Sunday, February 26, 2006
Ohno, the Olympics are almost over! And the future might not bode so well for Bode....
Gotta admit I've been rooting for Apolo Anton Ohno. He could have gotten so discouraged by not qualifying for the finals in the 1500m short track skating early in the games that it affected his other races. There are several similar scenarios in this Olympics. Instead, he managed to pull himself together for the 1000m and was pleased with his bronze medal effort behind his rivals from South Korea. He didn't whine about third place not being good enough, and willingly shook hands with those who had out-skated him.
So I watched the 500m with great interest, wondering if there would be another skating showdown between Ohno and South Korean Ahn Hyun-Soo. There almost wasn't one. Ohno came in third during a qualifying round and would have been eliminated if there hadn't been a disqualification of the second-place finisher. Luck continued to be on Ohno's side when he drew lane 1 in the final (the inside lane is the easiest one from which to get a head start). Then there were TWO false starts by other skaters. False starts can be very unnerving in a short race like this where there is little time to catch up if you fall behind. But Ohno didn't seem rattled, and when the starting gun went off, it was like he was the bullet shot from it. He was in first place during the ENTIRE race! Ohno and the crowd erupted. And Ahn, who came in third, came up and shook Ohno's hand.
But it wasn't over yet. The next event was the 5000m relay, which is so confusing that I only recommend viewing it when sober and free of headache. The Canadian team and the South Korean team switched back and forth between first and second, and the Americans and the Italians were in a battle for third. Ohno, who was the final skater for the American team, managed a last-second burst of speed and secured the bronze for the US. South Korea emerged the winnner with the Canadians a very close second. Lots of smiling, cheering and waving of flags after it was all over. Great conclusion to short track for these games. I am so glad I watched.
Less inspiring was the men's slalom. Torino had gotten three feet of snow in the past 24 hours, which made the first run uneven and quite treacherous with unexpected soft pockets of snow. The first guy out of the gate, Italian Giorgio Rocca, crashed face first, and he wasn't the only one to have problems with the course. American Bode Miller messed up just a few seconds into his run and was out. He only finished one of the five events he competed in, but he didn't seem to care. I personally think he came to the Olympics to party, not ski. But to be fair, seven other skiers were unable to complete the first run. American Ted Ligety had an excellent time on his run, but didn't realize until he had completed it that he had straddled a gate, which disqualified him.
The second run was set up differently, allowing for more speed and less uncertainty. There was another disqualification for straddling a gate. This time it went to Kalle Palander of Finland. The final result was an Austrian medal sweep, not surprising given their general dominance in the sport.
And it was a victory for the Canadian women in the 5000m speed skating. Clara Hughes had a sudden burst of energy and passed German legend Claudia Pechstein with only two laps remaining. Canadian teammate Cindy Klassen snagged the bronze, her fifth medal of the games. She and Hughes giggled like school girls during the medals ceremony and began singing the Canadian anthem together, swaying back and forth.
Over all, I enjoyed the heck out of this Olympics. Of course, this is the first one since 1992 where I was home during prime time to watch. But even so, a good time was had by me.
So I watched the 500m with great interest, wondering if there would be another skating showdown between Ohno and South Korean Ahn Hyun-Soo. There almost wasn't one. Ohno came in third during a qualifying round and would have been eliminated if there hadn't been a disqualification of the second-place finisher. Luck continued to be on Ohno's side when he drew lane 1 in the final (the inside lane is the easiest one from which to get a head start). Then there were TWO false starts by other skaters. False starts can be very unnerving in a short race like this where there is little time to catch up if you fall behind. But Ohno didn't seem rattled, and when the starting gun went off, it was like he was the bullet shot from it. He was in first place during the ENTIRE race! Ohno and the crowd erupted. And Ahn, who came in third, came up and shook Ohno's hand.
But it wasn't over yet. The next event was the 5000m relay, which is so confusing that I only recommend viewing it when sober and free of headache. The Canadian team and the South Korean team switched back and forth between first and second, and the Americans and the Italians were in a battle for third. Ohno, who was the final skater for the American team, managed a last-second burst of speed and secured the bronze for the US. South Korea emerged the winnner with the Canadians a very close second. Lots of smiling, cheering and waving of flags after it was all over. Great conclusion to short track for these games. I am so glad I watched.
Less inspiring was the men's slalom. Torino had gotten three feet of snow in the past 24 hours, which made the first run uneven and quite treacherous with unexpected soft pockets of snow. The first guy out of the gate, Italian Giorgio Rocca, crashed face first, and he wasn't the only one to have problems with the course. American Bode Miller messed up just a few seconds into his run and was out. He only finished one of the five events he competed in, but he didn't seem to care. I personally think he came to the Olympics to party, not ski. But to be fair, seven other skiers were unable to complete the first run. American Ted Ligety had an excellent time on his run, but didn't realize until he had completed it that he had straddled a gate, which disqualified him.
The second run was set up differently, allowing for more speed and less uncertainty. There was another disqualification for straddling a gate. This time it went to Kalle Palander of Finland. The final result was an Austrian medal sweep, not surprising given their general dominance in the sport.
And it was a victory for the Canadian women in the 5000m speed skating. Clara Hughes had a sudden burst of energy and passed German legend Claudia Pechstein with only two laps remaining. Canadian teammate Cindy Klassen snagged the bronze, her fifth medal of the games. She and Hughes giggled like school girls during the medals ceremony and began singing the Canadian anthem together, swaying back and forth.
Over all, I enjoyed the heck out of this Olympics. Of course, this is the first one since 1992 where I was home during prime time to watch. But even so, a good time was had by me.
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