Sunday, February 17, 2002

MORE ON STEVEN MARBURY: ESPN has something:

In the midst of all the shock and disgust, Bradbury kept circling the ice, wearing the look of a child on Christmas. He had been blessed with not one, but two rounds of sheer dumb luck. In the semis, he also was far behind the leaders, but survived a crash 10 meters before the finish line.

Now he had won his country's first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal. He skated numbly around the oval to foundation-rumbling boos. He konked himself lightly in the head with his fist, as if he was checking to make sure he was awake. Then he looked up and pointed at two Aussie journalists who were up out of their seats, cheering him on.

Later, as he sang his national anthem during the medal ceremony, Bradbury couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.

"What a story we've got," one Aussie reporter exclaimed to his fellow writers as they waited for Bradbury in the mixed zone.

"Our first Winter gold medal ever?" another replied, sucking in a laugh.

"We're working with the French judge," joked another.


So does the Sydney Morning Herald, which points out that:

Commentators for NBC, host broadcaster of the Games, argued for a replay, pointing out an Australian, Jim Hewish, was race referee and that four of the five competitors were brought down on the final bend, leaving Bradbury to coast home.

But that's b.s. since Hewish restarted a race earlier that, if it had been left like it came out, would have benefited the Australians. This comment, which follows the above in the Herald, is also b.s.:

The complaints are echoes of the pro-North American media campaign which resulted in Skate-Gate and a promotion of silver medal-winning pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier to the gold alongside their Russian colleagues on Saturday.

Whatever. Tim Blair has comments too and is also down on the crowd for booing Marbury. He also reminds me that Ohno himself didn't seem disappointed in the least when they interviewed him afterwards; he said, without bitterness, "I skated the race of my life, and I got silver."

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