The spirit of breakthrough

What is more important than gold medals is the spirit of achieving breakthroughs in the Olympics, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

In the Olympics, the gold medal is the highest reward for the winner and all athletes long for it. But winning golds is not the essence of the Olympics. Its essence lies in the fact that it can fully showcase the charm of sports and demonstrate the ideal of sports. Meanwhile it can also enlighten and encourage people through the gold-winning process.

In the first half of the Beijing Olympics, the eyes of all the people were on Michael Phelps for he created the wonder of winning eight gold medals in the same Olympics, a breakthrough in Olympic history. In track and field, Usain Bolt won more respect than other title-holders for he raised the human speed to a new height. Similarly, Xian Dongmei and Chen Yanqing both showed their spirit of breakthrough by successfully defending their victory positions in the Olympics after they had experienced the ups and downs of their careers. It is such excellent performance that becomes the keynote of the Olympics.