By MARCUS HAYES
Philadelphia Daily News, August 25, 2008
BEIJING - Michael Phelps became Mr. Olympics. Usain Bolt became Superman 2. Kobe proved he's the real King.
But more than anything, this Olympics in this nation of oppression was about Todd Bachman.
China cleaned up its capital, spit-shined itself in its Sunday best and opened its doors. But it still wasn't pretty, and it still wasn't open.
Phelps swam to eight gold medals and now has 14, total, and broke both records that Mark Spitz once held.
Bolt has only himself to fear in the blue-ribbon sprints, and, at 22, his reign should be long.
Kobe, not LeBron, is the world's most-loved hoops player; globally, Phelps and Bolt might be hot enough to be part of Kobe's posse.
Before any of it, on Day 1 of competition, Bachman, a millionaire from America's heartland, was stabbed to death at lunchtime at the site of Beijing's first timepiece. His wife was nearly slain, too. His daughter, a former Olympic volleyball player, watched it. A local guide was injured.
It was as if it never happened.
The public was not notified of the slaying for 3 { hours.
Residents and business owners near the scene immediately were warned by police and "volunteers" to erase their memories and seal their lips.
With terror in their eyes, they forgot, and shut up.
That's what this country is about. Here, the government, not the people, controls what you say, what you read, what you do and how many babies you can have (one).
This should be a clear lesson to any American who willingly surrenders any freedom in the name of anything.
There can be vigilance without fascism. There cannot be communism without fascism. At least, there has not been.
As Phelps swam better and Bolt ran faster and Kobe and his mates redeemed their indifferences of the recent past, the Drum Tower - or, rather, the crime scene - was closed for the duration.
Barbara Bachman was treated at a hospital and released - to the United States. Her daughter, Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon, went with her. Neither has commented on the incident.
Not coincidentally, Hugh McCutcheon, Elisabeth's husband, is a United States Olympic Committee employee - the men's volleyball coach.
The guide, a 26-year-old woman, never completely identified, has disappeared.
The USOC and International Olympic Committee were completely complicit with the Chinese government's wish to mute the horror. They continue to be so.
USOC chief Peter Ueberroth said his organization investigated the matter. Ueberroth provided no specifics about the investigation or the attacker, a 47-year-old named Tang Yongming, who, according only to the government, jumped to his death after the attack.
Ueberroth said he was convinced the attack was not politically motivated. He called the attacker "crazy."
He provided no evidence for either.
Perhaps Tang was unstable, and perhaps he acted alone, but there remains significant relevance in the act. It was a knife attack on Westerners in a tower once used as a museum of nationalism, if not xenophobia, since the museum recounted historic aggressions by foreigners toward China.
Ueberroth, the IOC and the Chinese government have not addressed those points.
This is what happens when absolute power reigns. This, for Americans, should be terrifying.
Despite sanitized global television coverage and virtually no coverage here, the slaying and its murky aftermath marred the rest of a well-presented, well-organized celebration of an emerging country.
An army of eager Chinese college students aching for its country's global acceptance forsook better pay and endured hours-long commutes to supply the backbone of a chillingly efficient volunteer corps.
"I do this as a service to my country," one food worker said.
She and her legion were riveted by China's dominance here, its 51 gold medals, its table-tennis sweep, its tainted all-around women's gymnastics gold.
So, a tumbler or two might have been underage. Remember: This is a nation that creates its own rules, and its own dodgy passports, and its own secretive investigations into slayings of Americans.
In light of the gravity of the Bachman killing, the obvious illegality of the Chinese girls seemed almost too absurd to address. Besides, it's gymnastics, an inherently corruptible and subjective discipline.
And there were so many other stories to follow:
-The ascension of U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin, now more successful than Mary Lou Retton, at the expense of spunky world champion Shawn Johnson, who was supposed to be the new Mary Lou.
-Team captain Alicia Sacramone's reprise of her 2004 implosion at trials, this time during the team competition here, when she fell during her beam and floor routines - but, thanks to curves and cheekbones, wound up an Internet star.
-The phenomenon of Kobe, surely more beloved in the rest of the world than in his own country.
-Shooter Matt Emmons' sequel to his choke in 2004; leading, he shot at the wrong target in Athens; leading, and shot too early here.
-Japan's upset of America in softball, the first time the Americans didn't win gold, followed the next day by Korea's win over powerhouse Cuba, since Cuba had won three of the four baseball golds. It possibly was the last games for both sports; both are out for 2012. Take that, America's Game.
-Carli Lloyd's overtime blast winning women's soccer gold for the overmatched U.S., which beat rival Brazil and exorcised a year of controversy. Delran (N.J.) couldn't be prouder.
-Retired gymnast Li Ning, more commonly known by many Americans as "That Chinese dude who ran around the top of the stadium" at opening ceremonies.
-The super-cool Water Cube pool; the super-weird Bird's Nest stadium.
-R-rated, prime-time, mostly nude women's beach volleyball. In the rain.
And, more than anything, Todd Bachman.
Dead.
"I fear this will make Americans think Chinese are bad," one thoughtful young Chinese said.
Hopefully, it will not make Americans think the Chinese are bad.
Hopefully, it will make Americans better appreciate their rights and freedoms.