Athletes aren't the only ones having to push themselves

What a mess.

I guess the first time doing something is often the hardest - especially when you're covering the planet's largest sports event.

As a rookie sports reporter, who has only been on the beat for about two years, I had no clue how tangled the Olympics could be - that is, until the journey began.

The heaviest downpour in Beijing in 61 years delayed our flight, and I arrived in London Heathrow Airport on Sunday at midnight - after the last train to downtown.

After a bumpy two-hour bus ride, I was lost in central London. I wandered the dark streets, hunting for the apartment I was supposed to - and eager to - sleep in.

That was just the start.

I soon discovered a greater problem was trying to cover more topics than I was assigned - and I had been assigned a lot.

The pre-Games plan said I should be focusing on feature profiles and in-depth stories about Chinese athletes and relevant topics with international appeal.

But I was swept up in the daily information deluge - the organizing committee's updates, different NOCs' conference calls and events briefings flooded my schedule in the first days. It was distracting.

I tried to grab quotes from athletes and coaches at the pre-Game trainings but discovered this was tricky, because most venues weren't completed.

The construction made it difficult to access the competition courts, news conference rooms and mixed zone locations.

And some training sites are too remote to reach by public transport. The shuttle buses from the Main Press Center to venues weren't scheduled to run until the event's kick-off.

After four days of overcoming the mental and physical stress, I've just managed to handle the daily reports while approaching more in-depth pieces.

But I guess, after all, the Olympics is all about pushing yourself to your limits - and then beyond them.

Contact the writer at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/27/2012 page11)