The China Teaching Web

There was simply no splash. At least, that is how Chen Ruolin’s gold medal winning plunge just a few minutes ago in the Women’s Olympic 10 Meter Dive appeared to my untrained eye. I was cheering for Canada; I will admit it. I was hoping that Emilie Heymans could carry her superb performance through to the very end. Heymans did perform well on her last dive but it was not enough. Both Chen Ruolin and her Chinese counterpart Wang Xin, who took the bronze home for China tonight, were simply unbeatable. The quality of their form and motion seemed to be on a much higher level than anyone else in the competition. I cannot help but admire their skill.

I cheered for Chen as she hugged her coach; she is just 16 years old. I can only guess what pressure she was under to grab the gold for China but she delivered beautifully. I am happy for her and for the millions who were cheering for Team China tonight. These gold and bronze medals were well deserved.