Yao Ming

Credit: Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse/BEImages

Spectacle – and Tragedy – Open Beijing Olympics

Originally posted 08/09/2008 07:20AM

As the world was still catching its breath from Friday's spectacular Olympic ceremony opening, news surfaced from Beijing that on the first day of the competition Saturday, a knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of the coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at one of the city's tourist sites.

Todd Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., was killed and his wife Barbara was seriously injured when they were stabbed by a man while the couple and their daughter, Elisabeth, were visiting the 13th century Drum Tower. The assailant then killed himself by jumping from the second story of the site, according to Olympic officials.

Elisabeth, who was not hurt in the attack, is a 2004 Olympic U.S. women's indoor volleyball player and wife of men's volleyball head coach, Hugh McCutcheon.

"It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour," said U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth. "Our delegation comes to the Games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Bachman and McCutcheon families."

The midday incident was all the more shocking due to increased security for the games as well as the infrequency of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China.

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