5 Inspiring Stories Behind Asian Athletes who Competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Nowhere else in the competitive sports world do you see the ambitious and individualistic drive to chase after the biggest and most far-fetched dreams than in the Olympics. It is the ultimate trail paved with physical limits, obstacles that greet you in different forms, and of course the one thing that is always working against you, time. Individual drive, determination, and a constant eye on the prize are perhaps the most defining characteristics of the modern Olympian. Beyond the medals that are bestowed upon the most elite in this individualistic pursuit, nowhere else in elite athleticism is your sense of self-worth tested.
2016 has seen what some believe as historical performances by Asian athletes at the Olympic Games, held in Rio. No doubt with advances in sports training and education in the region, this has meant that highly driven and talented young athletes have been able to hone their talent and skills and test their physical limits during different regional competitions leading up to the Olympics.
This year’s Olympics, held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, saw 11,303 athletes from over 200 countries compete against the finest sportspeople in their own fields. During the course of the games, we saw countless acts of sportsmanship and heard many inspiring stories. Here are just a few of them.
Lee Eun Ju and Hong Un Jong: Reunification, one selfie at a time
It was an unlikely scene when the image of two athletes from longstanding enemies surfaced. South Korean Lee Eun Ju was only 17 years old and at her first Olympics when she took out her phone and photographed herself with North Korean Hong Un Jong, who is 10 years her elder. During the competition, both of them were seen talking and laughing, showing the world that their spontaneous friendship transcended politics.
North Korea and South Korea has been in a formal state of war since 1950, as no peace treaty was signed following the armistice in 1953.
Amnat Ruenrong: Ex-convict turned boxing superstar
Growing up in poverty, the Thai boxer took the tragically all-too-common path towards crime. In 2007, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for robbing a tourist. While serving his term, he began to take boxing lessons as part of the prison’s boxing program. He was allowed to compete in amateur championships as part of his prison service, and was released early for “good behaviour” in order to let him compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He turned pro in 2012 and saw success when he beat the two-time gold medal Zou Shiming, as well as later winning the IBF Flyweight title. In Rio, however, he failed to defeat France’s Sofiane Oumiha and was eliminated from the tournament.
Yusra Mardini: Refugee, Hero, Athlete
Born in Damascus, Syria, the Syrian-born swimmer had a normal childhood for most of her life. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, she continued to train despite the ongoing conflict. Yusra, along with the rest of her family, fled towards Europe with no money and only the clothes on their backs after their house was destroyed.
After passing through Lebanon and Turkey, the next step of the journey was to cross a passage of open water to the Greek island of Lesbos, off the Turkish coast. Thirty minutes into the crossing, the boat’s motor broke down, leaving the twenty passengers stranded. Yusra, along with her sister Sarah and two other swimmers got into the water and began towing their boat towards the island. Finally, they reached land after a gruelling three and a half hours.
Once she reached Germany, she trained for two to three hours before school every morning, and then again after classes end. She began training to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but managed to enter the Rio Olympics much earlier than her original target as part of the newly-formed Refugee Team.
Fu Yuanhui: China’s national hero
Fu Yuangui’s claim to international fame was when she gave an interview that quickly went viral following the 100m Women’s Backstroke semi-final, where she failed to realise that she came third. In the same interview, she exclaimed “Whoooaah! I was so fast!” and said that she used her “mystic energy” to help her swim. The humorous interview was viewed widely throughout the Chinese internet.
Later on, she was praised for her frankness and candidness when discussing her team’s fourth place finish in the 100m medley relay. When asked if she had stomach pains, she replied simply that she was on her period, breaking the long-held taboo on talking about female menstruation.
Siddikur Rahman: From golf ball collector to golfing pro
When the Bangladeshi first found his passion for golf in 2005, he was collecting golf balls at a golf club in Dhaka. At the age of 8, he made his own makeshift golf iron, and only managed to get a real golf set at the age of 15.
As the first Bangladeshi to qualify for the Olympics (previous contestants were ‘wildcard’ entries - those who didn’t not qualify but were allowed in), Siddikur was the flagbearer of the Bangladeshi team. Outside the Olympics, he competes in the Asian Tour.