Chinese Rower Forgets to Show Up for Race

Posted Aug 11, 2008 7:05PM By Tom Ziller (RSS feed)

Among the excuses for failing to bring home a medal in your particular Olympic sport, Chinese rower Zhang Liang has the most embarrassing. Juliet Macur of the New York Times reports Zhang thought he was in a different heat, and no one from the Chinese team made a point to correct him.

Wei Di, the director of China's water sports programs, said that Zhang had thought he was in the third heat of the single, but was actually entered in the second.

"This shows we still have some problems in team organization," Wei told Xinhua, the state-run news agency.

Ya think? Even worse, Zhang's mistake cost him two medal chances -- he didn't show up for the singles race, which means he didn't qualify for the doubles race, which screwed his partner.

This would be a lot more funny if you didn't feel so bad for Zhang, who might fear more than teammate taunting from this episode. I'm not saying the Chinese Olympic federation is made up of frightening thugs or anything, but someone should probably keep a GPS tracker on Zhang. Just in case.

I'm trying to think of a worse cause for losing a potential medal. The chicken pox seems far from noble. But actively cheating by way of steroids, by virtue of its dishonor, probably wins. We'll give Zhang a bronze here, so he doesn't return home empty-handed.

Latest Olympics Photos

Argentina's Emmanuel Lucenti, white, and Britain's Euan Burton compete at the judo half middleweight division preliminaries at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. Britain won. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Russia's Dmitry Kovalev shoots against Egypt during their men's handball preliminary match at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

China's gymnasts Zou Kai, Yang Wei, Xiao Qin, Li Xiaopeng, Huang Xu and Chen Yibing, from left, pose with their medals after winning gold in the men's team final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

China's gymnasts Zou Kai, Yang Wei, Xiao Qin, Li Xiaopeng, Huang Xu and Chen Yibing, from left, pose after winning gold in the men's team final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Daniela Krokower of Argentina, blue, and Catherine Arlove of Australia compete at the judo half middleweight division preliminaries at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. Argentina won. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

China's gymnasts Zou Kai, Yang Wei, Xiao Qin, Li Xiaopeng, Huang Xu and Chen Yibing, from left, jump onto the podium after winning gold in the men's team final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. Far right is Alexander Artemev of the U.S. team who won the bronze medal. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Japan's gymnasts Tomita Hiroyuki, and Sakamoto Toki pose along with China's gymnasts Zou Kai, Yang Wei, Xiao Qin, Li Xiaopeng, Huang Xu and Chen Yibing, from left, during the medal ceremny after the men's team final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. China took the gold, Japan won the silver medal. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

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Gold medalist Jin Jong-oh, from South Korea, right, stands for the national anthem while silver medalist Kim Jong-su, from North Korea, looks on during the medal ceremony for the mens 50m pistol shooting event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

8-11-2008 @ 11:54PM

julamoo said...

Wow, Zhang, I feel so bad. I know how you feel.
So many things pull us across the world.
Then they make us cry
Life is a jerk at times.
I am pulling for yeah

8-12-2008 @ 9:07AM

JW said...

Perfectly said....

My heart aches for how he must feel....how do you ever stop kicking yourself after something like that? Though obviously someone should have been making sure all their athletes knew when they needed to be someplace - all an athlete should have to worry about is their job/performance. Of course - something like this often serves to spur someone one to even greater success so we'll all have to watch for him in the future.

8-12-2008 @ 2:13AM

Maria said...

Poor guy, he must feel horrible

8-12-2008 @ 7:04AM

Tigerlily said...

He's screwed.

8-12-2008 @ 10:17AM

Katie said...

Yep, China has probably already executed him and his entire family, that's the way they roll. Even the men's head gymnastics coach said that he would committ suicide if the team did not win gold. They made him sign a contract that none of his atletes would get injured, how the hell? I would love to see the penalty clause in that contract, did you see the worried look on his face the entire time they were competing? I was rooting for them just so this guy didn't have to "jump off the highest building in Beijing" as he put it.

8-12-2008 @ 7:24AM

Lisa said...

Empty handed, he will probably have no hands. Those barbarians will probably chop them off, telling him "Now you have no more time on your hands to embarrass this nation." China is a joke. My friend just adopted a baby from there 2 weeks ago. The 23 month knew enough that she didn't know when her next meal was coming so she packed food in her jaw like a chipmunk for later. They are monsters to their people.

8-12-2008 @ 7:40AM

Jamesrfitz said...

My ultra conservative Fundamentalist parents have visited China many times and have always said that the people there are in many ways happier than the people in the United States. This surprised them because they went to China with the same ignorant attitude displayed in the comment posted by Lisa said... Now they understand that while China went through a terrible period in its history, the people there committed themselves to building a strong and livable country. Now China faces many challenges and it may not always agree with the United States on policy. Its concept of human rights is much different than ours, but this is not a nation of monsters, any more than the U.S. is. Lisa said... may not be aware of the hunger that is in epidemic proportion in the U.S. and she may not consider the use of torture at Guantanamo or Abu Gharaib to be the moral equivalent of China's treatment of dissidents.

8-12-2008 @ 12:39PM

Alex said...

You mention Gunatanmo tactic but yet never realize, as most liberals forget, sometimes, war is the only way to insure peace. As a little girl you enjoyed this peace rather than being ruled under the iron fist of the Third Reich...Be greatful for our soildiers and the freedoms they died for, just for you...if that doesnt work, please relocate to your ideal China and try to type in you opinion and see how far you get before youre thrown into jail and tortured by this "ideal" country...silly child....

8-12-2008 @ 4:24PM

LIsa said...

Just got home to read you comments on my piece. Maybe kids are hungry in this nation and my heart bleeds for them too, but it isn't our own government ordering them into orphanages or starving them or their other wonderful alternative, forcing abortions. Why don't your ultra conservative parents donate some of that vacation money to the hungry children. Just because your parents can vacation to the "good" parts of China, there is another world over there James ole boy, that I can guarantee they haven't seen. I didn't put down the people. There government is just a nightmare. I feel for the poor Olympian because China hates being embarrassed and he will be dealt with.

8-12-2008 @ 8:11AM

Daniele said...

Yeah, I feel really bad for him. As I was reading the article, I was saying to myself that he needs to leave the country for a couple of years. You never know what might happen to him...and his family for that matter.

Good luck Zhang.

8-12-2008 @ 8:24AM

gahdoo said...

You guys report this like it hasn't happened before...and like it has happened to the US...it happened years ago in track and field...

it happens...people are nervous, I'm sure the rules and schedules are confusing and I'm also sure that when questions are asked by coaches to Olympic personnel, it takes a long time to get answers.

i feel bad for the guy but this isn't news.

8-12-2008 @ 11:33AM

oogiebob said...

This isn't news?! A guy trains for years and years and misses his chance plus takes away someone else's chance at the same time at the biggest single event currently happening in the world and you say this isn't news?! You must be Gen Y.

8-12-2008 @ 11:36AM

Bobby G said...

8-12-2008 @ 8:30AM

Stefan said...

the only two Chinese I have ever felt sorry for are the one who stood in front of a tank in Tennimen Square and this guy. Imagine how all alone both of these guys felt.

8-12-2008 @ 8:39AM

LorettaLRusso said...

Poor fellow. . .I imagine that it is not fun to be Zhiang now. . .I wonder whether the "honourable thing" to do has yet entered his mind. I hope he is on suicide watch by someone who cares about him, and I hope his teammates can forgive him. Likewise, I hope he can forgive his teammates for the obvious glitch in communication. I suppose this serves as a reminder that, for China, the Olympics are about the nation, rather than about the individual's accomplishment in representing the nation.

mousey tongue said...

zhang's for the memories. seriously, folks, zhang will be a memory soon, whether they turn him into dog food or a fence post in upper mongolia, you can bet his apartment will be available shortly. it will start with an arrest for a minor violation, or possibly hospitalization for some vague ailment, and then eventually he will just get lost and disappear. gung ho, fat choy, baby, year of the rat.

8-12-2008 @ 8:50AM

glassesmkr said...

I guess we'll be seeing him in the U.S. "Want pork fried rice with your #9 special?"

8-12-2008 @ 9:08AM

Zeke said...

What does an Art History Major say after graduation?

Do you want fries with that? LOL!

8-12-2008 @ 10:31AM

Mike said...

No, But thank you. I'll have the sessame chicken over fried rice. If you have the time, could you also get me some chinese eggroll. I think you have the time. Could I get this delivered please. Be on time though.

8-12-2008 @ 8:58AM

Well,

You can be he and his family will be cheap prison labor for Wal-Fart very soon, LOL!

"I tell you ever-ting, this man, he looka like a man."