 Silver lining for the Smarts
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-23 10:39 When American fencer Erinn Smart felt her shot at a medal slipping away, she turned to her brother Keeth for support, like she has done for the past few months. The Smarts have supported each other through challenges much larger than tough fencing matches. A year after the Athens Olympics, when Keeth had two straight one-point losses, the Smarts' father died of a heart attack. Soon after, their mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died this May. And earlier this year, Keeth contracted a rare blood disorder. Keeth, whose losses in close matches cost the US a fencing medal in 2004, offered encouragement from the crowd when Erinn struggled through the last rotation of the women's team foil semifinal last Saturday against Hungary. Though she was outscored 14-2, the United States held on to win 35-33. They earned the silver later, losing to Russia in the final, for the American's first ever medal in women's foil and the first for the US in all of foil since 1960. Keeth also won his first medal in Beijing as the US men's sabre team picked up a silver last Saturday. "She's had such a tough year with my mom, and me being sick, and having to deal with all that, and really not having any time for herself," said Keeth, who reached the quarterfinals in men's sabre in Beijing. "Now, she can really relax and enjoy the rest of the Olympic experience." Winning her medal is a shared achievement, Erinn said. "Last time around, my parents, they knew how close Keeth was -- one point," she said. "This is what they wanted. They wanted us to finally medal. It feels like a family medal to me." For once, the Smart family caught a break. "The stars were aligned right," Erinn said. "So, it worked out well for us tonight." Agencies  (China Daily 08/23/2008 page31) |
