At the end of the event, you could see that his trainer was telling him "Dude, you got the gold!" And Paul Hamm's reaction went from "No freakin' way" to "OMG!" in about thirty seconds. Meanwhile, the Korean guy has his head in his hands.
I always wonder what kind of unpleasantness the Asian competitors - esp. the Chinese in events where they're supposed to win, and they don't - go home to.
I read somewhere that one of the other competitors said that the USA had something it didn't deserve to have (referring to Hamm's gold); I think it was one of the Koreans. However, despite his disappointment, I'm sure he knows well enough that Hamm had done exceedingly well prior to the vault, and no matter how bad the landing looks, there's only so much the judges can take off for it. They're examining the whole vault -- form in the air, completion of elements, etc. -- not just the landing. It's an important last impression, yes, but it's only one part of the whole routine.
I hope they won't go home to unpleasantness. I hope, particularly for Korea, that getting the silver and bronze will give fuel to their gymnastics program. As for China, with the 2008 Olympics coming in Beijing, I think they're poised for a serious comeback. Something like this will make them work all the harder for it.
I must correct my earlier theory -- it was not the Koreans who said that, but the Romanians. Here's the quote:
"Suciu said: "I do not have any complaint about my score. The only thing I can say is that the USA got something more than it deserved. I am sad and bitter. I felt that I had the medal in my hand and I lost it." Said Dragulescu: "Everyone got a fair judgement, with the exception of the USA, who got a little bit more."
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I always wonder what kind of unpleasantness the Asian competitors - esp. the Chinese in events where they're supposed to win, and they don't - go home to.
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I hope they won't go home to unpleasantness. I hope, particularly for Korea, that getting the silver and bronze will give fuel to their gymnastics program. As for China, with the 2008 Olympics coming in Beijing, I think they're poised for a serious comeback. Something like this will make them work all the harder for it.
Reply
"Suciu said: "I do not have any complaint about my score. The only thing I can say is that the USA got something more than it deserved. I am sad and bitter. I felt that I had the medal in my hand and I lost it." Said Dragulescu: "Everyone got a fair judgement, with the exception of the USA, who got a little bit more."
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