“All sports for all people.”
Pierre de Coubertin – Founder of the Modern Olympics
The Games are about to close, the Olympic season is on the wane and there are still stories to tell. They are stories of wonder and amazement destined to become timeless fables fashioned in the spectacular city of Beijing.
Over the courrse of three Paralympics American swimmer Erin Popovich has won 14 gold medals including four in Beijing. (CBC) There is the case of the sparkling swimmer from Butte, Montana. Erin Popovich stands just over three feet tall, some may call her a dwarf but I say she is a giant of sport.
The 23-year-old was born with a condition known as achondroplasia, a genetic disorder in bone growth. It results in abnormal body proportions but in Erin’s case it has done nothing to limit the immensity of her will.
Over the course of three Paralympic appearances Popovich has won 14 gold medals including four here in Beijing. But it is the joy with which she competes that is most contagious. So much so that her brilliant and beautiful smile when ascending the podium became something to be craved at the Water Cube.
Night after night the strangest of things happened. The Chinese fans fell deeply in love with a rival American. This kind of connection could never have been forged by the powerful figures of politics and diplomacy.
“The Chinese people have welcomed us with open arms,” Popovich beamed after winning one of her two silver medals. “To be here has been an incredible honour and I’m very lucky to be able to have the abilities to compete here at these Games.”
Over at the National Indoor Stadium very few of the 18,000 seats were empty as the Canadian men attempted to make history and capture a third consecutive gold medal in wheelchair basketball. The hopes of their Australian opponents were buoyed by a legion of joyous supporters. It also became evident that the Canadians had expended a great deal of effort in eliminating the United States in double overtime in the semi final.
In spite of heroics on the part of Patrick Anderson, the supremely talented Canadian forward, the Aussies were just too much and claimed a sweet 72-60 victory. Still, the silver medallists paused to savour a feeling that went far beyond the number of points scored or the colour of the bobble hanging from their necks.
“Yes we would have loved to win another gold medal but there’s a bigger picture here,” estimated Canadian coach Mike Frogley. “One point four billion people learned about disability over the past couple of weeks and they are never going to forget it. That’s tremendously exciting heading to the next Paralympic Games in London in 2012.”
Chantal Petitclerc after winning her fifth gold medal of the Paralympic Games in Beijing (CBC) For my money, the person not to be forgotten is Chantal Petitclerc, the heavenly wheelchair racer from St. Marc des Carrieres, Quebec. It is a small village on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River just west of the provincial capital. The 38-year-old Petitclerc had emerged from those modest surroundings to become a titan of the track and some might say the greatest Canadian athlete of a generation – bar none.
As she moved to the outside at the bell lap of her fifth and final race, the 1500M, Petitclerc accelerated to a place only she seems capable of discovering. As the capacity crowd at the Bird’s Nest watched in wonder, she claimed the lead and never looked back. With five metres to go she rose up and lifted her arms in victory. It was her fifth gold medal of these Games, a fabulous sweep of her races. It was also the 13th and likely last gold medal of Chantal Petitclerc’s Paralympic career.
“The day I left for Beijing was the day they buried my grandfather,” Petitclerc told me in the post race celebration. “He was my biggest fan – a real small town Quebec kind of guy. He had told my grandmother just before he died that I would win five gold medals again. When I crossed that line tonight I thought of him and only him.”
I thought to myself it had been a privilege to watch Chantal Petitclerc and the other Paralympians compete here in Beijing. They did so honestly and with a fullness of heart that belies their motivation. They competed not for a contract or for any pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I hope it doesn’t sound trite but I believe they competed for the glory of sport. There was nothing more to it and certainly nothing less.
Some might say they are disabled. To my way of thinking they are the very best of us.