American Matthew Emmons has won the hearts of Chinese people with an outstanding performance and an outgoing personality.
China's love for Emmons is not only due to the dramatic gold medal he gave up to Chinese shooter Jia Zhanbo at the 2004 Athens Games when he shot at the wrong target on his final shot in men's 50m three positions - though that helps.
His dramatic loss yesterday helps too.
Emmons led all the way until the final shot, boasting a 3.4-point lead and looking destined for the crown.
But a miserable final shot of 4.4 cost him the podium finish, as Chinese veteran Qiu Jian left with the gold. But Emmons exited the shooting range like a champion.
Spectators stood and gave him a thunderous round of applause. After journalists bombarded him with questions on his way to the locker room, reporters then also gave him cheers and long applause.
The home crowd was excited about the unexpected title, but still felt sorry for the American shooter.
"I know him because he lost the gold to Jia Zhanbo in Athens. When he came to Beijing, I thought he would make up his mistake this time because he is a really good shooter," said Wang Yi, a shooting fan from Guangdong province.
"I really believe he will become an Olympic champion sooner or later."
One Chinese Olympic News Service reporter expressed her regret over Emmons' eerily similar Olympic failure.
"He is a really nice guy," she said. "I first met him at this year's Olympic tryout. He always smiles at us, and our staff all like him very much.
"What a pity he didn't get the title! I feel so sad now."
Emmons' romantic encounter with Czech shooter Katerina Emmons at the 2004 Athens Games is also a popular tale among Chinese sports fans.
The famous husband-and-wife duo has drawn great interest since they both competed in an Olympic tryout in Beijing.
When Katerina took the Games' first gold, the photo of the couples' post-victory kiss was splashed across the covers of many local newspapers.
"They are a wonderful shooting couple, not because both of them are top shooters, but they are so supportive of each other during competition," said another Chinese journalist.
Questions:
1. When did Emmons first come to the Chinese public’s attention?
2. What happened at the last Olympics which cost Emmons the gold medal?
3. Where did he meet his partner?
Answers:
1. 2004 in Athens .
2. He mistakenly shot at the wrong target .
3. At the Athens Games.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
