Short track speed skating results in yet another glaring problem. The Aussie in LAST place wins gold! Jostling among the contestants results in the leader Ono (USA) being taken down.
Rather that rerun the race, officials gave the gold to a guy who had no business winning gold. And in his previous race, the Aussie qualified because 3 racers fell in front of him. The guy was the beneficiary of better athletes knocking each other out...twice!
I view this as equal to the injustice perpetrated upon the Canadian pairs group.
That Aussie should be ashamed of his ridiculously fortuitous day. What a joke!

Last week, ESPN's Outside the Lines did a report on the controversy surrounding Ohno and his helping get a friend of his on the team by blocking this other guy behind him. In the four man qualifying heat, Ohno was running third or fourth the entire race, one that was of absolutley no importance to him. Everytime the last place guy would pass Ohno, Ohno would pass him right back. And when he did, he kept looking over his shoulder to see where this guy was. Guys at the trials heard Ohno and another skater, who ran second the entire race, talk about how they were going to get their buddy on the team. So to Ohno, I say Boo-freakin-Hoo! What goes aroung comes around.

Just serves to show the double standards that apply to Americans. If Ohno were some middle of the pack athlete instead of Sports Illustrated cover boy, he would have probably been booted from the team for this kind of behavior.

I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion about Ohno, but the fact is there was a formal inquiry and hearing about the race in question. The skater that filed the complaint dropped it in the middle of the hearing when it became clear that there was simply no evidence to back up his claim. Having said that, I think what happened last night is simply part of the risk inherent in short track skating. Ohno seems to feel that way, too. He was interviewed and said he's proud of his silver and has no problem with the outcome of the race. Kudos to him, I say.

I think we can all take a lesson from Ohno. His maturity showed through when interviewed after the race in saying that he came here to do his best and that is what he did. I too was really mad after the race but after seeing how he acted during the medals ceremony he showed wjat real sportsmanship(and doing our personal best in the while things out of our control can happen)is all about. Not only is he beautiful on the outside but on the inside as well. A true role model and hero!

That's cool he is proud of his silver. And I agree that the roller derby aspect to short track is part of the game.

Regarding the other business, all I know about the case is what was on the program last week. If this had happened in figure skating, it would have been front page news! Even the representative from the US Speed Skating organization wasn't very convincing in defending Ohno. If the French federation is able to force a judge to vote a certain way, its well within the realm that the US could "persuade" one of its athletes to drop a claim of fraud. There were two skaters(neither of whom was the guy who finished last or would have made the team over the guy who did) who both still say they heard Ohno and his friend conspire to fix it. And the guy who dropped the claim was very evasive. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it seemed like he was saying "Well yeah I dropped it, but...".

Anyway whatever, Ohno obviously is one of the greats in the sport today. But a formal inquiry doesn't mean he didn't do anything. Remember the jury acquited OJ!

That was disappointing that Ohno didn't win the gold; he was having a great race and would have won if it hadn't been for the little 16 yr old who tripped him....But, I agree, Ohno's professionalism afterwards was remarkable for such a young guy...He kept his attention on the fact that he did his absolutely best and that's all that he could control...most impressive...

I saw nothing wrong with the outcome. As Ohno said, ``that's short-track.''

If you're willing to win under those conditions, you gotta be willing to lose.

I didnt' see the final - fell asleep before it came up (darn!) - but I gotta say, I L*O*V*E short-track!!! I saw it yesterday for the first time, and I had no idea how damn exciting it was! It really is roller derby on ice. These athletes gotta have some incredible skating skills to be tops in this sport.

OK, that makes my two favorite Winter Olympics sports the daintiest (figure skating) and roughest (short track) of the bunch. Go figure. Then again, I'm love both the ballet and the NFL, so maybe it makes sense.

Another gallery of The Wreck is at http://www.usolympicteam.com/photo_gallery/16feb-ohno

Let us open our books and turn to Ecclesiastes, chaper IX verse 11, where we read:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Thus endeth the lesson for today.

I'm no expert on short track so take it for what it's worth, but from what I understand, this was actually handled properly and quickly. If the crash happened earlier in the race, there wouldn't have been any question that the race would continue, and the skater causing the crash would be disqualified. The unfortunate thing for Ohno and the rest of the crashees is that it happened at the end of the race. I know collisions have happened at middle distances in track when the runners are all bunched together, most notably Mary Decker and Zola Budd in the '84 Olympics, but I don't think there's any provision for a re-run. My guess is that short track probably doesn't have one either.

Thanks for the quote from Ecclesiastes! I was really puzzled why the race in the relays was rerun (to the detriment of the Australians) but not this particular individual final. I know nothing about short track (Grand Junction will get its ice rink in October!) but it did seem inconsistent to this rank amateur that one race was rerun, but the other was not. Is there a hard and fast rule governing when a race is rerun and when it is not?

Hey, the Aussies got a medal. In a country without snow. Ya gotta love the Olympics!

[quote]Originally posted by Brian Handy:
Hey, the Aussies got a medal. In a country without snow. Ya gotta love the Olympics!

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Not so fast.

http://www.skiingaustralia.org.au/

http://www.ski.com.au/

http://www.goski.com/aus.htm

Having let the shock of this thing set in, I am no longer pissed that Ohno was taken down. But I am still pissed that I guy who was so clearly bested by the field wound up with the gold.
This is the equivalent of every car in the Indy 500 wrecking after one guy causes a major catastrophe...except for the car in last place which just steers around the wreckage and celebrates like he's worthy of the title.
Blech!
I suppose I could have dealt with this as freak event, but the guy was the beneficiary of the same crap in two consecutive races...he ONLY made the finals because the superior athletes ahead of him got tangled up.
Blech!

Three words .....

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED JINX

Ohno is very media savvy - from what I have read, in addition to coaching from the full-time USOC staff that does nothing but work with team members on their media presentation, Ohno has a coterie of Slave-Labor-Swoosh marketing types choreographing all of the PR and apperances. THE SLS has a major ad campaign all ready to go (assuming Ohno delivers).....

Lastly, the friend for whom Ohno fixed the race isn't even at SLC..... becasue the coaches wouldn't guarantee him a spot in his only possible event (a relay), he elected to go to the Junior Worlds instead (in Italy I believe - he's been there since Feb. 7th).....

The Australian who won was humble about the whole thing and said he was the luckiest man on earth right now. He knows it was a fluke but also that part of the strategy of the game is not just being the fastest but to be able to make it to the finish line...exciting stuff!
I just look at it like its another exciting story for the Olympics. Thats what makes the Olympics so exciting. If Ohno would have won we may not have discovered what a great person he was in losing and we wouldn't have had the story of the Australians first gold in a Winters Games. Everything great doesnt just come from our desired outcome.

As an Australian it is fantastic that Steven Bradbury won the Gold. But we also understand that is was pure luck he won. He was not the best in the race. All he did was take the opportunity that was given to him.

Another side note, the skates that Ohno wore in the race were made by Steven Bradbury. He has a company in Australia that makes Ice skates

This is a wild sport. I loved watching that last night.

Ohno has 3 more events to win gold, so to say the SI jinx is in effect is a bit premature.

BRadbury was all over TV yesterday saying he knows he's not the best, but that he simply stuck around long enough to have something good happen to him. Apparently he's had several incidents in his career where he had BAD luck; they even showed a 107-stitch gash that he once received in a bad skating accident. He was quite charming; it's hard to say that someone with his perseverence doesn't merit a medal.

Of course there are many sports where the goal is to be the last man standing..so I don't dispute the Aussie his gold, not at all. Plus, he knows full well that he got lucky, absolutely, but luck is often a part of sports, this is no different...

Having said that, Apollo was skating such a beautiful, well constructed race; it was very difficult to see him go down. I hope he pulls out a couple of golds before this is over. He does seem a bit polished in his comments but that's the marketing world we now live in...not much spontaniety left...

If you're Steven Bradbury, or if you're anybody Australian, isn't Bradbury's gold the one true real "Miracle on Ice"?

I haven't been watching these Olympics ... the consistently terrible GE TV coverage destroyed my interesting on watching an Olympics broadcast years ago ... but this is the one event over which I am kicking myself for missing. I don't give a flying fish over how many golds they give out to pairs figuring skating competitors: this will be the greatest moment of the 2002 Olympics.

Since Steve Bradbury is co-owner of something called the Revolutionary Shoe Company that makes the shoes for the skates Ohno was wearing during the race, I'm surprised nobody has suggested that Bradbury had some sort of device planted in Ohno's shoes.

Wall Street couldn't have set up a better ad. Talk about the legendary aussie luck!

Unfortunately falls are just part of the nature of the sport, and I think that's why the skaters didn't show much bitterness at the outcome.

Just look at the Daytona 500. The guy who won assumed the lead at the very end of the race because the 2 cars ahead of him were forced to the back of the line (Jeff Gordon spun out trying to block the guy in 2nd, and the guy in 2nd got penalized for fixing his car on a yellow flag). The winner only led for the final 4 laps.

Sometimes it's not your fault, but you crash because the guy in front of you crashes. Same in speed skating.

Ohno wins Gold in the 1500 meter...and the gay-dar meter registers "red zone" during post-race interviews. (Is it just me?)

Apolo Anton Ohno - any relation to Yoko?

[quote]Originally posted by Seph:
Ohno wins Gold in the 1500 meter...and the gay-dar meter registers "red zone" during post-race interviews. (Is it just me?)

Apolo Anton Ohno - any relation to Yoko?

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A) Well, that was confusing.
Wishful thinking. I *love* that wet spot in the red fabric covering his lower back at the end of the race.
C) Sheesh, I hope not. She's an "Ono" of course.

Re: Ohno's gold.

Kind of looked to me like a homer call against the Korean, with Ohno doing his best Cris Carter imitation to draw the flag. A tainted win.

My thought too.

The judges can't be that gullible...can they?

The Korean definitely cross-tracked him, or whatever they're calling it...

Apollo has proven himself to be a very clever lad...

Call it instant (four-day) karmic payback from his first race...

His new name: Apollo Anton OhYES...!

Ohno is a symphony in motion. Hanging back for safety, patient, confidant, outclassed the best skaters in the world with a weel timed and executed burst at the finish, and a couple of lucky openings.

He WAS fowled, I didn't think they'd call it. The crowd shouldn't have booed.

Apolo is the class of skate right now.

[quote]Originally posted by Jim at Outsports:
Re: Ohno's gold.

Kind of looked to me like a homer call against the Korean, with Ohno doing his best Cris Carter imitation to draw the flag. A tainted win.

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Hi, Jim - I totally disagree. It did look like the Korean cut him off and he had to let up to avoid making contact. Also, I guess we define "homer" calls differently - I would define that as a call by an American judge. In this case the judge was Australian (it was actually the same judge as in Ohno's first race).

I think it's fitting the Australian judge would be the deciding vote for Ohno after Australia lucked up on a gold over Ohno in the first race. I'm with the karma thing.

Or maybe the Aussie judge felt guilty for not ruling in Ohno's favor Saturday night and thought he'd do a make-good.

About an hour ago on the way to go to the store I heard a blurb on the national news something about death threats against Ono. Anyone else hear anything on this??????

Excerpt from an article by Gwen Knapp in this morning's SF Chronicle:

"'We should use a rifle on Ohno,' Italian skater Fabio Carta said after watching a replay of the race. The remark was outrageous, offensive and stupid, but entirely defensible on very simple grounds: It came from a short-track speed skater."

Again, this is just a direct quote. I don't know the context of the Italian's comments, so I have no idea if he was kidding or serious. The article is on the Chronicle's website www.sfgate.com. I think it's best to read it & draw your own conclusions.

If that Italian guy was serious, then I think he should be reprimanded in a big way.

As much as I like to see Ohno win, I really think the Korean should NOT have been DQed over that... Ohno did not look 100% innocent to me in the replay since he was the one who made first contact with the Korean who was in the lead, and not the other way around. He's a great actor though Ohno... great skater, and great actor!

[quote]Originally posted by puckman45:
About an hour ago on the way to go to the store I heard a blurb on the national news something about death threats against Ono. Anyone else hear anything on this??????

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ESPN.com is reporting Ohno received death threats after his first race (where he fell but came away with a silver). Then, after th controversy invloving the Korean, the USOC website received some 16,000 emails. They had to shut down the server for nine hours.

[quote]Originally posted by Jay:
As much as I like to see Ohno win, I really think the Korean should NOT have been DQed over that... Ohno did not look 100% innocent to me in the replay since he was the one who made first contact with the Korean who was in the lead, and not the other way around. He's a great actor though Ohno... great skater, and great actor!

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I couldnt care less about that Korean guy if he's the one that pulled Ono down in his last race. They've ruined that last two races. Now this one.

[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Ump25 ]

[quote]Originally posted by savvy:
I couldnt care less about that Korean guy if he's the one that pulled Ono down in his last race. They've ruined that last two races.

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Different skaters. How did the Korean skater ruin last night's race?

[quote]Originally posted by Jay:
As much as I like to see Ohno win, I really think the Korean should NOT have been DQed over that... Ohno did not look 100% innocent to me in the replay since he was the one who made first contact with the Korean who was in the lead, and not the other way around. He's a great actor though Ohno... great skater, and great actor!

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I disagree. The overhead shot very clearly shows the Korean extending the left leg accross Ohno's path, and once Ohno backed off, the leg goes back into his own "lane." The two rules that I think are most pertinent here is that a skater ahead of another has the right of way. To mitigate from skaters using that to "goal keep," skaters ahead cannot deliberately move across a straightaway to block a skater behind.
Ohno was in the position that if he moved up on the Korean who was doing something against the rules, he would be interpreted as breaking the rules himself, but he could not win without doing that. The decision was correct. But I would certainly encourage the use of instant replay in judging short track races. Things happen quickly, and all to often the one obscured point of view is the Ref's.
While one could say Ohno is at the center of all the short track controversies, the Koreans certainly have to admit that their skaters are right next to him all the way. Except of course in the relay debacle where one of their skaters went to the hospital. Ohno was nowhere to be seen on that one. Korean sports have a dirty history. When presented with a case of believing just about anyone else or the Koreans, the benefit of the doubt would definitely go to anyone else.

Ughhhhh!!!! The contoversy continues in this sport. Seems like the judge made a "make-up" call for Ohno in this one. So now, having given Ohno a gold he deserved in the previous race, the judge has simply screwed a different racer.
This is sick!
Two wrongs do not make a right. Who gets screwed next?

It's crazy how many people want to give their own interpretation to these races and their results. The players all know the rules(An assumption on my part since it is THEIR sport!). Apolo seems to know the rules quite well and knew that the silver for the first race was the right call and knew that he had been crosstracked to get the gold in the second.

Why is noone saying anything about how bad the Korean acted when he did crosstrack and deserved to be DQ'd. Could you imagine if an American had thrown the U.S. flag on the ground like that. I understand him being mad "in the moment" but how he acted should be scrutinized too.

Also could you imagine the uproar if the first race decision was to rerun the race( an option to available to the ref). Would Apolo have been able to even have competed with his injury, let alone improve upon his silver. Through it all we have gotten to see what a class act this 19 year old really is.