The Crying Games
Report
As the national anthem of the Dominican Republic played, Felix Sanchez cried uncontrollably. The winner of the 400m hurdles took deep breaths, trying to regain(恢复) his composure, but his bottomlip continued to wobble and his tears continued to flow. He is not the only one to have shown his soft side at London 2012.Countless athletes across all disciplines have been weeping onpodiums. The former Olympic table tennis player, Matthew Syed, says this wellspring of emotion(情感) is understandable(可以理解的).
Matthew Syed, former Olympic table tennis player:
This is one of the great joys of the Olympics. It is like a wonderfulopportunity(时机) to experience emotional(情绪的) intensity, for us as viewers, for the athletes too. And when you deconstruct what they've gone through to get to this stage: the sacrifices, all of the hardships, the ambitions(野心), the neurosis, that is wound up in that moment, you can kind of understand why it sometimes gets too much for them.
All that pressure leads to tears of despair as well. The Chineseweightlifter, Wu Jingbao, said he was ashamed for disgracing the motherland after failing to win gold. And the Olympic hosts - famedfor their stiff upper lip - have been choking up along with the best of them. The British Olympic champions Victoria Pendleton, Chris Hoy, and Jess Ennis, all wept openly as they collected their medals.
Vocabulary
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uncontrollably
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without being able to stop
composure
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control of emotions(情感) or calm feeling
countless
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many
disciplines
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types of sporting activities
podiums
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small platforms where people stand to receive their medals
deconstruct
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analyse(分析) or take apart(相距)
neurosis
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excessive and irrational anxiety
disgracing
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bringing shame on
stiff
upper
lip
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self-restraint in expressing emotion
choking up
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getting emotional