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Burdened By China's Gold Standard
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During her first competition, she was so stressed that she fainted. But she eventually came to like the sport so much that she paid her own way through sports school.
Du, who through the Beijing Olympic committee declined to be interviewed, has previously described herself as a typical 20-something who likes to shop, listen to music, watch blockbuster movies, and sometimes play online games.
Zhou Shibing, Du's sports school coach from her middle school years, watched last Saturday's match with Du's parents in their home town of Yiyuan and spoke with the athlete after she lost.
"The first time I called her, she was all crying. I was comforting her, but she was just bursting into tears," Zhou said.
Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic, the athlete who won the gold in Du's event, said she felt so bad for Du that she wanted to give her flowers -- the ones medal winners are given.
"The Chinese press is putting a lot of pressure on the athletes, and it's really hard to handle," Emmons said.
Even after Du captured gold on Thursday, some Chinese suggested it wasn't enough.
"The gold she could have won is the first Olympic gold medal for Chinese athletes in their home country. It is an opportunity in a thousand years," said Wang, the associate professor at Zhejiang University.
"So it is more important than any other gold medals," Wang said. "It is a regret you can never compensate for."
On Friday, state-run media sounded more sympathetic about Du's earlier performance, saying that she had "turned her defeat into victory" and that she is still the "apple of the eyes of Chinese sports fans and opponents alike."
Du said that after her loss she was so upset that she thought about pulling out of the Games altogether. She said, though, that some die-hard supporters cheered her on -- showing what a difference a supportive fan base can make in an athlete's performance.
"The five days seemed to me longer than four years," Du said, according to the New China News Agency. "But many people offered me their support and encouragement, some volunteers sent me cards, which made me realize that I couldn't give up, and I have no reason to give up."
Researchers Wu Meng and Crissie Ding contributed to this report.
