Gymnast Chen shows class, netizens say

Chinese gymnast Chen Yibing failed to conclude his career with an Olympic gold medal on Aug 6 in the men's rings final contest, although the defending champion had been highly favored to claim the gold medal in the event. Chen bowed out gracefully with a silver medal, leaving many feeling sorry for his sound performance and bemoaning the controversial scoring for the final routine of Brazil's gold medal winner, who stumbled as he landing. The results of the event have triggered heated discussion, and Chinese netizens are busy posting their comments on micro blogs. Excerpts:

Chen Yibing has done his best and should have been the champion. However, it is sad but true that in real life, doing our best does not necessarily guarantee the desired outcome. Chen has demonstrated his dignified bearing even though he missed the gold medal, which nonetheless makes him a people's champion. Just as the father of the modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin put it, the important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, and the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. The names of many gold medal winners might get blurred many years from now, but the name of a people's champion will remain etched in history.

He Wei, Beijing

Perfect justice may always elude our grasp, and Olympic medals are still produced from subjective scoring, which certainly has its flaws. Even so, we have to respect the judges, believing that they come up with the decisions as impartially as possible. Facing the much disputed scoring for the performance of the Brazilian competitor, the judges in this case gave their explanations afterward. Chen has accepted his lot with grace, and Chinese people should view this in a rational way. After all, a gold medal is not everything.

 XIBULUOWUSUOPU, Foshan, Guangdong province

The latest hullabaloo reminds me of the judging controversy in the 2004 Athens Olympics, in which the crowd erupted in boos and protested over the low score for Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov, which interrupted the event for more than 10 minutes. It was Nemov that stepped forward and pleaded with his fans to quiet down so that other athletes could go on with their routines. Great athletes act alike, and Chen Yibing has demonstrated his greatness despite losing the gold medal.

SHUIDONGLEWODELIUYUN, Shenzhen, Guangdong province