Chen Qian of China tied first in the full score of 1,200 in show jumping on August 22 (Xinhua)

On August 21, when Qian Zhenhua laid himself down on the track only a second after crossing the 3,000-meter run finish line in 10 minutes, 4. 40 seconds, his personal best result at the Olympics--4th overall in the 36-person field--was finally achieved.

"I've already tried my best and I'm satisfied with the whole process, particularly in the fencing section of the event. But it's a bit of a pity that my dismal running performance dashed any hopes I had for medals," said the three-time Chinese Olympian after the match.

Russia's Andrey Moiseev won the gold medal with a score of 5,632 -- 116 points ahead of Qian.

"Winner or loser; that's sport. I know clearly that I have to catch up with others [foreign competitors] in terms of capability."

The modern pentathlon is a one-day event with five disciplines--shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping and running. The best result that Qian had was as champion of the 2005 World Championships. It was the first time that the title went to an Asian.

His previous experiences at the Olympic Games, however, seemed far from satisfying: he finished last in the 24-person field at the 2000 Sydney Games; and 16th among 32 at the 2004 Athens Games.

"The result was doomed to failure because I was a rookie in international events and knew nothing about the Games in Sydney eight years ago," Qian recalls of his first ever Olympics.

He focused on performing better at the Athens Games. Unfortunately, a sudden fracture on his foot during the preparations hampered his ambitions. "Apart from the result, I started to feel the charm of the Olympic Games, the true meaning of competition as well as the happiness of fighting till the end," said the 30-year-old Shanghai native.

"I felt much more relaxed and excited this time on home soil. Maybe it was the so-called 'home advantage.' The competition was by no means an easy job, but it was more about happiness and enjoyment rather than bitterness and pressure," Qian stated.

One day later, Qian's teammates Chen Qian and Xiu Xiu, both at the age of 21, made stunning debuts in the women's event by finishing 5th and 10th respectively. Chen even tied first in the full score of 1,200 in show jumping, together with Sheila Taormina, the 39-year-old American, the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports (the others are swimming and triathlon). Germany's Lena Schoneborn won the gold medal; Taormina finished 19th.

"To be honest, I could only tell three disciplines--swimming, running and show jumping--about the event before I entered the stadium. Now, I can tell about all of them, thanks to the Olympic Games," said a spectator in her 60s surnamed Wang. "Gold medals matter, and it's really a bit of a pity that there were no Chinese athletes to show up on the podium in the victory ceremony, but we know that all the athletes had tried their best. The most important thing is to have fun."