On February 12, Nathan Crumpton hugged The German star Christopher Grottcher, who had just won the men's steel frame bobsleigh title at the Winter Olympic Village in Yanqing, and congratulated the other party on winning the gold medal.
In the Crompton race
As the only athlete from the Pacific island nation American Samoa delegation, Crumpton played smoothly in last night's competition, ranking 19th with a total time of 4:06.80.
Although the results are not outstanding, this does not prevent Crumpton from becoming one of the most eye-catching players in this Winter Olympics.
Bare shoulders are not for show muscles
The name Clampton is unfamiliar to most people. But if you mention the "grandpa" flag bearer who participated in the entrance ceremony naked at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, I believe many people have a deep impression.
At the opening ceremony a week ago, Crompton walked into the Nest of the National Stadium in the traditional Pacific Island costume lavalava (a printed cloth short apron), bare arms, herringbone drag on his feet and holding the national flag. At the time, the temperature outside in Beijing was minus 5 degrees Celsius, and Clempton, a topless man with a dark complexion and perfect abs, applied only a layer of oil to the surface of the skin for protection.
His outfit contrasted with the venue guides in winter coats on either side, and the audience focused their camera lenses on him. During the opening ceremony, Clempton also instantly appeared on the hot search list of social media, becoming the object of praise and tribute from Chinese and foreign netizens. At the same time, the term "American Samoa standard-bearer" has also become a hot search term on social media at home and abroad, and photos of Crumpton shirtless have gone viral online. Netizens praised him as "brave" and "bold", showing a "different Olympic spirit".
Speaking about this highlight moment, Crumpton modestly said that he did not expect that after the opening ceremony, he would suddenly become an Internet celebrity in the eyes of hundreds of millions of Chinese audiences, "In fact, my purpose is not to show my muscles and body, but to share and show the traditional culture of Samoa." At the opening ceremonies of recent Olympic Games, flag bearers of many countries have used this opportunity to show the world their own characteristic costumes and culture. At the Winter Olympics, there were not many delegations from the tropical and Pacific island countries, so I seized this opportunity. ”
Many people care that he doesn't feel cold when he goes shirtless outside in the cold? Crumpton smiled and replied, "Compared to the upper body, I think my hands are colder, because I am holding the flag all the time, and it feels a bit frozen." ”
Be a good buddy with the gold medalist
Crumpton, 36, began practicing steel-frame bobsleigh in 2011 after watching the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In the first three rounds of the men's steel frame bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics, Crompton finished 19th and advanced to the fourth round of skating. He skated his best lap time of 1:01.49 in the fourth round and finished 19th in the race.
Crumpton thought the result was justified. "I'm very excited to come to Beijing to compete. Compared to the first two rounds, I performed better in the last two skates and skated my fastest lap. Despite some mistakes, it was generally acceptable and it was a pleasure to finish with such a result. ”
During the conversation, Crumpton pulled out his mobile phone to show reporters the congratulatory text message sent to him by champion Grote Hull before the game, "You see, the champion is my good buddy, we have competed in the same game many times. He was really good, and after only 6 trial runs, he skated a single lap record of 1 minute in Beijing. I don't think I could have skated faster than him in this life, but it didn't affect the friendship between us. Crompton said with a smile.
It is not easy to participate in the Winter and Summer Olympics
It is worth mentioning that Crumpton is one of the few "cross-season" participants in the history of the Olympic Games. At last year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he competed in the 100m and is an athlete with a keen interest in skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking.
For more than half a year, he has participated in the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympic Games, and Krompton is quite proud, "Indeed, this is not an easy task for my body, although the 100-meter run and the steel frame snowmobile need some track and field training foundation, the starting skills can also be applied to the two projects, but the training method and the venue can be very different." Juggling both events at the same time was extremely difficult for me, but I was proud of my decision to achieve my goal of participating in the Olympics 'across seasons'. ”
At this Winter Olympics, he only participated in one project of steel frame snowmobiles, which also means that the Beijing Winter Olympics trip belonging to Clempton is over. For his next plan, Crumpton thought about it for a while and said, "Let me enjoy the vacation first, I have been training hard for more than half a year." Of course, I still look forward to the opportunity to stand on the Olympic stage again. ”
As for what project to participate in next time, Crompton smiled evilly and blinked, "Keep it a secret for the time being, maybe it's a brand new attempt, who knows, haha." ”
One person represents one country
As one of the few athletes to represent a country, Crompton believes that this is the best way to practice the Olympic spirit, "the Olympic Games can best show the unity of mankind, so that participating countries, regions and athletes hold hands, heart to heart, and abandon estrangement and hostility." During the competition, athletes from all over the world gather together like a harmonious family. I am honored to be able to represent my country and be a very small part of this family. ”
Crompton is very happy to come to Beijing for the Winter Olympics this time, "I am very fortunate to qualify for the competition and complete 4 rounds of competition at a high-level professional track like 'Snow Dragon'." To be honest, I earned it, and it's not an opportunity that anyone can get. “
The reporter told Clempton that on Chinese social media, hundreds of millions of sports fans know him and support him. He was honored to do so. "Did you see my steel-framed snowmobile?" There is a comic sticker given to me by a Chinese friend on it, I put it on the body, I will remember these enthusiastic Chinese friends and hope that my performance in the race did not disappoint them. ”
It is understood that this is the fourth time that Crompton has come to Beijing, but each time he has come to participate in the game, and he hastily left after the game. Especially in the past two years, the new crown has been raging around the world, and he has not had the opportunity to get a close look at the historic city of Beijing. "I hope that the epidemic will pass as soon as possible, so that I have the opportunity to come to Beijing again and visit every corner of the city." He said.
"Different roles give a colorful life"
It is understood that Clempton was born in Kenya and has lived in 6 countries on four continents. He spent the first five years of his life in Nairobi, Kenya, where his father worked as an American diplomat. He has since moved to Geneva, Switzerland, Harare, Zimbabwe, and Canberra, Australia.
As a student, Clempton graduated from Langley High School in northern Virginia, where he played 3 sports. Hawaii is the place he feels most at home because most of his relatives are there. "While I continue to live as an athlete around the world, my 'home' moves wherever my laptop is placed. But the Polynesian Islands will always be home in my heart. ”
After graduating from princeton university in the United States, Crompton worked as a model, actor, and bookmaker, and was an award-winning photographer representing the David Phuford Photo Gallery in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Regarding his multiple identities outside of athletes, Crumpton said: "To be honest, it's not an easy thing, everyone only has 24 hours a day, and if you want to succeed in a lot of irrelevant areas, you need to balance and trade off." But I've been a person with a wide range of interests since I was a kid and I'm passionate about making a name for myself with everything. I enjoy the diversity of my life, and these different roles bring more color and joy to my life. ”
Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporters Wang Yang and Guan Xin
Editor: Xie Yongli
Process Editor Tai Shaofeng