Canada Win, Apolo Ohno Fail - 02-26-2010

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=77e_1267270919 - There was no grand finale, no gold medal and sadly, no class from Apolo Anton Ohno as the final moments of his career ticked away Friday night.

Ohno went down as the greatest short-track speedskater in history when he took what are likely to be his final Olympic laps here, but he did nothing for his reputation with a needless and baseless swipe at a celebrating host nation.
By lashing out at the judges who disqualified him from the 500-meter final, Ohno ended his Olympic career much as it began in 2002: with controversy.

You know, it is the head Canadian referee [Michel Verrault] out there, said Ohno, with a smirk and a shrug. And there were two Canadians in the race.

Ohno, who could have skated into the sunset simply thankful to be adorned with yet another medal-gaining Olympic Games, instead offered remarks that were unfair and unfounded, that came across as an attempt to take some sheen off a truly golden night for Canada.

If that indeed was the intent, it failed. This was Canadas time to celebrate.

Not that Ohno hasnt had that opportunity many a time before.

For the 27-year-old heads into likely retirement as the most decorated Winter Olympian in United States history, now tallying eight pieces of hardware after winning a bronze in Fridays 5,000-meter relay. Yet the final impression he left does no credit to a man who claims to pride himself on his Zen-like calm and philosophical nature.

This was no unfair decision, no biased result. Ohnos disqualification had nothing to do with nationality and everything to do with basic short-track rules.

Trailing as the final foursome headed into the last corner of the 500, Ohno knew his only hope to medal was to attempt a daredevil move to the inside of Canadas Francois-Louis Tremblay, who skated inches ahead of Ohno in third place.

The dramatic move was the right call by this tough competitor, and he cant be faulted for attempting it. But there wasnt quite enough room to squeeze through, and Ohno made contact with Tremblay, sending the latter sprawling into the boards.

Another Canadian, Charles Hamelin, crossed the line first, with Ohno in second after South Koreas Sung Si-bak, the eventual silver medalist, also crashed as a result of Tremblays fall.

Boos immediately filled the Pacific Coliseum as Ohno put his fingers to his lips in a fruitless attempt to silence the furor. The jeers turned to whoops of raucous delight within a few minutes when the official results handed Tremblay bronze and darkened Ohnos mood with a disqualification.

I just saw two guys go down and I thought I had the silver, he said. I have learned over many years that you only have control over certain things. I dont think I pushed him, not like they were saying, but it doesnt matter what I think.

Such are the foibles of short-track speedskating, this exhilarating, rough-and-tumble sport where no quarter is asked or given. Its a reality from which the supremely talented Ohno has benefited countless times, scoring top finishes moments after a lesser result seemed certain.

But after battling through a tough quarterfinal and semifinal, Ohno simply did not have the pace to best Hamelin, Sung and Tremblay, not without a wild, last-ditch effort.

I knew that Apolo pushed me because the last time I fell on skates was two years ago, Tremblay said. I knew that it was going to get called but you always worry a little bit because it is in the judges hands.

But there is no question of there being an issue with this referee. He is very fair and it has nothing to do with being Canadian.

The awkwardness of the ruckus and the nature of Ohnos criticisms were in stark contrast to the delight on the faces of Ohnos Team USA colleagues as they collected their relay bronzes here Friday. It also differed from the childlike and endearing excitement shown by Katherine Reutter, the American who collected her silver in the 1,000 meters with a beaming smile and flung her flowers from the award ceremony to a young boy in the crowd.

And clearly Ohnos reaction was nothing like that of the Canadians, who had suffered so much frustration in this building during the course of these Olympics, only to end the short-track program on the ultimate high.

Friday was Canadas night. Apolo Anton Ohno turned his swansong into a disappointing afterthought

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Canada Win
• Apolo Ohno Fail 02 26 2010
• 2010
• olympics

[deedzyd1]

Mr Ohno has been on the beneficial side of many a controversial call in his long storied racing history. Sometimes these decisions go in your favour sometimes they dont. Thats the nature of the sport of Short track, and he should know that better than anyone. So ya, in my opinion the judging comment was a classless note on which to end his Olympic career.

[hotstuff999]

@DuskandDawn100

Two speedskaters DSQ? Wow.... South Korea had their relay team DSQ, failing to win for the first time since 1994. I know at least one Canadian that was DSQ in short-track speed-skating. I'm not claiming to be an expert on speed-skating, but I would suggest reading up on the rules of the sport instead of trying to use patriotic preference as an argument.

[xPURExBOLTx]

lol beauty stuff

[Lovemblue]

YEAAAH CANADAAAAA!

[AdventLMT]

@brt312 really? all of you ohno cocksuckers are just completely stubborn, blind, and arrogant. You KNOW he is a dirty racer. Even some pro level coaches that I talked to, AMERICAN coaches said that Apolo Ohno has been defended for way too long and has avoided the reality for way too long. He clearly pushed that skater. And if you say that he didn't, do you think he just wanted to warm his hand up by resting it on the other racer's ass? If so, then he's just a gay faggot. Face it, he sucks.

[brt312]

South Korea always has the bitches that lose

[surbobmynob]

lol Apolo didn't cause the korea to fall... The contact in the last corner was between first and second then third and fourth. There was no contact between second and third skater. Therefore there was no way he made the korean fall lol.

Although yes it was a disqualify move reguardless.

[amrite]

Owned.

[hskshag00]

i dont care if the judge cheat as long as ohno ends up in a bad situation

[epithalius]

Who wrote this article? It's one of the dumbest things I've read in years.

[aznxphil72]

actually apollo ohno pushed the canadian guy and then the canadian made sung si bak or watever fall down so yea basically it was apollos fault the whole time

[Madypoo16]

apolo deserved to win that candaian person knocked all those people back and there was a canadian judge so thats cheating