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Ailing
boxing legend Muhammad Ali, seen here at the White House, swapped wisecracks
with President George W. Bush in his first public appearance
in five months which dispelled recent fears over his health.
(AFP) |
Muhammad Ali, his hands shaking and eyes
reflecting the White House chandeliers, accepted the nation's highest
civilian award from President George W Bush on Wednesday.
Bush called him "the Greatest of All Time" and "a man of peace," and
tied the Presidential Medal of Freedom around the former heavyweight
champion's neck.
It was Ali's first public appearance in months,
six days after undergoing back surgery in Atlanta. Wobbly
from the effects of Parkinson's
disease, the 63-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion at times had
to applaud with his left hand clenched in a fist, and now and then
appeared to have trouble sitting up in his seat.
But when it came time to accept his medal, Ali stood proudly in his
black suit and red, yellow and black tie, embraced the President and
whispered in his ear.
The President pretended to take a jab at Ali. The champ responded by
pointing to his own head and moving his finger in a circle around his ear.
The crowd laughed. When he sat down, Ali made the same gesture again.
Ali was one of 14 luminaries to receive the award on Wednesday. On
stage, he sat next to actress Carol Burnett. Other winners included golfer
Jack Nicklaus, singer Aretha Franklin and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan
Greenspan.
Calling Ali "a fierce fighter and a man of peace," Bush said, Ali's
fighting style would be studied for years but defy imitation.
"The real mystery, I guess, is how he stayed so pretty," Bush said.
The audience of dignitaries, including Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers and White House adviser Karl Rove, laughed. Bush added:
"It probably had to do with his beautiful
soul."
(Agencies) |
美國拳壇傳奇人物穆罕默德·阿里周三從美國總統布什手中接過了美國最高公民獎“總統自由獎”的獎章。阿里的雙手不停顫抖，眼中折射出白宮屋頂上的枝形吊燈。
布什稱贊阿里是“有史以來最偉大的人”、“愛好和平的人”，他親自將一枚“總統自由獎”獎章掛在這位前世界重量級拳王的脖子上。
這是阿里數月以來首次在公共場合露面，6天前他剛剛在亞特蘭大做完背部外科手術。受帕金森綜合癥的折磨，阿里的身子總是晃晃悠悠。這位現年63歲的前世界重量級拳王拍手時不時將自己的左手緊握成拳頭狀，而且看上去坐著有點費勁。
但是，當輪到他接受獎章時，穿著黑西裝、打著紅、黃、黑三色相間領帶的阿里驕傲地站了起來，和布什總統熱情擁抱，并耳語了幾句。
布什假裝給了阿里一拳，拳王隨即指著自己的頭，并晃動手指在耳邊繞起圈來，意思說布什不是對手，惹得下面的觀眾哈哈大笑。但是，當他回到座位上后，又恢復了原來的模樣。
周三，共有14位杰出人物獲得了榮譽獎章，阿里是其中之一。在頒獎臺上，他坐在演員卡羅爾·伯內特身旁。其他獲獎者還有高爾夫球選手杰克·尼克勞斯，歌手艾瑞莎·弗蘭克林和美聯邦儲備委員會主席格林斯潘。
布什在頒獎時稱贊阿里是“一位堅強的戰士和愛好和平的人”。布什還說，阿里的拳擊風格會被別人研究很多年，但它是不可復制的。
“我想真正神奇的是，阿里如何保持得這么完美，”布什說。
包括美國國防部長拉姆斯菲爾德、前美國高等法院候選法官哈里特·邁爾斯和白宮政治顧問卡爾·洛夫在內的與會嘉賓都笑了。布什補充說：“這也許和他美麗的心靈有關。”
(中國日報網站薛曉文編譯) |
Updated: 2005-11-14 09:06
