Not all that glitters is actually gold

I was standing in central London's Piccadilly Circus on Friday afternoon, watching the Olympic women's swimming 800m freestyle final on the big screen.

I was surrounded by crowds of Britons who hoped to see defending champion Rebecca Adlington win gold at home.

The moment she finished third, my first thought was "she failed".

But I was quite surprised when the crowd burst into boisterous applause.

People were cheering and celebrating, as if Adlington was again the champion.

I was even more impressed when I saw the 23-year-old smile happily in the BBC's live interview. Of course, she didn't look excited. But her features seemed relaxed and betrayed few signs of disappointment.

She even exchanged a hug with a competitor.

The scene reminded me of other stories at the Olympics last week.

Zhou Jun, a 17-year-old female weightlifter, failed to hoist 95 kg in three snatch attempts and generated media criticism.

The City Times, a newspaper based in Yunnan province, called another Chinese weightlifter's failure in London a "disgrace".

Also last week, yet another weightlifter, Wu Jingbiao, burst into painful tears after winning silver. He even bowed down in front of the camera to apologize for "letting down his country and people".

The sharp contrast with what happened to Adlington and the Chinese weightlifters highlights that many Chinese are very obsessed with the Olympic gold medal, which is considered a source of national pride and glory.

As a Chinese proverb goes, never judge a hero on the basis of success or failure.

Maybe it's time to debate whether some people are too obsessed with the gold.

There are signs this mentality is shifting.

In addition to praising gold medalists, many netizens on Sina Weibo - a Chinese Twitter-like micro blog - applauded silver and bronze winners.

Many netizens published consolation messages on Weibo after the Chinese women's gymnastics team, the defending champions, burst into tears after finishing fourth.

"We know how hard you tried over the past four years. You are still the best! Girls, don't cry," one post reads.

China won a record 51 gold medals in Beijing in 2008.

But the most impressive moment to me that year was when shooter Tan Zongliang won a silver medal in the 50m pistol.

Four years later, I still remember clearly when Tan, then 37, smiled happily at the camera and said silver is "good enough".

The Olympics is indeed about the glory of gold, but it's also about participation. People should be proud of, and applaud, anyone who participates, regardless of the final results.

It's certain that more Chinese athletes will be standing on the podium, receiving all colors of medals in the Games' final week.

In addition to winners' tears of excitement, I hope to see more happy and proud expressions from other medalists, too, as well as more applause from their fans.

Contact the writer at zhanghaizhou@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 08/07/2012 page11)