Olympic Heroines

Am a writer, fairly quiet most of the time, can go wild when intimidated. In my younger days I used to be a big fan of sports. I liked watching soccer, badminton, grand prix, figure skating...and so on. Goes without saying I liked watching Olympic games.

As remember, there're moments flashed back from different venues or stadiums, when athletes' performances easily touched my heart. However, there's one significant moment I'd bear in mind for the rest of my life. It was 1996 Olympic in Atlanta. KERRI STRUG, The US gymnast who had won the first women's Olympic team gold medal in her nation's history filed into the Georgia Dome for the medal ceremony.

What happened that day Kerri had fallen on her first attempt, badly injured her ankle in the process as everybody had seen. While her six teammates sat in quiet disarray, worried about Kerri and the losing medal, Kerri wanted the second attempt. She sprinted, performed her one-and-a-half twisting Yurchenko vault to near perfection, I cried my eyes out seeing that move. After she landed on one foot she was in great pain, but she came through when it counted. With her unbelievable and incredible determination, she'd made the history in Olympic for her nation.

Moments later, she was carried out to the stadium. I agreed that there was no single American figure who defined that memorable and, in the end, melodramatic victory over the Russians who won the silver medal, and the Romanians who won the bronze. Finally, Kerri Strug was standing alongside her six teammates as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played for a team of US women's gymnasts for the very first time. The seven teenagers who won the gold were Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug. Until now, it has never had a team of women liked that captured hearts, inspirations and a gold medal on the world's biggest sporting event in Atlanta 1996. In an era when women athletes are increasingly more successful throughout the world, the American victory was both timely and emblematic.