Chinese athlete accused of doping amid hot streak of gold-medal wins
August 1, 2012
China is making quite a splash at the 2012 London Olympics - the Asian nation has already earned 13 gold medals by the end of day four. According to Xinhua, this puts them in the lead for the overall medal tally, and China's major competition is taking place in the water. On Tuesday, Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen not only won the 200-meter individual medley, but her time also broke the Olympic record.
The 16-year-old athlete finished the race in 2 minutes, 7.57 seconds, and did not stop there. CNN reports she followed this achievement by winning the 400-meter individual medley on Saturday. Her victory was not too surprising, but what did shock onlookers and judges alike was that she swam her final 50-meter lap in less time than it took American men's swimming star Ryan Lochte. Since traditionally men have faster times than women, many began to question Ye's ability to perform such a feat.
Questions have been raised as to whether the Chinese athlete may have used banned performance-enhancing drugs to be able to swim faster than the leading male swimmer, which has outraged many Chinese people. Xu Guoqi, a history professor from the University of Hong Kong who specializes in Sino-U.S. relations, said the accusations are not just anti-Chinese, but "anti-Olympian."
"As we all know, the Olympic goals are 'faster, higher, stronger.' We are expected to be shocked and awed by breathtaking performances from world athletes in Olympic Games," Xu told CNN.
Those who want to discuss the controversy with their friends can make calls to China with international phone cards.