Soaring Eagle, fiery Dragon

Like in every sphere of life, China has emerged as a threat to American dominance in the Olympics. The world's eyes have been fixed on this race for supremacy in London as the two giants make one big statement after another.

From the Cold War era, the Olympics has reminded one of George Orwell’s famous quote that sport is “war minus the shooting”. Until the 1992 Barcelona Games, it was a no-holds barred battle between the US and the Soviet Union, both vying to earn sporting and political bragging rights on the field of play. The Unified team of the erstwhile Soviet republics topped the medals table in 1992 pushing USA to second before they began fielding separate teams.
IMAGING: SEBASTIAN PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGESCHINA 385 TOTAL MEDALS IN 8 EDITONS USA 2296 TOTAL MEDALS IN 25 EDITONS In the new world order, China took up the gauntlet, challenging the US over the last four editions. The brigade in red topped the gold tally in Beijing (51) ahead of the US (36). The US led in total medal count (110) with China (100) in touching distance.

In London, the Chinese dragon was flying high before the eagle swooped in. The two sporting superpowers went neck and neck before the US surged ahead. Bolt and Phelps dominated the headlines, but the flashpoint in the rivalry between the big powers came when a renowned US swimming coach raised doping doubts over Chinese swimming sensation Le Shewin’s feats.
As the two nations jockey for supremacy, HT dissects this clash of the titans.