new champions.

Then the inspiration. Most of us have marveled at the feats of Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt at the Olympics - but that is unlikely to rush us to the pool or the track to become little champions.

But every Paralympian, one way or the other, inspires many people with disabilities to gout and try - that's how many Paralympians started.

And above all, there were the spectators. Fans who cheered on Canadian five-gold winner Chantal Petitclerc the same way they did Bolt.

And du Toit, another five-gold winner, the same way they did for Phelps.

And Esther Vergeer, the invincible wheelchair tennis player, the same way they did for Roger Federer.

I look on them as superheroes, the same way I did at an inspirational cricketer long ago.

E-mail: ravi@chinadaily.com.cn