Beijing - Chinese gymnast Yang Wei added some much needed atmosphere to proceedings on his way to gold in the men's all-around gymnastics final Thursday but later struck a more serious note as he remembered the Chinese people who died in disasters this year. Yang was clearly the crowd favourite in the National Indoor stadium and was not shy about calling on their support after each discipline.
The 28-year-old didn't let his fans down either as he celebrated a comprehensive victory with a massive total of 94.575 points for the six disciplines finishing well ahead of Japan's Kohei Ushimura and surprise bronze medallist Benoit Caranobe of France.
"The crowd was very enthusiastic," said Yang. "It's tremendous and that's the feeling I have now."
But Yang remembered the victims of the many disasters that China has suffered this year.
He said: "I think the Chinese team is responsible for a lot of the Chinese people's dreams. We have not had a great year in China. We have seen a lot of disasters."
Over 70,000 Chinese perished in the Sichuan earthquake in May but there was also a snow disaster in January, serious flooding in several areas and a high-speed train crash in April that left 66 dead.
All-around world champion Yang won his first gold of the Beijing Games on Tuesday with China in the team event to go with the one he secured at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
He also has an individual all-around silver from Australia but actually considered retiring after the Athens Games when the Chinese team failed to win a medal and he finished down in 7th place in the individual.
"After I came back to China I thought about retiring but Huang Xu, who has been not just my coach but my mentor for many years, encouraged me to continue.
"He said: 'you didn't win in your peak form but that doesn't mean you will never win. 2008 is a good chance for you,' and I seized the moment."
Yang bounced back from his Athens disappointment by winning individual and team all-around world titles in 2006 and 2007 and said this showed that a person's dream can come through if they have the support.
"Many young people are lost and don't know what to do. Maybe we (athletes) can serve as a good example and help them find what what they were looking for," he said.
