Going For the Gold
With the closing ceremony about to get underway, competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has come to an end. The Chinese I’ve spoken to are very happy with the results, but the Olympic buzz, even among Chinese, still seems to focus on swimmer Michael Phelps (USA). Team China finished with the greatest number of gold medals — 51 in total, compared to 36 for the United States — but Team USA came out with the top total medal count, at 110 compared to China’s 100. Canada placed in the top 15, with 18 overall medals.
Working at the volleyball venue, I’ve witnessed two gold medal matches over the past two days, with the USA men’s team winning gold today against Brazil, and the women’s team taking silver yesterday, also against Brazil. I’ve seen many familiar faces covering the matches at my venue — check out blog entries from Chris Detrick, Mark Rebilas, and Nhat Meyer to see their volleyball images.
The USA men’s volleyball team enters the field of play during the victory ceremony. Team USA won gold in the indoor volleyball final against Brazil.
Players and coaches from the USA men’s volleyball team (left) pose for photographers after winning gold. Only pool photographers (Associated Press, AFP, Reuters, Getty Images, and Xinhua) have front-row access to the medal ceremony. Other photographers can shoot the ceremony from a distance.
Team USA rower Caroline Lind poses for fans with her gold medal at Club Bud in Beijing. Medals from the Beijing Olympics include a ring of jade, the national stone of China.
Most Olympians and photographers will head home tomorrow, and I return to the U.S. on Thursday. I will continue to post to Behind the Lens at the Beijing Olympics until my departure, so stay tuned for more Beijing news and travel tips.
I have enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks for all the info and images. God Bless
Hi Zach,
I’m back home in Southern California. Thanks for the interesting information you provided. This was my 3rd visit to Beijing, but with the Olympics, this was definitely an experience of a lifetime. Beijing has changed quite a bit since my last visit a few years ago. It’s too bad the Olympic spirit doesn’t carry on after closing ceremony. The world would be a much better place.
For your final post, can you talk about your Olympic experience and what your impressions were of Beijing.
Allen
Good idea, Allen… I’ll definitely post something along those lines
Thanks guys!