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February 25, 2010

Olympics so much more than winning and losing

Posted by Rob Klovance

"The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" was the line made famous in promos for ABC's Wide World of Sports way back in the 1970s and 80s. But Day 12 at the 2010 Winter Games proved that with sports, it's not quite that simple.

The fortunes of a Dutch speed skater and a Canadian figure skater on Tuesday demonstrated, once again, that the Winter Games can both soar and plummet on the whim of the unexpected.

Heading into Tuesday, speed skating superstar Sven Kramer had dominated the 10,000 metres at the World Cup and had won the last three world championships at that distance. The man with the Sidney Crosby-like looks and a near unbeatable stride at longer distances was at his best and, yet, experienced the worst.

Sven Kramer of The Netherlands celebrates during the medals ceremony of the 5,000 meters race. His chance at a second medal in the 10,000 metres later evaporated with a disqualification. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome).

I was lucky enough to have a seat at the Richmond Oval to watch Kramer skate in the final of eight pairings, needing to set an Olympic record to beat Korea's Seung-Hoon  Lee, who had set a new mark a half hour earlier. And any thoughts that Kramer couldn't do it evaporated after a few laps, as the Dutch star carved out a half-second lead  that ran to one, two, three and then five seconds over the 10-kilometre distance.

A novice skating fan, I joined the cheering as Kramer crossed the finish line in an apparent gold medal and Olympic record time of 12 minutes, 54.5  seconds.  But I  had missed something important, something not missed by race officials or many skating-mad Dutch fans, clad in orange and suddenly feeling very blue.

As Kramer started his victory lap and greeted his coach, he suddenly erupted in a rage, waving his arms and slamming his glasses to the ice. Then came the announcement. Five laps from the finish, Kramer had switched to the inner lane on the track when he should have stayed on the outside. 

Disqualified, the gold medal disappeared for Kramer, and all hearts in the building sank. Later, we learned that Kramer – against his instincts – had made a quick decision to follow his coach's instructions – the wrong instructions – to cross to the inside.

“This really sucks," said a crushed Kramer following the race. "This is a real expensive mistake. This really sucks.’’

I know how bad I, as a fan, felt about the whole thing. I can't imagine what Kramer, or his coach Gerard Kemkers,  were going through in the seconds, minutes and days following the race.

“My world collapsed,’’ Kemkers later told reporters. “This is a disaster. This is the worst moment in my career. Sven was right, I was wrong.’’

A skater fights through sorrow

No one who was at the Pacific Coliseum Tuesday will forget the night that a brave Joannie Rochette produced a dazzling short program skate, just two days after her mother's sudden death. The skate was good enough for the highest short program marks of the Canadian's career, and enough to put her into third place in a very strong field.

Tears flowed freely at the close of Rochette's performance, which included a triple flip that she has struggled to land in the past.  The fact that she'd done it under such trying circumstances, her mourning in full view of the world, was nothing short of amazing.

It's moments like these, writ large at the Olympics, that remind us why the Games still matter, still compel. Thrills, agony, and everything in between.

Rob Klovance is managing editor of bchydro.com.