Yesterday was pouring down with rain. One of those weird days that prompted the comment that BOCOC had tampered with the weather to ensure that it would be nice on the 15th, the first day of Athletics in the Bird's Nest. This morning's sunny sky would seem to corroborate this allegation.
At any rate, yesterday, the sky was grey, the temperature considerably lower than usual and I had no umbrella. We left the office at 15.00 heading for the Olympic Green and more precisely the Archery Green.
On the map the venues succeed one another and everything seems easily accessible. It is. But it does not recon with the huge size of Olympic Green. We drove past the Cube, past the Fencing Hall and after the enormous International Braoadcasting Centre and Main Press Centre. Then came driving round the entire Olympic village, a trendy complex of flats, decorated with the world's flags, until our taxi offloaded us at the entrance of hokey, archery and tennis. Time to get wet in the line of people waiting to get in. As ever well prepared plastic raincoats were provided in pastel colors that made the spectators look like candy in the stadium.
It was the women's Archery Finals. A whole stand was dominated by Koreans well organised to support their champions. It's fun to watch. Quarterfinals, Semi-finals and Finals succeeded each other fast enough under the pouring rain that drove no one away. 12 arrows per match decide the outcome of the game. And although Korea was the favourite, ultimately winning the silver and bronze, it was China that won the day.
Chilled to the bone, we watched the medal ceremony with the extatic crowd. The Chinese champion who barely made it through the qualifiers, congratulated her oponents, exactly like every other Chinese gold medal winner, they have been well coached on this. On the victory lap she threw her bunch of flowers to the crowd and bit in her gold medal for the photographers.
Today is a gorgeous day. The men archers will be luckier. No frozen fingers for them. Also, undoubtedly it will be a crystal clear debut for the Bird's Nest. As planned? :)
