WSPN Beijing 2008: Day 5 Update

As the Olympic Games pick up more speed, the global sports community has already witnessed some incredible and unforgettable instant classics, such as the men's swimming 4x100meter relay. Other notable moments include a friendly embrace of a Russian and a Georgian athlete before taking the medal podium while their two nations were at war (by the way, shame on Russia for instigating a conflict and invading during the Olympics), the incredibly significant matchup of the United States and China, led by host country flag-bearer Yao Ming, on the basketball court, and the U.S. men's volleyball team's emotional victory after the leave of their coach, necessitated by a heartless ambush of his wife and parents-in-law in Beijing.

More exciting moments are sure to come, since some of the more popular events like track and field and table tennis are still to come. What? I'm the only one that likes table tennis? Okay, fine by me, I'll enjoy it by myself. Anyways, at this point, the United States leads the overall medal count with 22, but China is by far in front in the gold medal race with 13, even though they only have 20 total medals. The U.S. is second in the gold count with 7 golds, and South Korea is third with 5, and also third in the total count with 12. The all-out dominance by China in gold medals testifies to their intensity in striving for perfection. Other medals almost seem to be unacceptable for some athletes, such as the men's gymnastics team, who were expected to dazzle with their uncomparable attention to detail and precision (and they certainly followed through). Other events for the host country feature athletes or teams which aren't expected of much, but who still have turned in good performances. A good example of this is the men's water polo team, who almost stunned Team U.S.A., holding them to a 6-6 tie until the last quarter of play. All in all, China has much to be proud of; their hosting of these events has been exceptional so far, and the events themselves have been memorable.

As some sports begin to end and award medals to the winners, the medal count may reflect the transition to other sports. China has gone 3 for 3 in diving competitions, and the United States obviously has a grasp on many of the swimming medals with studs like Michael Phelps in the pool. Look for Australia, who is currently fourth in the overall medal count with 10, to fall down the list a bit once swimming culminates. And, at the same time, be prepared to view some countries rise on the medal count list once track and field competition picks up. This is an exciting time in Beijing, when certain sports are finally reaching the medal rounds and others are just beginning!