Then, a little hesitantly, Yang started to answer the questions. And the more she said, the more shocking it was. The answers were brief, spoken without heart. What emerged was a picture of a young girl who has been kept largely cut off from family and the outside world for more than a year, so she could be intensely trained to win medals for China at its own Olympics.
Were your parents here to see you compete, among the cheering crowds?
"I don't know."
When was the last time you went home?"
"Ummm ... before I joined the national team," Yang said, her small voice hard to hear.
When was that?
"More than a year ago."
Will you go on holiday after the games?
"I don't know."
How many holidays do you get a year?
"I have not had a holiday since I joined the national team."
Sad. With a $40 billion budget, the least the government could do was bring her parents to watch her compete. Though with her medals, her family is probably better off than before. Let's hope she's 16 years old. This would be a lot worse if she was only 14.
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