Marcher Qieyang Shenjie won the first medal in history for the Tibetan people, an event that united Chinese and Tibetans for the first time
EFE/SPORT.es
Qieyang achieved historic bronze medal | Photo: EFE
Read the original: The first Tibetan medal
EFE/SPORT.es | 12.08.2012 | 11:33h
Qieyang, born in the western Chinese province of Qinghai (also birthplace of the Dalai Lama), achieved a surprising bronze in 20 kilometers march in his first participation in the Olympic Games, being the first Tibetan to compete in some.
During the race, los aficionados chinos la animaban con banderas nacionales y gritos de "jia you" (the most used shout of encouragement in Mandarin, que significa "pon gasolina"), while the Tibetans in exile, always very active in the UK, mostraban banderas independentistas prohibidas en China mientras gritaban "gyuk", algo así como "ánimo" in Tibetan.
Qieyang, of 22 years, has not received much attention from the official Chinese media, since in them only the golds have a leading role in a country that wins many medals every day, but the Tibetan independence groups have highlighted it. "Aunque lleve una bandera china en su pecho, su sangre es tibetana y representa a este pueblo", The organization Free Tibet points out in an article.
After his bronze, The young woman avoided answering questions with political overtones at a press conference, although days before the competition, in an interview for Chinese television, se definió a sí misma como "tibetana".
