Question

The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to complete
one by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.

Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.

Read the lines given above and answer the following question:

How would the nine contestants have felt when they all reached the finish line together? Which words indicate this? Do you think they were happy because they had won the gold medal? Why?

Answer 1

The contestants must have felt happy and united when they reached the finish line still ‘holding hands’. The words ‘nine beaming faces’ tell us how happy they were. The contestants get a ‘standing ovation’ which would have made them feel proud of what they had done.
The contestants were happy not simply because they had won the gold medal. They were proud of being a united group who stood by each other, understood each other’s problems and helped each other even at the cost of winning a gold medal. For this group of contestants it was more important to empathise with and help each other than to win an individual prize.