体坛英语资讯：Curtain on Paralympics to come down, but spirit lives on_娱乐

体坛英语资讯：Curtain on Paralympics to come down, but spirit lives on

Natalie du Toit created headlines even during the Olympics, swimming the women's marathon (10 km) and becoming the first amputee to do so. The South African won the gold in all the five events she took part in the Paralympics.

体坛英语资讯：Curtain on Paralympics to come down, but spirit lives on3

Gold medalist Natalie Du Toit (C) of South Africa, silver medalist Irina Grazhdanova (L) of Russia and bronze medalist Louise Watkin of Great Britain pose for group photos during the awarding ceremony of women's 50m freestyle S9 of Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, Sept. 14, 2008.

The Paralympics is about Oscar Pistorius too. Having failed to qualify for the Olympics, he was expected to create the tracks on fire during the Paralympics, and he did exactly that. The double amputee won three golds. But these are only victories. And Paralympics is not about winning alone. It's about the feeling of equality - or superiority because the physically challenged have to put in more efforts than others.

体坛英语资讯：Curtain on Paralympics to come down, but spirit lives on4

South Africa's Oscar Pistorius celebrates after crossing the finish line during the final of the men's 400m T44 event at the National Stadium，also known as the Bird's Nest，during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Sept. 16, 2008. Pistorius claimed the title of the event with a result of 47.49 seconds and set a new world record.

It's about things that more able-bodied athletes tried but could not achieve. It's about the Chinese men's footbal team, in the 5-a-side version. It's about an almost raw Chinese team beating Britain, Argentina, the Republic of Korea and Spain, and drawing with Brazil - something their more famous brethren cannot even think of. And more than anything it's about the way people look at the physically challenged in today's society. That was on show - in the stadiums, out on the streets, in the way people talked about them around dinner tables or while watching them on TV create history, and about the little children who, thanks to promotions and publicities, will grow up thinking about them as one of their own.