倫敦奧運：激勵人心的五大瞬間

2012年夏天，我們見證了倫敦奧運賽場上太多的精彩瞬間，也看到諸多悲情場面……我們為獎牌獲得者歡呼喝彩，也為奮力拼搏卻與獎牌失之交臂的選手扼腕嘆息，但真正讓我們感動的，是賽場上那一幕幕超越了競賽意義的“人間戲劇”，這些“戲劇”的主人公也許并不是傳統意義上的賽場英雄，但他們的行動所展現的生命意義和人性閃光點卻讓我們深感震撼、備受激勵。

We have heard and seen it all. “Inspire a generation” was the slogan of London Olympics and inspire it did. Now let’s look back at 5 inspiring moments of London Olympics 2012.

Oscar Pistorius： Blade Runner

Who couldn’t help cheering for Oscar Pistorius， the South African sprinter and double—amputee1）， who fought to compete in the London Games. Pistorius was born without fibulas2） so his legs were amputated from below the knees before he was one. But that didn’t stop him from becoming an athlete.

Pistorius’ competitive career came after he was outfitted3） with a pair of carbon fiber blades， which allowed him to race. Not content with racing against the disabled， Pistorius successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee to allow him to compete with non—disabled athletes， making him the first to do so in Olympic history. Oscar ran valiantly in several events， including the 4x400 m relay， but walked away empty—handed. Still， given the odds stacked against him4） from birth， coming as far as he has is its own reward.

Liu Xiang： Never Give Up

China’s Liu Xiang came with a big expectation but he crashed at the first barrier of his heat5）. He crashed to the track， stunned and dazed， then picked himself up and hopped off the track. In a poignant act of atonement6）， he hopped back out on the track and proceeded to bound one—legged down the outside of the hurdles. Finally， reaching the last row， he veered infield to his lane， rested his head on what should have been the last hurdle on his run to greatness and paused for a moment before hopping through to the finish line.

There is no place to hide at the Olympic Games. The whole human drama was played out in front of 80，000 hushed spectators and millions around the world， our hearts going out to him7）. Liu could have limped off and not participated further but as with great athletes， he showed us how to finish the race and to complete it with respect.

Kenyans： Showing Great Teamwork in the Marathon

The marathon features individual performances of endurance， but two runners from Kenya showed remarkable teamwork during the women’s marathon on Sunday 5 August. Near the 10 km mark， Edna Kiplagat wasn’t able to grab a bottle from the water station. Her teammate Mary Keitany was， so the pair found a simple solution. They shared their water bottle.

It seems like such a small gesture， but remember these women are fighting for an Olympic gold medal. Instead of taking advantage of Kiplagat， Keitany offered her fellow Kenyan a hand.

Wojdan Shaherkhani： Paving Way for Women

Wojdan Shaherkhani， the Saudi8） judo9） player who is the first woman ever to compete for the conservative kingdom， lost her bout against Puerto Rico’s Melissa Mojica in the Women’s +78 kg division in 82 seconds， but it was still a big moment. “I am happy to be at the Olympics，” she whispered in Arabic after the bout， her father holding both her arms. “Unfortunately， we did not win a medal， but in the future we will.”

There were worries Shaherkhani wouldn’t make it to the mat because the International Judo Federation ruled she could not wear the hijab10）， the traditional Muslim hair covering. The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee stipulated11） they would only allow women to compete if they wore the hijab， so there were worries Shaherkhani would withdraw. Fortunately， the two sides came to an agreement， and Shaherkhani wore the hijab onto the mat. Most judo Olympians are black belts with years of international experience. Shaherkhani is a blue belt who has practiced the sport for two years， so the loss was not surprising. The crowd stood and cheered for her anyway， appreciative of what she had done.

The result doesn’t matter. She competed on behalf of a country that doesn’t allow women to drive cars or be out unattended. Whether her hand was raised or not， Shaherkhani scored a huge win for women.

Matt Emmons： Redemption in the Shade of Bronze

Matt Emmons earned a coveted spot on the podium and shook off his own curse—sort of.

Emmons， 31， won a gold medal at the Athens Games in 2004 in the 50—meter rifle prone and a silver medal in Beijing in 2008. But at both Games， Emmons misfired on his final shot in the 50—meter rifle three positions12）， missing out on a spot at the podium both times.

Heading into the 50—meter rifle three positions final on August 6 2012， Emmons was in second place with a score of 1，172， trailing Niccolo Campriani of Italy， who scored 1，180. Many wondered whether Emmons would earn the podium or choke on that final shot. Emmons made his 10th shot， and the crowd held its breath waiting for the result. Then， the score popped up. On the fateful last shot， Emmons foundered13）， shooting 7.6. He and the crowd at the Royal Artillery Barracks14） waited to see whether he would make the podium. He earned a bronze medal.

“Just to be on the podium at the Olympics is a very special feeling，” Emmons said. “And I’m very， very happy for that. I’m very happy to be up there with bronze.” Heading into the final shot， “I was much more nervous than I wanted to be，” he said. Perhaps the greatest challenges to his dominance came off the shooting range. The last four years have been “really tough，” Emmons said.

In August 2010， Emmons was preparing to go to the Youth Olympic Games15） and was not feeling well. He saw a doctor， thinking something was wrong with his sinuses. The doctor told Emmons not to go on the trip. Thyroid16） cancer was diagnosed after further examination. Instead， Emmons made a trip to New York for treatment at Sloan—Kettering. “After going through a situation like that，” Emmons said， now in good health， “just being alive is good.… There are much bigger and more important things than pulling a trigger and trying to stand on a podium.”

關于倫敦奧運會的種種，我們都已耳聞目睹。它的口號是“激勵一代人”，而它也的確做到了。現在，就讓我們重溫一下2012年倫敦奧運會上那鼓舞人心的五個瞬間。

奧斯卡·皮斯托瑞斯：刀鋒戰士

南非短跑選手奧斯卡·皮斯托瑞斯雙腿截肢，卻在倫敦奧運會上奮力拼搏，世人無不為之喝彩。皮斯托瑞斯天生沒有腓骨，因此在還不滿一歲時，他的雙腿自膝蓋以下就被截肢了。但這并沒有阻止他成為一名運動員。

皮斯托瑞斯的競技生涯是在雙腿安裝了一對碳素纖維刀片之后開始的——正是這對刀片讓他得以參加賽跑。皮斯托瑞斯并不僅僅滿足于和殘疾人比賽，他成功說服了國際奧委會，讓他們同意自己與正常人同場競技，并由此成為奧運史上第一位與正常人同場競技的殘疾人。奧斯卡頑強地參加了數場比賽，其中包括4x400米接力，不過都空手而歸。盡管如此，有著先天缺陷的他能一路堅持下來，這本身就是一種褒獎。

Remarks：他不是一個健全的人，卻要求和健全人站在同一起跑線上競賽。他用他的執著和堅持圓了自己“跑”進奧運會的夢想，而這無疑將使他成為奧運史上一個永遠的傳奇。

劉翔：堅持到底

劉翔的登場承載了太多的期待，可他卻在預賽跨第一道欄時就摔倒了。他倒在跑道上，顯得驚愕而茫然，之后他爬了起來，單腿跳著離開了跑道。后來，他以令人心酸的方式對自己的表現進行了彌補。他跳回到跑道上，沿著跨欄外側一路單腿跳躍。當終于抵達最后一排跨欄時，他轉入場內，來到自己的賽道上，將頭放在那本應成就他跨向輝煌的最后一道欄上，停頓了片刻，然后一路跳著到達終點。

在奧運賽場上，他無處可藏。這整個戲劇性的場面全部展現在現場鴉雀無聲的八萬名觀眾和全世界數百萬人眼前。我們對劉翔深表同情。他本可以一瘸一拐地告別賽場，無需繼續參與下去。但就像所有偉大的運動員那樣，他用行動向我們展示了該如何心懷敬意地結束和完成比賽。

Remarks：劉翔一路走來承載了太多的期望和壓力，所以當他摔倒在跑道上時才會牽動那么多人的神經，一時間人們不知道該用什么詞匯表達自己的情緒：痛惜、憐憫、懷疑、憤怒……但當劉翔爬起，忍痛完成對他來說或許是最后一屆奧運比賽時，我想觀眾心里更該有的是感動和敬意。

肯尼亞選手：馬拉松賽中彰顯團隊精神

馬拉松比賽突顯的是個人在耐力方面的表現，但在8月5日周日那天的女子馬拉松賽中，兩位來自肯尼亞的賽跑選手卻展示出非凡的協作精神。在比賽接近十公里處時，埃德娜·基普拉加特沒能從飲水點拿到瓶裝水，而她的隊友瑪麗·凱塔尼拿到了。于是兩人想到了一個簡單的解決辦法：共用一瓶水。

這一舉動看似很不起眼，但要知道，這些女選手們是為了同一塊奧運金牌而戰的。對于基普拉加特，凱塔尼并沒有乘人之危，相反，她向自己的肯尼亞同胞伸出了援助之手。

Remarks：為了能爭取到奧運會的比賽資格，有多少曾經親密的隊友反目成仇；為了在四年一度的奧運會上得到一枚金牌，有多少人把對手的傷痛看做是自己贏得比賽的難得時機。然而，當同胞兼對手陷入困境，凱塔尼卻慷慨地伸出了援手。雖然只是一個小小的動作，但足以令所有觀眾為之動容。

沃丹·沙赫卡尼：為沙特女性打開一扇門

沙特柔道選手沃丹·沙赫卡尼是迄今為止第一位代表這個保守國度參加比賽的女性。在女子78公斤以上級比賽中，她出場82秒便被來自波多黎各的梅利莎·莫伊察打敗，但這仍舊是一個十分重要的時刻。“我很高興能參加奧運會，”賽后她用阿拉伯語低聲說道，其間她的父親握著她的雙臂，“遺憾的是，我們沒能贏得一枚獎牌，但是將來我們一定會的。”

人們曾擔心沙赫卡尼無法在柔道場上亮相，因為國際柔道聯合會禁止她戴穆斯林傳統的頭巾參加比賽，而沙特奧委會卻只允許女性在戴著頭巾的前提下參賽。所以，人們擔心沙赫卡尼會因此退賽。值得慶幸的是，最終雙方達成了一致，沙赫卡尼才得以戴著頭巾踏上柔道場。參加奧運會的大多數柔道運動員都是有著多年國際比賽經驗的黑帶選手，而沙赫卡尼卻只是個藍帶選手，從事這項運動才兩年，因此她的失敗不足為奇。但不管怎樣，觀眾們還是紛紛站起來為她喝彩歡呼，對她所付出的努力表示贊賞。

結果并不重要。沙赫卡尼是代表一個禁止女性開車或者獨自外出的國家來參加比賽的。無論她的手有沒有被高高舉起，她都為女性贏得了偉大的勝利。

Remarks：她不是厲害的柔道選手，也不是奧運會上的奪金熱門。她在奧運會上出現，只是為了爭取到本該屬于自己的權利。她雖然輸掉了一次比賽，但卻為沙特婦女爭取屬于自己的權利贏得了機會，觀眾的歡呼和支持是對她最大的褒獎。

馬特·埃蒙斯：銅牌的救贖

這一次，馬特·埃蒙斯站到了夢寐以求的領獎臺上。從某種意義上說，他終于擺脫了“被施”的魔咒。

現年31歲的埃蒙斯在2004年雅典奧運會50米步槍臥射比賽中奪得一枚金牌，在2008年北京奧運會的該項目中拿到一枚銀牌。但在兩屆奧運會的50米步槍三姿射擊比賽中，他都在最后一槍出現失誤，從而兩次與領獎臺擦肩而過。

2012年8月6日，進入50米步槍三姿射擊比賽決賽時，埃蒙斯以1172環的成績排名第二，落后于打出1180環的意大利選手尼科洛·康普里亞尼。許多人都想知道，這一次，埃蒙斯究竟是能站到領獎臺上，還是落敗于最后一槍。埃蒙斯打出了第十槍，觀眾們屏住呼吸，等待結果出來。隨后，成績出現了。埃蒙斯又功虧一簣于這宿命般的最后一槍，他打出了7.6環。他和皇家炮兵軍營內的現場觀眾們都翹首以盼，想知道他能否站在領獎臺上。最終，他獲得了一塊銅牌。

“僅僅站在奧運會領獎臺上就是一種很特別的感覺，”埃蒙斯說，“我對此感到很開心，獲得一枚銅牌我非常開心。”準備打出最后一槍時，“我不想緊張，但事實上卻非常緊張。”他說。他的控制力所面臨的最大挑戰也許并不是射擊比賽本身。埃蒙斯說，過去的四年“真的非常艱難”。

2010年8月，正在備戰青年奧運會的埃蒙斯感到身體不適。他去看了醫生，覺得可能是自己的鼻竇出了問題。醫生勸告埃蒙斯不要再去參加比賽。經進一步檢查，他被診斷為甲狀腺癌。埃蒙斯沒有去參賽，而是去了紐約，在斯隆—凱特琳癌癥中心接受治療。“有了這段經歷之后，”現在健康狀況良好的埃蒙斯說，“我覺得只要能活著就已經很好……生活中還有很多事情，比扣動扳機和試圖站在領獎臺上更重要、更有意義。”

Remarks：命運似乎總喜歡和埃蒙斯開玩笑，兩屆奧運會他都戲劇性地毀在最后一槍。賽場失意，之后又遭遇癌癥折磨，年紀輕輕的他經歷了太多人生考驗。值得慶幸的是，命運在捉弄他的同時也給了他生活的希望和勇氣：他收獲了甜蜜的愛情，并享受到了初為人父的快樂。當他把比賽看淡，“魔咒”也不除自破：他穩穩打出最后一槍，開心地站在了領獎臺上。

1.amputee [??mpj??ti?] n. 被截肢者，肢體被切除者

2.fibula [?f?bj?l?] n. [解]腓骨

3.outfit [?a?tf?t] vt. 配備，裝備

4.the odds are stacked against sb.：形勢對某人不利

5.heat [hi?t] n. 預賽

6.atonement [??t??nm（?）nt] n. 補償，彌補

7.one’s heart goes out to sb.：對某人表示同情

8.Saudi [?sa?di， ?s??di] adj. 沙特阿拉伯國家（人）的

9.judo [?d?u?d??] n. 柔道（日本的一種拳術）

10.hijab [h??d?ɑ?b] n. 穆斯林婦女戴的面紗（或頭巾）

11.stipulate [?st?pj?le?t] vt. 規定

12.50—meter rifle three positions：50米步槍三姿比賽，是一個國際射擊運動聯盟射擊比賽項目。三姿指臥姿、立姿和跪姿。

13.founder [?fa?nd?（r）] vi. 失敗

14.the Royal Artillery Barracks：皇家炮兵軍營，位于倫敦沃爾維奇港口。倫敦奧運會期間，皇家炮兵軍營是舉辦射擊比賽的場館。

15.the Youth Olympic Games：青年奧林匹克運動會，簡稱青年奧運會或青奧會。它是一項專為年輕人設立的體育賽事，每四年舉辦一屆。

16.thyroid [?θa?r??d] n. 甲狀腺