Athletics Day 1 Evening Session Review: Ups And Downs At The National Stadium

Diane Roy celebrates.

(BEIJING, September 8) -- Just like the morning session, the evening had 22 heats along with six finals which included the first track final of the Athletics competition. World and Paralympic records were set in the National Stadium and the Women's 5000m - T54 was marred by an accident.

Unfortunately for some participants of the Women's 5000m - T54 (wheelchair athletes with different levels of spinal cord injuries and amputations), a collision in the last lap, less than 100m from the finish line, caused six athletes to fall and abandon their race. The accident involved all three medalists from the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, Wakako Tsuchida of Japan, Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland and Cheri Blauwet of the United States. Only five athletes finished the race and Diane Roy of Canada appeared to have taken the first Track gold medal in 11:54.03, setting a new Paralympic record. A close second was Shelly Woods of Great Britain with 11:54.29, while American Amanda McGrory came in third with 11:54.84. It was later announced that these results may not hold and the race is expected to be rescheduled on Tuesday.

Karim Betina of Algeria stole the show early in the Men's Shot Put - F32 (wheelchair athletes with different levels of cerebral palsy) when he broke the world record (9.92m) with just his second attempt (9.94m). It was just no stopping him after that as his throws kept improving and he landed the gold medal with a world record-breaking throw of 10.65m. Tunisia's Mourad Idoudi threw to a distance of 10.40m and picked up the silver, while third place went to Betina's teammate Mounir Bakiri with 9.37m.

China had to settle for fifth place in the Women's Long Jump - F42 (ambulant athletes with different levels of amputations and other disabilities including les autres) when Zhang Haiyuan, former world record holder, failed to repeat her winning performance of 2004 (Athens, Paralympics) and only managed a jump of 3.44m. Poland's Ewa Zielinska came in third with 3.62m, behind Annette Roozen of the Netherlands who secured the second spot with 3.63m. The gold medal went to Australian Christine Wolf who set a world record with her jump of 3.73m.

In the Men's Javelin - F35/36 (ambulant athletes with different levels of cerebral palsy), the clear favorite was China's Guo Wei. Cheered on by his home crowd, Guo Wei's first attempt at 54.92m broke his own world record in the F35 class and he did it again in his second throw with 56.07m which won him the top spot. Through the multi-classification event point system, Guo Wei was crowned gold medalist with 1283 points. In second place was Pawel Piotrowski of Poland who also got pass the old world record mark but his throw of 42.88m and 1158 point only earned him a Silver medal while Nicholas Newman of South Africa came in third with 42.48m and 1147 points.

Jackie Christiansen of Denmark won the gold and created a world record in the Men's Shot Put F44 (ambulant athletes with different levels of amputations and other disabilities including les autres). Christiansen blew away the competition with his throw of 17.89m and earned himself 1117 points. The second spot went to Australian Paul Raison with 15.83m and 988 points while Gerdan Fonseca of Cuba took bronze with 15.65m and 977 points.

Men's Discuss F33/34/52 (wheelchair athletes with different levels of cerebral palsy and different levels of spinal cord injuries and amputations) was the first final to begin and the last to end with a stellar display of strength and skill from all the athletes. In this multi-classification field event medals are awarded according to a point system. A new F52 world record (20.47m) ensured Aigars Apinis of Latvia the gold, with 1097 points. Chris Martin of Great Britain set the F33 Paralympic record with 28.37m (1074 points) and Roman Musil of the Czech Republic came in third with 27.11m (1026 points).

"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius competes at the Bird's Nest






Records were broken in some of the heats as well. In the Men's 100m - T11 heats, Lucas Prado of Brazil bettered his own world record of 11.26s when he sprinted to the finish line in a quick 11.19s, while Kurt Fearnley of Australia qualified for the finals of the Men's 5000m - T54 setting a Paralympic record of 10:13.21. South African Oscar Pistorius, better known as the "Blade Runner" also set a Paralympic record in the Men's 100m - T44 heats in 11.16s.

China Cups And Country

China has perhaps one of the most beautiful, most historic and most immense cultures in the world. China is home to almost 1.5 billion people with an almost equal distribution of males and females. The political affiliation of China has caused a lot of pressure from other countries. China is one of the last communist countries. Land and water mass totals nearly 10 million square kilometres, China is almost as large as the United States.

The history associated with China is rich and filled with knowledge. Being such an old civilization, China has am enormous number of citizens. This large number of people has resulted in a story involving population control that the world has watched unfold. China has a one-child policy. Only one child per family is allowed to those falling under China citizenship. This controversial policy has made China into one of the oldest nations in the world: China has a huge, growing population of people over the age of 70.

The majority of the income of China is made through the exportation of goods to other countries. Only a small number of Chinese citizens are actual farmers. Over the centuries, China has depleted a majority of the country natural resources. In addition, China has a growing pollution problem and suffers from the deterioration of the surrounding environment. This problem is exaggerated by the exponential growth of the population when compounded with the exponential degradation of the soil. This is one of the reasons for the poverty limit being over 10%.

In 1733, in another part of the world, Josiah Spode was born into a pauper’s life. His father taught him a trade that would serve him well after his father’s death when Josiah Spode was only 6 years old. However, this death only seemed to inspire the young Spode. Spode became an apprentice to one of the most reputable potters of that day. There, Spode would stay until his 21st birthday. Shortly after, Spode would start his own business. Perhaps the greatest legacy Spode left for the world today was his discovery of the recipe for Fine Bone China.

Today, England still remains the leader in Fine Bona China. With traditional family recipes being passed from one generation to the next, England offers sophistication and superb quality to all the Fine Bone China it produces. The Fine Bone China produced offers a dignified excellence to the purchaser. Even today Fine Bone China manufacturers pride themselves in bringing us simply the best of what England has to offer in collectibles and tableware.

As is obvious, China is a word that brings forth images of true beauty and true grace. Whether you consider the country or creation of tableware and collectibles, China is a marvellous example of human spirit and fulfilment. Whether you choose to explore a possible vacation of the beautifully, exotic China or if you choose to decorate your home and dinner table with the best china in the world, China will forever hold special meaning to our spirit.

About the Author:
Steve Thomas writes about China and maintains a China resource website at www.chinaa.co.uk

Olympic Medals A Story In Globalization, And Business

Olympic Medals A Story In Globalization, And Business

The first Olympic medal ceremony took place Thursday near Tiananmen Square, as the 6,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals were formally presented to organizers of the Beijing games.

Assembled in a mint in Shanghai and a product of Melbourne-based BHP Billiton Ltd., the metals themselves are a story in globalization. The gold and silver medals are comprised of silver from Australia (the gold medals are plated with gold from Chile) while the bronze medals are smelted from Chilean copper. A ring of Chinese jade from the Qinghai province adorns each.

The combined lode cost BHP, the world's largest mining company, over $1 million in raw materials. Although the company declined to comment on the specific values of the medals, the rising cost of commodities was not enough to deter the mining giant.

For one, the Olympic sponsorship was merely a drop in the bucket for BHP, a billion-dollar corporation. Second, for BHP, it's all about the big picture. Iron ore -- not gold, silver, or bronze -- is the BHP's primary product, and while the company and China have tussled in the past, China comprises 20 percent of BHP's business (already up from 12.5 percent when the agreement was announced in 2005). Apparently, a little Olympic goodwill can go a long way.