Chinese satisfy craving for men’s gymnastics gold

BEIJING – The roar began as soon as Chen Yibing’s feet hit the mat, a primal scream that was four pressure-packed years in the making.

Only half the meet was over, but so was this competition.

China has the Olympic title it has long craved and everyone else expected. The Americans, meanwhile, won the bronze with a roster that was patched together at the last minute when not one, but both Hamm brothers were knocked out with injuries.

Japan, the defending Olympic champion, won the silver.

The Chinese began celebrating even before one of their gymnasts finished the last event. When little Zou Kai’s feet hit the mat with a thud, his teammates jumped up and down. They stood behind a large Chinese flag, tears flowing.

There were no tears from the Americans, only elation. When the final standings popped up, Jonathan Horton screamed: “Nobody believed in us! Nobody believed in us.” Linking arms, they posed for pictures, smiles spread wide across their faces.

The Chinese have won seven of the last eight world titles, including the last three, and have more individual titles than a royal family. For all that, though, they were still considered underachievers. There was just one Olympic title during this reign, and their collapse four years ago was one of epic proportions. Not only did they not win the gold they were supposed to, they went home with just two medals, only one gold.

But the failure fueled China, as did all those chants of “Jia You” that rang out throughout the arena Tuesday.

The Chinese strutted onto the floor, waving at their cheering fans and pumping their fists as if to remind everyone this was their party, and the other countries were simply lucky to get an invitation.

They started slowly on floor exercise, one of their weaker events. But they sauntered over to pommel horse, and that’s when the show really began.

Xiao Qin had the crowd oohing and aahing, his hands a blur, his body a perfect plane. Not even a sliver of light was visible between his legs, and his every move was performed with perfect control. When he finished, he pumped his fists, smiling broadly at his teammates.

As impressive as Yang Wei’s show was on the rings, Chen’s was even better. When he lifted his body into a plane, his arms extended out, his back so straight you could iron on it. He moves from one position to another seamlessly and holds his strength moves for what seem like minutes, never showing the slightest sign that his muscles are screaming. Indeed, he could have gone on for another five minutes without flinching.

The crowd was in a frenzy before his feet hit the mat, and a roar that shook the arena exploded as he thrust his hands into the air. Chen raised his head and closed his eyes, knowing the gold was finally in China’s reach.