Posted on 02/24/2010 7:19:42 AM PST by raybbr
RICHMOND, British Columbia Sven Kramer peeled off his racing glasses and hurled them onto the infield, just as he had thrown away a Winter Olympic gold medal and nearly half a million dollars a couple of minutes earlier.
What did you do? he screamed in Dutch as he skated past coach Gerard Kemkers, who stood with his head in his hands, unable to comprehend the biggest moment of sporting stupidity that we will see at these Games.
Sven Kramer of Netherlands reacts with coach Gerard Kemkers after finishing first but being disqualified in the speed skating 10,000m. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Olympic history is littered with athletes who have blown a shot at glory through lack of preparation, failure to handle pressure, or plain bad luck. For Dutch speedskater Kramer, his chance to enter the history books crashed around his ears because of a split-second mental meltdown, the most basic of sporting errors.
It sucks, Kramer said. I cant believe it. I dont usually want to blame anyone else, but this time I cant do anything else.
With eight laps to go in the mens 10,000 meters, a lung-bursting 25-lap slog that is sometimes tedious but a feat of titanic endurance nonetheless, Kramer had his second gold of the Games all wrapped up. Cruising along the back straight, he had, at least in skating terms, time to stop for a cup of tea and a chat with coach Kemkers before clinching his spot atop the podium.
But then a single point of Kemkers finger and a cry of inside lane directed the skater to the inner course when he should have switched to the outer, providing one of the most surreal moments of the past nine days.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Yep!
oops
Agony of da feet and all that...
I don't think that's comparable. I really dislike showboating athletes who try to do an "In your face!" when they think they've won. Kramer didn't do anything like that. He made a mistake, his coach made a mistake. It happens.
And then when she screwed up this year, she said in the interview, “Well, I do events all year long on the tour, it’s not just about this (OLYMPIC!) event...”
Diva b*tch.
As I’ve read elsewhere, this goof-up also cost him the honor of winning the 100th Olympic gold medal for The Netherlands.
Hope he doesn’t go Amy Bishop on his trainer...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.