In men's gymnastics, 23-year-old Li Xiaoshuang managed to rid himself of the enormous pressure and beat a strong field to win the first all-around gold medal for China, winning the respect of both his teammates and foreign counterparts. In badminton, China's Ge Fei / Gu Jun placed first in the women's doubles to win the first and only Olympic gold for China in badminton, with a background of 12 years' close cooperation.
In table tennis, Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong, an unrivalled duo for some six years in the women's events, repeated their high performance at the Barcelona Olympics four years before: Deng won the singles, and playing together the two of them won the doubles, once again displaying their overwhelming strength in the sport.
Wang Junxia, a fleet-footed distance runner who was awarded the coveted Jesse Owens Trophy in 1993, won the gold in the women's 5000m and the silver in the 10000m in which she held the world record. As the only athlete bold enough to risk competing in both the 5000m and 10000m, which meant a total of 20,000 metres in three days including the heats, she won the hearts of all the spectators on the scene and TV viewers around the world with her superb performances and newly-acquired smile.
Also in Atlanta, 26-year-old Lee Lai-Shan won the women's boardsailing to become the first gold medallist in the 44-year Olympic history of Hong Kong. When news of her victory reached Hong Kong, the people there were wild with joy. Upon her return home she was given a tremendous welcome, with thousands of people lining the streets to greet their heroine and celebrating "this moment of historical significance".
(COC Sources)
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