The archery field at the Olympic Green was full of anticipation Saturday, the first day gold medals were being decided in the event.
It's a big day for Malgorzata Olejnik from Poland.
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Malgorzata Olejnik is Poland's best hope for gold at the Beijing Paralympics. |
Her husband Ryszard is helping her relax before the match. The couple are Poland's best hope for gold at the Beijing Paralympics. They've been competing in Archery since they got married in 1990.
Tomasz Lezanski, Polish archer, said, "Ryszard Olejnik won gold medal in Atlanta, silver from Sydney. And now I hope she can once again get a gold, but we must watch her match."
Malgorzata is taking on the semifinal of the Women's Individual Curve. Her first rival is China's Gao Fengxia. Malgorzata doesn't do well, and her dream of winning a gold fades. As usual, her husband encourages her when she loses. But, she still gets another chance to win a bronze medal in the next round.
This time, Malgorzata is up against Lindsey Carmichael from the USA. She leads Lindsey in the first 5 shots, but Lindsey overtakes her at the very end. Lindsey realizes her dream of winning a medal at the Paralympics. For Malgorzata, the Beijing Games could be the last major event she and her husband compete in. But she says their love of archery will last a lifetime.
The final sees South Korea's Lee Huwa-sook shooting against Gao Fengxia. The South Koreans have long been the strongest team in archery. Lee beats Gao with an 11-circle surplus. Gao Fengxia says she's done her best, but she's not giving up yet.
Gao Fangxia, archer from China, said, "South Korea is strong, but we'll manage to win in the next Paralymics."
Part of the excitement of this sport is due to the fact that you don't know the final result till the very last minute. And noboday can fail to be impressed by the athletes' perseverence. That's the charm of the Paralympics.
(CCTV September 14, 2008)
