Before Australian swimmer Leisel Jones pocketed her long-awaited 100-meter breaststroke gold, she said, "I've already got the icing and I've already got the base. So the cherry would just be a nice bit on the top. It doesn't really matter if I am going to get it, because the cake will still be nice".

In the Olympics, people like to cheer for the most popular athletes, but, I would like to commend those for whom just getting to Beijing and having a shot at the cake, is a lifetime's achievement. For every winner there is a small fry competitor or an underdog whose success is often underrated and I salute them.

The Water Cube has been the center stage for the United States. The mighty Olympian Michael Phelps is holding court as he aims to win a historic eight gold medals, but the venue was also witness to another lesser known miracle. Park Tae-hwan from South Korea had an unexpected victory in the men's swimming 400m freestyle on August 10. His name will never be as well known as Phelps but I applaud him.

Park Tae-hwan of South Korea celebrates after winning the men's 400 meters freestyle swimming final at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 10, 2008. [Agencies]

It can't be easy being an American swimmer in the shadow of Phelps, but let's not forget that there were three other swimmers in the men's 400 freestyle relay that won gold. Congratulations to Garrett Weber-Gale, Jason Lezak and Cullen Jones.

Adama Diatta, 19, a wrestler from Senegal, has made it to Beijing, but four years ago, he was something of a tearaway wandering the streets. This year he won the African Championship and although London 2012 may prove to be his best chance for a medal, he's come a long way already.

And Chinese Taipei's Chen Wei-ling won a bronze medal on August 9 in the women's 48kg weightlifting competition, picking up Taiwan Province's first medal of the games. Lu Ying-chi grabbed third place in the women's 63kg class category three days later.

Bronze medallist Chen Wei-ling of Chinese Taipei shows her medal during the awarding ceremony of the women's 48kg weightlifting event of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 9, 2008.[Agencies]

 

They were not expected to get the medals and for this I believe their victories were all the more sweet. Their smiles as they stood on the podium spoke volumes.

We may not always hear about the athletes who tried their best but missed out on the icing and the cherry but, watching them get a taste of success can often touch us more deeply.

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