BEIJING // The fatal stabbing of the father of a former Olympian at a Beijing landmark cast a sad shadow over the first full day of Olympic competition yesterday, just hours after China's jubilant opening of the Summer Games. Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minnesota - parents of the 2004 volleyball Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman and in-laws of the US men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon - were attacked by a Chinese man while visiting the 13th-century Drum Tower.
The US Olympic Committee confirmed Mr Bachman died from knife wounds and that Barbara Bachman suffered life-threatening injuries. She and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured in the attack, were being treated in a Beijing hospital. The US Olympic Committee said today that Mrs Bachman suffered multiple lacerations and stab wounds. She underwent eight hours of surgery and was in critical but stable condition.
The statement said family members were at the hospital and that Mr McCutcheon would "not be on the bench today" for the US men's volleyball team's opening game against Venezuela. Elisabeth Bachman was with them at the time of the attack, but uninjured. Her father was the chief executive officer for Bachman's, a home-and-garden centre based in Minneapolis. The assailant, Tang Yongming, 47, leapt to his death from a 40-metre -high balcony on the Drum Tower, just eight kilometres from the main Olympics site, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Relatives said Barbara Bachman had undergone surgery and was in intensive care at a Beijing hospital. "The next 24 hours will be critical," said Dale Bachman, Todd's second cousin. Two of Todd and Barbara Bachman's other adult daughters were flying to China to be with their mother and Elisabeth, Dale Bachman said at a news conference in Minneapolis. According to Dale Bachman, Todd Bachman was walking a few steps behind his wife and daughter at a Beijing tourist site when he was attacked by a knife-wielding stranger.
Barbara Bachman heard the commotion and turned to help her husband. "That's when she was attacked," Dale Bachman said. "To me, that was a strong indication of her love. She is a fabulous person." *AP
