Wil’s Domain Weblog

Graceful Victory after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games Tragedy

August 12th, 2008

In Beijing, People’s Republic of China (PRC), Michael Phelps dominated the men’s swimming competition at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. On Tuesday, he victoriously stood on the 1st tier of the Olympic podium: He set a third straight world record in men’s swimming at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, after his winning the gold medal for the 200-meter freestyle event on Tuesday.

The native of Baltimore, Maryland — who won six gold and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games in Greece — has won his ninth career gold Olympic medal: Phelps now joins the elite Olympic ring of fellow legendary Olympians, which includes Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larysa Latynina, all of whom earned the most Olympic gold medals in Olympic history.

Phelps is currently 3-for-3, positioning him to surpass a 36-year-old Olympic record: Fellow swimmer and Olympian Spitz won seven gold medals in a single event at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games in Germany. Days after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games tragedy — in which a suicidal, knife-wielding Chinese assailant killed Olympian Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon’s father, Todd Bachman — Phelps is poised to go for his 10th carrer Olympic gold medal in the 200 butterfly event on Wednesday. He is on the verge of being the winningest Olympian ever, making seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s “victories” pale in comparision.

Meanwhile, fellow teammate Aaron Peirsol won the men’s 100 backstroke, cementing the United States’ dominance of the swimming events at the Beijing Games. Also, Natalie Coughlin won the gold for the 100 backstroke event in 58.96 seconds. She has earned her second medal of the Beijing Games: She won the silver medal in the 4×100 freestyle relay event.

U.S. Swimming Team’s head coach Mark Schubert savors graceful victory after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games tragedy: Olympians and their supporters from around the world have collectively transformed a sobering tragedy into a graceful victory for humanity, realizing the Beijing Games’ Olympic slogan “One World, One Dream.”

After the senseless murder of the elder Bachman — on the second day of the Beijing Games — President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Beijing Olympic Games organizing committee are jointly investigating the Todd Bachman murder case in Beijing: Graceful handling of such a high-profile murder is never easy in a diversed nation as rich in ancient culture and technological advancements as the PRC. Which is why the elite Snow Wolf Commando Unit (SWCU) and the equally elite People’s Armed Police Beijing SWAT unit have been swarmed Beijing, defending the Olympic host city against the next and future acts of terror.

If the 62-year-old Bachman were alive today, he would join his wife Barbara and daughter Elisabeth in cheering for the U.S. Men’s Indoor Volleyball team, of which his son-in-law Hugh McCutcheon is the head coach. Despite Bachman’s untimely demise, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games will be one of the most memorable Olympics ever.

Tags 1972 munich summer olympic games 2008 beijing summer olympic games 2008 olympics aaron peirsol barbara bachman beijingolympics carl lewis current events elisabeth bachman mccutcheon gold olympic medal hugh mccutcheon lance armstrong larysa latynina mark schubert mark spitz michael phelps natalie coughlin news olympian olympians olympics 2008 paavo nurmi silver olympic medal todd bachman todd bachman murder case

Entry Filed under: 2008 beijing summer olympic games