Shot put may not be popular in Poland [is it popular anywhere?] but this didn’t stop Tomasz Majewski from becoming a shot putter. It paid off big time when he won the gold medal in Beijing. Time for our Polish friends to perhaps pay more attention to the sport but Tomasz isn’t optimistic.

The silver and bronze medals for this event went to Christian Cantwell of the United States and Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus.

Photo source: chinadaily

Aha, Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene of Ethiopia, is a flag draper (a variation of the Olympic “art” of flag waving). She set a new Olympic record in the women’s 10,000 meter run and bagged herself a gold medal. Congratulations to you, Tirunesh.

Expect more gold medals for Ethiopia in distance running because they tend to dominate the discipline.

Ethiopia Related:
CAA 2008: Melkamu Emerges From Compatriot’s Shadow
CAA 2008: Ethiopians Sweep Men’s 10,000 Meters
Don’t Jog In the Smog

Photo source: beijing2008

China’s answer to the U.S. victories in the Olympic swimming pool on Day 7 came from weightlifting, judo, and the badminton duo of Yu Yang and Du Jing who beat South Korea’s Lee Hyo-jung and Lee Kyung-won to pocket the gold, China’s 26th overall, in women’s badminton doubles.

So what’s the gold medal race like at the end of Day 7? It’s China with 26 golds and the U.S. with 14 golds.

Photo: xinhua via beijing2008

Tong Wen sure deserves to be lifted by her coaches after winning the gold, China’s 25th, in women’s judo, 85 kg category.

Photo source: xinhua/beijing2008

Chinese athletes do rule weightlifting, no? They grabbed eight of the 11 gold medals awarded so far. Here’s China’s Lu Yong celebrating after winning gold medal number 24 for China. Lu tied with Andrei Rybakou of Belarus as both lifted 394 kilos but he was awarded the gold because he registered a lighter body weight during the weigh-in.

Armenia’s Tigran Varban Martirosyan won the bronze medal for this event (weightlifting, 85 kg category).

Photo credit: gettyimages via beijing2008