Despite having failed to qualify for the men's 200m breaststroke finals at the Beijing Olympics, cancer-stricken US swimmer Eric Shanteau won an unexpected "gold medal" from the Chinese.
He was presented with the award from the Shanghai-based Cancer Rehabilitation Club for his fight against the disease, in the presence of 200 cancer patients from Shanghai.
US swimmer Eric Shanteau competes during the men's 200m breaststroke swimming semifinal at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 13, 2008. [Agencies]
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"In the people's mind, you've already won a gold medal of lifetime significance. You've demonstrated great Olympic spirit with your actions," Yuan Zhengping, head of the club, told Shanteau while presenting the gift to him Saturday evening.
"People are thinking I am representing the Olympic spirit, but I find you are doing the same thing with your strong will, so you are my heroes and heroines," Shanteau told the patients, reported the People's Daily.
The 24-year-old athlete was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June, just weeks before last month's US trials. Nevertheless, he beat out Brendan Hansen, earning a trip to China. Shanteau decided to put off surgery until after the Games.
He came tenth in Wednesday's heats, failing to qualify for the final round of competition. But, an excited Shanteau said the medal meant more to him than any other medal he has won.
The cancer club's members started a campaign five years ago, urging each other to save 2 yuan (29 US cents) a day as the expense to go to Beijing to watch the Olympics in 2008.
They only managed to save 3,650 yuan, but their stories won support from the public, who raised more than 200,000 yuan, which enabled 198 of them to come to the Beijing Games.
A mobile communications company in Shanghai heard the news and decided to donate 200 tickets to the club's members.
The Shanghai company has also decided to buy Shanteau a ticket to the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
"Beijing is a great city and my memory here will be unforgetable, but Shanghai is a great city, too, and I will be looking forward to that day by day and meet you there," he said, reported Shanghai's Jiefang Daily.
China Daily-Xinhua
