Magical Olympic moment on Beijing bus as Mitcham stuns China
August 25, 2008
Last night I was on my way home from checking out the nightlife at the lake near Beijing’s Drum Tower. There are heaps and heaps of bars with projection screens and projectors showing the Olympics.
After leaving there on bus 60 I was watching the men’s 10m platform diving. It was just three dives from the end and a lot of the Chinese on the bus were cheering on the hometown boys.
With one dive to go the Aussie Matthew Mitcham was in second place. Up to the platform he came with a gold medal a slight chance but probably not his on the night. What came next stunned the crowd on the bus as Mitcham performed a spectacular 112.10-point final dive that overcame a 32.50-point gap.
I had to stay on the bus to see the next dive and I witnessed the Chinese diver Zhou Luxin put in an average dive for which he was awarded just 74.80 points. This left Mitcham with an advantage of 4.80 points.
Amazingly the gold was his. I let out a small cheer and clapped as the Chinese on the bus looked on. The Chinese diving team were hoping to complete a cleansweep however the highest ever Olympic dive denied them.
This was a great moment in my Olympic fortnight here in Beijing. It is not always about being at the events but the overall experience.
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