At the moment he received his medal, Yu Fei bent down, grabbed the medal, and stared at it. It was only a few inches from his eyes, and he gazed at it, entranced. This was the culmination of the entire performance, and he had to show the world just how much he loved this gold medal.
When the staff of Team USA handed him a bouquet of red roses, he lifted them to his nose and took a couple of sniffs, the sweet scent of victory filling his nostrils and lungs.
Kobe made his maturity known with a set of standard official remarks.
"Without our determination and will, we wouldn't be back on top of the world, and here we are now," he said.
Carmelo Anthony wiped away a tear from his right eye as the American flag was raised above the court and the national anthem played, while Kobe and Yu Fei stood beside him, expressionless.
However, Kobe seemed to be more touched as he placed his right hand over his heart and sang along.