What is the poem 'Nine Gold Medals' about?

It is about a Special Olympics race where nine differently-abled athletes compete. When the smallest runner falls, the other eight stop to help him, and all nine finish holding hands, winning nine gold medals for their humanity.

Why did all nine athletes win gold medals?

They won not for coming first but for their great humanity and team spirit. By helping a fallen friend and finishing the race together, they showed the true spirit of sport, which deserved gold for all.

What is the central message of 'Nine Gold Medals'?

The poem teaches that humanity, love, empathy and cooperation matter far more than winning. Helping others is the greatest victory of all.

Lesson 7: Nine Gold Medals

Q: Who wrote the poem 'Nine Gold Medals'?

The poem 'Nine Gold Medals' was written by David Roth, an American rock vocalist, song composer, author, actor and radio personality born in Bloomington, Indiana in 1954.

Q: What does 'nine beaming faces said more than these words ever will' mean?

It means the bright, happy, smiling faces of the nine athletes expressed their joy and the value of their noble deed far more powerfully than any words could.

Detailed Text · A poem by David Roth

English · Odisha Board Class 9 · Summary + Textbook Q&A + 25 Quiz

📖 Lesson 7 — Nine Gold Medals (Detailed Text · Poem): A deeply moving poem by David Roth about a Special Olympics race where, when one runner falls, the other eight stop to help him — and all nine finish together, winning nine gold medals for their humanity. Everything you need — the full poem, central idea, stanza-wise explanation, poet, word-meanings and all textbook answers — is here.

Nine Gold Medals

📝 About the Poem

‘Nine Gold Medals’ is an inspiring poem by David Roth, based on a real event at a Special Olympics. Nine differently-abled athletes run a race; when the smallest runner stumbles and falls, the other eight stop, turn back, lift him up, and all nine finish the race holding hands. For their love and empathy, all of them win gold. The poem teaches that humanity is far above personal achievement.

✍️ About the Poet

David Roth was born on 10 October 1954 in Bloomington, Indiana (USA). He is an American rock vocalist, song composer, author, actor and radio personality.

📜 The Poem (full text)

The athletes had come from all over the country
To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months of training
All coming down to these games.

The spectators gathered around the old field
To cheer on all the young women and men
The final event of the day was approaching
Excitement grew high to begin.

The blocks were all lined up for those who would use them
The hundred-yard dash and the race to be run
These were nine resolved athletes in back of the starting line
Poised for the sound of the gun.

The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners all charging ahead
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered
And fell to the asphalt instead.

He gave out a cry in frustration and anguish
His dreams and his efforts all dashed in the dirt
But as sure as I'm standing here telling this story
The same goes for what next occurred.

The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to compete
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.

📚 Stanza-wise Explanation

Stanzas 1–2: Athletes came from all over the country to run for gold, silver and bronze after many weeks and months of training. Spectators gathered around the old field to cheer the young women and men as the final, exciting event approached.

Stanza 3: The starting blocks were lined up for the hundred-yard dash. Nine resolved (determined) athletes stood at the back of the starting line, poised (ready) for the sound of the gun.

Stanzas 4–5: The pistol fired and all the runners charged ahead — but the smallest one stumbled and fell on the asphalt. He cried out in frustration and anguish, feeling his dreams and efforts were ‘dashed in the dirt’.

Stanzas 6–7: The eight other runners stopped, turned around, went back and brought the boy to his feet. Then all nine joined hands and walked the rest of the way together — making the banner ‘Special Olympics’ truly fitting.

Stanza 8: The race ended with nine gold medals. They crossed the finish line holding hands, and a standing ovation and their nine beaming faces said more than any words ever could.

💡 Central Idea / Theme

In a competitive world, humanity, love, empathy and cooperation matter far more than winning. The nine athletes gave up the chance to win alone and chose to help a fallen friend — proving that helping others is the greatest victory of all.

📖 Glossary (Word Meanings)

Word	Meaning
athlete	a participant in sports activities
spectators	persons watching an event
approaching	drawing nearer; coming nearer
excitement	a state of being excited
resolved	determined
poised	(here) ready
blocks	starting blocks that runners push their feet against at the start of a race
pistol	a starting pistol used to signal the start of a race
exploded	sounded
stumbled	hit his foot against something and nearly fell
staggered	lost balance
frustration	(here) hopelessness
anguish	terrible pain
ovation	an expression of popular appreciation for a masterly performance
beaming	bright and smiling (with happiness)
on the mark	exactly right; fitting

E. Let's understand the poem

1What is this poem about?

It is about a race in a Special Olympics event where nine differently-abled athletes take part. When the smallest runner falls, the others stop, go back to help him, and all nine finish the race together, holding hands — winning nine gold medals for their humanity and empathy.

2Who came from all over the country, and why did they come there?

The athletes came from all over the country. They came to run for the gold, silver and bronze medals.

3Who are usually awarded the three medals — gold, silver and bronze?

The gold medal goes to the first-place winner, the silver to the second, and the bronze to the third.

4What was the event they had come for, and what had they done before these games?

They had come for a race — the hundred-yard dash, the final event of the day. Before these games they had done many weeks and months of hard training.

5What did the spectators do around the old field, why did they gather, and why did their excitement grow high?

The spectators gathered around the old field to cheer on all the young women and men. They gathered to watch the sports event, and their excitement grew high because the final event of the day was approaching.

6What was lined up and for whom? What was the event? How many athletes were there? Which word shows their firm decision?

The starting blocks were lined up for the runners. The event was the hundred-yard dash. There were nine athletes. The word ‘resolved’ shows they had taken a firm decision to win.

7Where were the nine athletes, and what were they poised for?

They stood at the back of the starting line, poised (ready) for the sound of the gun.

8Why was the pistol exploded, and what did the runners do?

The starting pistol was fired to give the signal to start. At its sound, all the runners charged ahead.

9Who among the nine runners was unable to run? Why, and where did he fall? Who does ‘he’ in the fifth stanza stand for?

The smallest among them could not keep running. He stumbled and staggered (lost balance) and fell to the asphalt (hard road). ‘He’ in the fifth stanza stands for this smallest runner — the young boy.

10Why did the boy cry out in frustration and anguish? What dashed in the dirt?

He cried out because he had fallen and felt he had lost the race. His dreams and all his efforts seemed ‘dashed in the dirt’ — that is, destroyed in a moment — since he thought his long training had gone to waste.

11What did the other runners do, and whom does ‘him’ stand for? How do you feel about their stopping?

The eight other runners stopped, turned around one by one, and went back to help the fallen boy; they brought him to his feet. ‘Him’ stands for the fallen smallest runner. Their act was very noble and kind — true sportsmen should indeed help a fellow athlete in trouble.

12What did they do first and next? What happened to the hundred-yard dash?

First they brought the boy to his feet. Next, all nine joined hands and continued together, so the hundred-yard dash was now reduced to a walk.

13What did the banner say, and why was it ‘on the mark’?

The banner above said ‘Special Olympics’. It was perfectly ‘on the mark’ (fitting) because the athletes' act of love and helping one another was the true spirit of the Special Olympics.

14What did the race end with, and how did they come to the finish line?

The race ended with nine gold medals. All nine came to the finish line holding hands together.

15What do you mean by ‘a standing ovation’? How were their faces, and why were they happy?

A ‘standing ovation’ is when the audience stand up and clap loudly to show great appreciation. The athletes had beaming (bright, smiling) faces; they were all happy because of their love for one another and the joy of helping a friend.

16What do you learn from such help of the athletes?

I learn that humanity, kindness, empathy and helping others matter more than winning. True victory lies in love and fellow-feeling, not merely in personal success.

F. Let's appreciate the poem

1What message does the poet convey in ‘Nine Gold Medals’?

The poet conveys that humanity, love and helping others are far more important than winning medals or personal glory. In today's competitive world, we need more cooperation, empathy and fellow-feeling rather than selfish competition.

2What is important — winning a medal or helping a fellow brother in trouble?

Helping a fellow brother in trouble is more important than winning a medal. The nine athletes proved this by giving up their own chance of winning in order to help the fallen boy — and they all won gold for their kindness.

3What is necessary for a person — to understand the emotions of others or to become self-centred?

It is necessary to understand the emotions of others (to be empathetic and caring), not to become self-centred. True greatness lies in feeling for others and helping them.

4Explain: ‘He gave out a cry in frustration and anguish / His dreams and his efforts all dashed in the dirt.’

The smallest runner fell during the race. He cried out in frustration and deep pain because he felt that all his dreams and the hard efforts of his long months of training were destroyed in a single moment (‘dashed in the dirt’), as he believed he had lost the race.

5What do you mean by ‘nine beaming faces said more than these words ever will’?

It means that the bright, happy, smiling faces of the nine athletes expressed their joy, love and the value of their noble deed far more powerfully than any words ever could. Their happiness and unity ‘spoke’ louder than language.